My team and I recently launched a couple of new digital experiences that not only modernized the design, but also made drastic improvements when it comes to discoverability. We use a number of tactics when it comes to increasing discoverability of content, but for this post I want to focus on site search.

You’re probably saying aren’t all site searches bad? Isn’t that what Google’s for?

When my team and I start a new digital project we always talk with organizations about complaints they have with their current digital experience. The majority of times this leads to a senior staff member saying, “I can’t find anything. When I want to find [INSERT SPECIFIC PAGE] I just Google it.” I’ve come to expect this comment, which is why my team and I have a base search package that we use with most organizations that we work with.

Does site search matter?

Yes, site search does matter. A study from 2016 claims that about 50% of users use site search while 50% scan navigation. Although this stat’s a few years old, it still rings true, at least when it comes to many of the digital experiences that my team and I have worked on.

Earlier, I mentioned people use Google to find content on a specific digital experience. When I hear someone say this, I really hear “My digital experience is letting my users down.” I know, that sounds kind of harsh, but it really is a big deal that can be fixed.

Let me give you an example. Last year, I met with a large nonprofit hospice organization to discuss their digital issues. A member of their senior staff identified a page that he often looked for and could not find on their site unless he searched Google. The page was a history of hospice timeline. As part of this discussion, I ran a real-time test and had everyone in the meeting search for the page on Google. The most common search term was:

“History of Hospice Timeline [insert organization]”  

The Google results showed that 7 different digital experiences that had a history of hospice timeline. I ran this test for a couple of reasons. Yes, it was my way of showing how an ineffective site search could lead users to different experiences, but also to show that there are many different ways users search.

Search engines get more complex every day. This means that they drive users to more specific content, which is good. On the other hand, it means that organizations need to spend more time thinking about content discovery. Especially as users are now entering digital experiences much deeper in the content hierarchy.

I’m not saying site search is not THE answer, but it is part of AN answer.

What can you do?

My team and I have a base site search implementation that we use for most of our clients. Of course, our strategy gets customized, but each time we start a project we’re not reinventing the wheel. Instead, we’re building on a framework that we know works. Our framework often includes these core elements:

1. Apahce Solr – I’ve mentioned before that we use open source technology for most of our technical builds. Solr is a powerful, open source search engine that we recommend for most of our projects. It allows flexibility for admins to control the weight of different fields and to ensure that the correct content is indexed.
2. Sticky Results – This tactic is something that we often implement with organizations who have content that can be searched using various terms. This allows us to make site search feel a little more personalized as these results typically get a little more customization. It also allows us to give organizations a place for promotion of content that they’re trying to promote.
3. Document Indexing – The goal of site search it to quickly get users to the content they’re searching for. This means that documents including PDFs should be indexed.
4. Filters – Users often use filters to help narrow their search results down. Think about it, Google news is where I go if I know I’m looking for a news article. Shopping is where I go if I’m looking for a product. This is why it’s important to ensure that filters are user-friendly and helpful. They can’t just be an afterthought.

The 4 items above provide the technical foundation my team and I use to customize site search across sites. Modern, user-friendly digital experiences need to have a robust search and provide mutual benefit for both users and organizations. For users, the benefit’s getting to content faster. For organizations, it’s engaging with users and exposing them to more relevant content.

I’ve said it before and will say it again. Site search is not THE answer, but it is a tool that can be used as part of the answer. It can have a major impact on discoverability and should be a part of every digital site strategy.