Improving On-Site Search Performance & Results

Video summary

Practical advice on improving the ecommerce on-site search user experience and conversion rate for your ecommerce store. Expert insights from two highly experienced ecommerce specialists.

Topics covered & timings:

1. [4.30] A/B testing search box design to increase engagement
2. [6.40] Providing dynamic/predictive search suggestions
3. [8.05] Ensuring search results pages have accurate filtering
4. [9.30] Ensuring the algorithm handles product attribute matching
5. [11.25] Optimising product titles based on user query language
6. [12.50] Handling the indexation of search results pages for SEO
7. [14.20] Using smart metrics for search analysis
8. [17.05] Balancing algorithms with manual merchandising rules
9. [19.45] Enriching product pages with attributes & copy
10. [21.00] Personalising the search experience using AI/ML tools

Interested in expert advice and guidance for your on-site search or other ecommerce challenges?

Ecommerce context & trends

According to Econsultancy, site search functionality is used in around 30% of sessions, though this does vary based on business size and product range. A Forrester study also showed that 8 out of 10 users leave an online store if it fails to provide convenient navigation and relevant results. Visitors, who use search, are coming with clear intent and, according to Conversion XL, have a conversion probability up to 6 times higher. SearchNode found that searchers generate between ~30-60% of all ecommerce site revenue.

As the mobile share of traffic continues to increase, mobile search is critical to success; however, research shows that shoppers still share common frustrations with the on-site search experience.

The most common shopper frustrations are:

• Irrelevant products e.g. wrong colour, wrong size
• Products missing as a result of integration
• Search doesn’t recognise the words being used (e.g. synonyms or alternative language)
• Takes too long to load results [Kissmetrics found a 1s delay in page response could result in a 7% decrease in conversions]
• Bad design and interface e.g. unclear box or mobile usability

Having worked on site search implementations for small and large ecommerce businesses including House of Fraser, Heals and Sunspel, in this video we share insights on what to watch out for and how to improve search performance.