Understanding & Optimizing Onsite Search

OPTIMIZE YOUR ONSITE SEARCH
Help your customers find exactly what they’re looking for.
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN
JP Sherman
Search & Findability Manager at Red Hat
Follow me: @jpsherman

EXISTENTIALIST CONSIDERATIONS
Who am I?
Why am I here?
I first got involved in search technology in 1997 for US Army Special Operations PSYOP
(Airborne)
I studied Biology & Anthropology with a focus in behavioral science.
I’ve worked for large agencies & small agencies
I’ve worked as an in-house SEO
I helped build a startup that was a search engine for video games
Now, I run search & findability for Red Hat

Search is a Journey that Starts Internally
When Successful, It Ends With the
Searcher Having More Than They
Started With

BUT FIRST, A SHOW OF HANDS
How many people regularly use search data to make decisions?
SEO/ PPC Onsite Search

1: http://bit.ly/1swVhSM
Why is Onsite Search So Important?
Users who use your site-search are:
Already engaged
Think you have something they want
Demonstrated a basic level of trust
Actively Looking
Shameless “Twitter
Moment” Plug

Users who find what they’re looking for:
Are more likely to return
Are more likely to add to cart
Are more likely to consume your content
Moment” Plug

Users who DON’T find what they’re looking for:
Know Google is one click away
Remember the “miss” more than the “hit”
Less likely to browse your site
Moment” Plug

Statistics on Internal Search
Across the industry, 30 % of visitors use
internal search ¹
For information & knowledge based sites,
that percent can be significantly higher.

Customers who make an internal search are 5x to 6x
more
likely to convert
When compared to customers who make no search.
Moment” Plug

Only 15% of Companies Have
Dedicated Resources to Improve
Internal Search
Moment” Plug

Search Behavior is the Foundation

Search Behavior Is Always On
Active Search Passive Search

Understanding Search Behavior
Search Initiates with Desire
Which Expresses Itself as a Query
This Creates an Expectation of Value
Value is Measured Against Internal Criteria for Acceptance

People simultaneously process acceptance and rejection criteria.
For every single result on the SERP

Each Result is Measured Against These Search Criteria

The Searcher Accepts or Rejects Results
Based on Internal Criteria, Influenced by Results of that Search

KEY TAKEAWAY
Improving Internal Search Starts With
Creating an Immediate Perception of Value
of Your Content
Through Titles, Metadata & Microdata
Moment” Plug

Measuring Search Behavior
Measurement Leads to Understanding
Understanding Leads to Control
Control Leads to Improvement
- H. James Harrington (paraphrased)

Search behavior serves as context for search as
measurable actions

Measuring Search Behavior Falls Under 3 Categories
Query
Acceptance
Rejection

Acceptance
Identify the Conditions that Trigger Acceptance

Rejection
Identify the Conditions that Result in a Failure State.

Termination
The Searcher Accepts or Rejects the Results.
This Behavior is Based on the Internal Criteria, Influenced by the
Results of that Search

Intuition is a fine starting point…. until you get data

The measurements are simple to understand, but it’s the nuance that tells the story
● Data is the cast of characters in the story ● What these characters (data) do IS the story.

Questions to Avoid Data Overload
Let’s Start Where We Always Start
Keywords
But don’t think of them as just words - they’re vehicles
through which intent is expressed
Moment” Plug

Questions to Avoid Data Overload
Which keywords and content drive the most engagement?
Priorities:
Define engagement to support key objectives

What are your top converting keywords and content?
Priorities:
Use this set as your control group for experimentation

Fun Things to do with Onsite Search
Moment” Plug
For users who have made a conversion
where onsite search was a part of the
pathway…
Follow up with them with an email about
related items. (maybe add a discount code?)

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Moment” Plug
For users who have made an onsite
search…
Cookie them as a distinct re-marketing
campaign

WHAT’S A GOOD CTR FOR ONSITE SEARCH?
Users have very high expectations… (thanks Google)
CTR < 85% CTR > 85%

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.

When Measured, Search Failure is
Awesome

Measuring Search Failure
There are 9 Other Results
There are 9 Other Results Other than the One Clicked

WHEN SERPS FAIL
Searches 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 FAIL
Searches 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
!

AUTOSUGGEST CAN HELP FILTER INTENT
The SERP & the Snippet Can be Magnetic to Clicks When Showing Value
Starting with the Search
Experience

EVEN WHEN THE USER DOESN’T KNOW
“CORRECT” PHRASE
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

Searches w/out
autosuggest
Having
autosuggest can
increase CTR &
Conversion
CTR: 42%
CR: 3.9%

Searches w/
autosuggest
Having
autosuggest can
increase CTR &
Conversion
CTR: 57%
CR: 5.1%

Moment” Plug
For queries that have either zero or anemic
results...
Send that information to your content team
to develop new content ideas.

CONTEXTUALIZE INFORMATION IN THE UI
If the search results aren’t perfect, adding contextual information in the UI can help the user

KNOWLEDGE GRAPHS CAN
CONTEXTUALIZE
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.

TEN BLUE LINKS MAY NOT EVEN WORK
Some products lend themselves to be more visual, or more comparative.

BLENDED SEARCH RESULTS
Just display all the things

OF COURSE, I’M GOING TO TELL YOU TO
TEST IT
Naturally… 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?

KEY TAKEAWAYS TO IMPROVE ONSITE
SEARCH
Make 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

Moment” Plug
For queries that consistently get no clicks...
Send that information to your SEO team to
make sure they find you when they ditch you
& go to Google.

Improving Search
Improving Resolution & Detail

Making Search Better
Master the Basics of Measuring Search
1. Practical Exercises
○ Use Popular Search Terms for Featuring
○ Hyper Localize Your Internal Search
○ Discover Content Gaps from Failed Search
Improving Resolution: 8 Bit

Intermediate Mastery
- Measure the Time from Query to Conversion
- Create Conversion Events for Content
- Test UI Changes in SERP (pictures, schema, fonts, colors)

Mastery as Integration
- Create Search-Oriented Microdata into Content
- Use Personalization and Other Data to Bias Results
- Integrate Search Data in CMS

Moment” Plug
Are there geographical patterns to your
customers’ behavior?
Boost relevant content via IP location

The Barriers to Entry Are Minimal
Using Data to Improve Internal Search Starts With Data You’re Most
Likely Collecting.
Visualizing Iterations as Resolution Helps
- Start With the Data You Already Collect
- Refine That Data With Greater Accuracy
- Turn Data Into Intelligence That Can Be Connected, Integrated &
Shared

WHAT IF YOU DON’T HAVE A SEARCH DEV
TEAM?
Onsite Search is proving its value over & over - there are options

Thank You
Questions?
Comments?
Reach out to me on Twitter, I’d be thrilled to chat more
@jpsherman

Understanding & Optimizing Onsite Search

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