Internal search is one of the most under-utilized elements on a website. Many sites have no internal search. Others have an internal search that sends visitors off the site and into the web. Finally, there are sites that return no results, too many results, or incomplete results. Getting this right isn’t rocket science, but it does take some effort.
The effort to optimize the internal search is worthwhile for several reasons.
First, a good internal search conveys professionalism, trust and reliability. If I walk into a store and ask a salesperson for information on a product and am met with a blank stare, or worse, an incoherent answer, then I won’t think very highly of the store. On the web, a single negative experience is enough to persuade many visitors to try their luck on another site.
Second, many visitors prefer navigating websites via search. Providing a good on-site search is an easy and friendly way to make navigating the site as pleasant as possible for this segment. This is especially important because visitors using internal search are generally of a high quality. That is because they made the commitment to stay on the site in order to find exactly what they are looking for.
Third, visitors using the internal search provide valuable information about how the site is meeting the needs of the visitors. By tracking internal searches with a web analytics tool, it is easy to find out if visitors are turning to search because the site navigation is difficult to understand. Searches with no results often reveal an information deficit about a certain product or service. Zero result searches can also provide ideas and inspiration for new products or services.
Web Analytics Tips:
Look at the number of results per search term. A higher than average number suggests too many irrelevant results.
Examine visitor behavior after a search. Are visitors refining their searches, clicking on a result or leaving the site entirely? Search refinements suggest inaccurate search results. Clicking on a result is usually the best indicator that the internal search is working.
Consider search terms with no search results. This is a sign of a broken search engine or lack of relevant content on the site. In either case, this KPI provides a clear case for action.
Example of good internal search
The search for “marmot tent” on Backcountry.com is an example of an excellent internal search. The search page shows only relevant results. If the 22 results are too many, there are several ways to refine the search or sort the results. The information for each search result is sufficient and not overwhelming. There is a picture, a description and a price. If available, the product rating, as reviewed by fellow shoppers is presented. Finally, items that are on sale are clearly marked to entice the visitor to buy.
I agree in principle if you say “Getting this right isn’t rocket science”. But in reality it is quite hard to implement a internal search. There are a lot of pitfalls especially if you have an existing crowded application server setup with different databases and document formats.
In my opinion the status of the internal search of an site is one (of only few) indicator if the online activity is business relevant. If the internal search is bad everybody knows “Oh, right guys, we have also online because of everybody is online now. But, we don’t believe in the power of the net.”
This is great info to know.