I would like to change the phrase "search products" in the search field to something like "Search example Spider-Man #40". I want this example because a search of "spiderman 40" and not "spider-man #40" will return zero results even if the product is in stock. The - and # symbols are important to a accurate search.
Only other option I can think is to add text just below the search field which might look better but I do not know how to do this either.
You should modify the value of the search_products language variable. You can do it in the administrator area. Add the ?q=search+products&dispatch=languages.manage&x=0&y=0&descr_sl=EN to your request in the administrator area.