Creating a website filled with rich content that is relevant to your visitors and customers is only the beginning. Helping visitors find information quickly and avoiding frustration is vital for a positive user experience and often overlooked. Having well-organized, customized on-site search results attract and retain your audience for your products or services.
Starkmedia has helped many clients over the years to deliver a premium on-site search experience. Here are a few ways we can keep your visitors engaged:
Custom Organization by Type of Content
On-site search results are often just a long list of copy blocks highlighting a keyword. However, they lack context to determine if the content is relevant to your search. By organizing your search results into groupings matching site navigation or content types, visitors can quickly identify relevant results. For instance, in a product catalog, search results may include thumbnail images of matching products and a section with support content like documents or troubleshooting guides.
Weighted Search Results
Sometimes you want a little bit more control over which results display and in what order. Our team has customized content management, empowering content authors to prioritize pages or products. This ensures their visibility at the top of search results in specific scenarios.
Custom, Keyword-Based Ad Blocks
Going a step forward, our team has developed custom ad blocks. These blocks can appear above search results, triggered by specific keyword(s) or identified customer types based on site behavior, such as section visits or return visits. This approach lets you guide visitors to specific pages or products without requiring them to scan an entire results page
Predictive Search
Ensuring visitors stay engaged on the site without redirecting to a search results page can boost conversions as sales or leads. One effective method to provide search results without leaving the page is by implementing a predictive search field. This feature offers well-organized and indexed results, autocompleting as visitors type. For instance, when searching for a pressure washer, as you type ‘press,’ the predictive search field displays relevant variations (e.g., pressure washers, pressure washing projects) and thumbnail products in that category. All of this appears within a hovering window on the content page you’re viewing.
Upgrading Indexing Technologies
If you are already employing some of the techniques above but still not getting the UX you deserve, perhaps it is time to investigate the indexing technology serving those results. Whether you have a large product catalog with detailed specifications or need accurate location information, our team has experience installing search platforms from industry leaders like Google, Elastic, Solr, and more.
Starkmedia’s team of search, design, and development experts is prepared to assist you, whether you’re seeking minor enhancements or delving deeper into highly-curated results.
Contact us today to schedule a meeting and see what our expertise can do for your on-site search experience.
