Post on 10-Feb-2017
transcript
OPTIMIZE YOUR ON-SITE SEARCH
Help your customers find exactly what they’re looking for.
JP ShermanRed Hat’s Manager of Search & Findability
Tweets @jpsherman
Findability is how your customers find what they’re looking for.
UNDERSTANDING THE CORE ASPECTS OF SEARCH AND FINDABILITY
➔ The Four Pillars of On-Site Search Optimization◆ Measurement◆ SERP Structure◆ SERP UI/UX◆ Result Set Quality
BUT FIRST, A SHOW OF HANDS
SEO/ Paid Search
How many people regularly use search data to make decisions?
Onsite Search
STUDIES SHOWHow many companies regularly use search data to make decisions?
Between 15% and 20% of large companies dedicate resources to on-site search. Smaller businesses range
from 0% to 4%
Six-month-old infants can only hold one thing in memory.
Having more narcissists on a team is better for generating creative outcomes.
The more relaxed you are when you enter a store, the more money you’ll spend.
The ruder someone acts, the more convinced observers become that he or she is powerful.
Shorter sleep duration is associated with increased susceptibility to the common cold.
King penguins are attracted to the colors on each other’s beaks, including colors humans can’t see.
ABOUT YOUR CUSTOMERSEngaged. Invested. Curious. In an Active Decision Phase. Trusting. Convinced.
WHO ARE THEY?WHAT ARE THEY MORE LIKELY TO DO?
AND YET CUSTOMERS WHO SEARCH ARE...Engaged. Invested. Curious. In an Active Decision Phase. Trusting. Convinced.
❏ They are 5x - 6x more likely to convert❏ They are more likely to share content
❏ They are more likely to stay on-site longer❏ They are more likely to return
❏ They are more likely to recognize brand
DIFFERENTIATING BETWEEN DATA & STORYThe measurements are simple to understand, but it’s the nuance that tells the story
Data is the characters in the story
What these characters (data) do IS the story.
UNDERSTANDING INTENT & BEHAVIORThe measurements are simple to understand, but it’s the nuance that tells the story
Let’s Start Where We Always Start
Keywords
UNDERSTANDING INTENT & BEHAVIORThe measurements are simple to understand, but it’s the nuance that tells the story
Keywords High Freq/ Low Intent
Low Freq/ High Intent Long Tail Unicorns
Popular but vague keywords
Rare but specific keywords
Specific terms > 3 or 4 words
Queries that happen once in a given time-frame
These are the most common types of queries that happen in on-site search. By understanding the types of queries you have, you can start tailoring the search experience to the type of query.
UNDERSTANDING INTENT & BEHAVIORThe measurements are simple to understand, but it’s the nuance that tells the story
Keywords
High Frequency/ Low Intent
Low Frequency/ High Intent
Long Tail
Unicorns
Clicks
Conversions
No Clicks
Position
CTR
Conversion Rate
Consumption Rate
Keyword Types Metrics Calculated Metrics
Negative CTR
UNDERSTANDING INTENT & BEHAVIORThe measurements are simple to understand, but it’s the nuance that tells the story
Keywords High Freq/ Low Intent
Example Queries:● Bikes● Software● Smart phones● College● Finland● Books● Laptops● Elections
This is the top of the funnel search behavior.
User Intent Isn’t Specific● Information● Ideas● Knowledge● Type Selection● Familiarity● Definitions● Topic Review
UNDERSTANDING INTENT & BEHAVIORThe measurements are simple to understand, but it’s the nuance that tells the story
Keywords Low Freq/ High Intent
Example Queries:● Download latest iTunes● Stream The Clash● Pictures of cats in baskets● Vietnamese food near me● Spicy vegan taco recipes● Supernatural monsters that
drink human blood● Latin name for ring-tailed
lemur● What does coulrophobia
mean?
There is no ambiguity in the searchers’ intent.
User Intent Is Specific● Take an action● View specific thing● Learn specific thing● List based content● Answers to a
specific question
UNDERSTANDING INTENT & BEHAVIORThe measurements are simple to understand, but it’s the nuance that tells the story
Keywords Long Tail Long tail keywords are those three and four keyword phrases which are very, very specific to whatever you are selling.
UNDERSTANDING INTENT & BEHAVIORThe measurements are simple to understand, but it’s the nuance that tells the story
Keywords Unicorns Unicorns are keywords that appear once in a given time-frame.
● On average, 50% to 60% of queries are unicorns
● Unicorn queries are useful to gain quick wins. For queries that make sense, the identification of a unicorn can lead to content that will immediately fulfill that search.
● One caveat, unicorn terms can frequently be typos, nonsense words or long copied/ pasted text
UNDERSTANDING INTENT & BEHAVIORThe measurements are simple to understand, but it’s the nuance that tells the story
Metrics CTR CTR in on-site search measures clicks from SERP
● CTR’s are a great way to measure the overall success of your on-site search
● Sometimes, you might see a CTR on a keyword greater than 100%
● This means that the user has opened up links in new tabs.
UNDERSTANDING INTENT & BEHAVIORThe measurements are simple to understand, but it’s the nuance that tells the story
Metrics Conversion Rate Consumption Ratevs
Conversions
A quantifiable action taken. Conversions can be purchases, sign-ups, downloads or something else. Always binary.
Consumptions
A qualitative measurement of content. It’s is a spectrum that measures how much of the content has been consumed.
UNDERSTANDING INTENT & BEHAVIORThe measurements are simple to understand, but it’s the nuance that tells the story
Metrics No Results No Clicksvs
No Results
When a query is performed and nothing matches the query
No Clicks
The inverse of click throughs
WHEN SERPS FAILSearches will fail, your customers will look for strange things - help them out a bit.
Users will experience a search failure.
Giving users a way to refine, tips to search again, a place for feedback will improve
the search experience.
Users w/out assistance re-searched 33%Users w/ assistance re-searched 59%
WHEN SERPS FAILSearches will fail, your customers will look for strange things - help them out a bit.
Metrics
No Clicks
Failure means you can ask for
more information
!
WHEN SERPS FAILSearches will fail, your customers will look for strange things - help them out a bit.
Metrics
No Clicks
WHEN SERPS FAILSearches will fail, your customers will look for strange things - help them out a bit.
Metrics
No Clicks
Wait, What?
AUTOSUGGEST CAN HELP FILTER INTENTThe SERP & the Snippet Can be Magnetic to Clicks When Showing Value
Starting with the Search Experience
EVEN WHEN THE USER DOESN’T KNOW “CORRECT” PHRASEThe SERP & the Snippet Can be Magnetic to Clicks When Showing Value
Auto-Suggest
Customer Focused
Immediately gives the user options helping fix any “wonky” searches
Business Focused
You can add keymatches or suggestions based off of the query entered
AUTOSUGGEST CAN HELP FILTER INTENTThe SERP & the Snippet Can be Magnetic to Clicks When Showing Value
Autosuggest vs. Non Autosuggest
Having autosuggest can increase CTR &
Conversion
CTR: 42%CR: 3.9%
AUTOSUGGEST CAN HELP FILTER INTENTThe SERP & the Snippet Can be Magnetic to Clicks When Showing Value
Autosuggest vs. Non Autosuggest
Having autosuggest can increase CTR &
Conversion
CTR: 57%CR: 5.1%
CONTEXTUALIZE INFORMATION IN THE UIIf the search results aren’t perfect, adding contextual information in the UI can help the user
KNOWLEDGE GRAPHS CAN CONTEXTUALIZEThe SERP & the Snippet Can be Magnetic to Clicks When Showing Value
Knowledge Graphs
High Volume/ Low Intent
Allows the user to immediately focus on what their intent is when it’s not clear in the query.
OH… RIGHT… MOBILE MATTERSThe SERP & the Snippet Can be Magnetic to Clicks When Showing Value
Don’t Forget Mobile
DISAMBIGUATION FOR SIMILAR SEARCHESUnderstand Where Your Customers Primarily Interact With You.
RIGHT... AGAIN WITH THE MOBILE.Understand Where Your Customers Primarily Interact With You.
TEN BLUE LINKS MAY NOT EVEN WORKSome products lend themselves to be more visual, or more comparative.
BLENDED SEARCH RESULTSJust display all the things
OF COURSE, I’M GOING TO TELL YOU TO TEST ITNaturally… but what do I look at to see if it’s a good test?
CTR
Conversion Rate
Accessed Content
Watch These Metrics
Refinements
Does the experimental group have a higher CTR? Implying Value
Are there more purchases or other conversion events?
Does more content get viewed after a search is performed?
Do people perform less searches after an initial search?
Mobile Is there a significant difference in these metrics from mobile devices?
IF YOU REALLY WANT TO BE FANCYIt’s a great way to measure search quality, but requires decent development changes.
To deliver the right content quickly to the right person who is searching your site.
Goal
Measure: Time from Query to Conversion/ Consumption
1st Query
1st Click
Pogostick 1st Refinement
2nd Click
conversion? 2nd Refinement
KEY TAKEAWAYS TO IMPROVE ONSITE SEARCHMake a plan, make a change every month, measure it & repeat.
It’s not that hard
Change the Snippet
Change the SERP design
Add Contextual Information
Measure, Measure, Measure
Don’t forget, mobile is unique
THANK YOU
Please feel free to talk to me if you happen to run into me.
Find me on Twitter @jpsherman