Internal search is one of the best ways to get information on user intent. However, it's under-utilized and often ignored. Here's the basics you need to maximize your internal search efforts.
Improve Internal Search Results with Data Analytics
1. GETTING BETTER INFORMATION
FROM INTERNAL SEARCH
Presenter: JP Sherman
Title: Search & Findability Manager
Follow me: @jpsherman
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN
2. Search is a Journey that Starts Internally
When Successful, It Ends With the
Searcher Having More Than They
Started With
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN
3. Statistics on Internal Search
Up to 30 % of visitors use internal search ¹
1: http://bit.ly/1swVhSM
For information & knowledge based sites,
that percent can be significantly higher.
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN
4. Statistics on Internal Search
Customers who make an internal search are 5x to 6x more
likely to convert
When compared to customers who make no search.
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN
5. Statistics on Internal Search
Only 15% of Companies Have Dedicated
Resources to Improve Internal Search
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN
6. Search Behavior is the Foundation
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN
7. Search Behavior Is Always On
Active Search Passive Search
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN
8. Understanding Search Behavior
Search Initiates With Desire
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN
9. Understanding Search Behavior
From Desire, Search expresses itself as a query
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN
10. Understanding Search Behavior
Desire Creates Expectation
Expectation Creates Criteria for Acceptance
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN
11. Understanding Search Behavior
People simultaneously process acceptance and rejection criteria.
For every single result on the SERP
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN
12. Understanding Search Behavior
Each Result is Measured Against These Search Criteria
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN
13. Understanding Search Behavior
The Searcher Accepts or Rejects Results
Based on Internal Criteria, Influenced by Results of that Search
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN
14. Measuring Search Behavior
Measurement Leads to Understanding
Understanding Leads to Control
Control Leads to Improvement
- H. James Harrington (paraphrased)
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN
15. Measuring Search Behavior
Search behavior serves as context for search as measurable actions
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN
16. Measuring Search Behavior
Measuring Search Behavior Falls Under 3 Categories
Query
Acceptance
Rejection
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN
17. Understanding Search Behavior
Acceptance
Identify the Conditions that Trigger Acceptance, Usually Measured
by a Click
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN
18. Understanding Search Behavior
Rejection
Identify the Conditions that Result in a Non-Click.
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN
19. Understanding Search Behavior
Termination
The Searcher Accepts or Rejects the Results.
This Behavior is Based on the Internal Criteria, Influenced by the
Results of that Search
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN
20. Measuring Search Behavior
Questions to Avoid Data Overload
What are the top things people are looking for?
Priorities:
Balance out popularity with depth of content with conversions obtained
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN
21. Measuring Search Behavior
Questions to Avoid Data Overload
Which keywords and content drive the most engagement?
Priorities:
Define engagement to support key objectives
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN
22. Measuring Search Behavior
Questions to Avoid Data Overload
What are your top converting keywords and content?
Priorities:
Use this set as your control group for experimentation
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN
23. Measuring Search Behavior
An Analytics Recipe to Measure Search Effectiveness
Keyword
Any keyword refinements
Rank of content that was clicked
Destination page of search result
Activity post-search, ie: conversion or consumption
Time query occurred
Time spent on destination content page
Most Enterprise CMS & Analytics Packages Give You This Data, it Just Needs
to be Configured.
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN
24. When Measured, Search Failure is
Awesome
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN
25. Measuring Search Failure
Which queries result in no clicks?
Priorities:
This is the beginning of improving UI/ UX and Metadata
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN
26. Measuring Search Failure
Which queries result in no results?
Priorities:
These are queries that return no or few results. This is the
beginning of a content gap analysis
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN
27. Measuring Search Failure
ProTip
Measuring Just the Click is 10% of the Story
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN
28. Measuring Search Failure
There are 9 Other Results Other than the One Clicked
There are 9 Other Results
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN
29. Measuring Search Failure
Consider the “Non-Clicked” Results as Impressions
Find the content that generates impressions but few clicks
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN
30. Improving Resolution & Detail
Improving Search
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN
31. Making Search Better
Improving Resolution: 8 Bit
Master the Basics of Measuring Search
1. Practical Exercises
o Use Popular Search Terms for Featuring
o Hyper Localize Your Internal Search
o Discover Content Gaps from Failed Search
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN
32. Making Search Better
Improving Resolution: 32 Bit
Intermediate Mastery
- Measure the Time from Query to Conversion
- Create Conversion Events for Content
- Test UI Changes in SERP (pictures, schema, fonts, colors)
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN
33. Making Search Better
Improving Resolution: 128 Bit
Mastery as Integration
- Create Search-Oriented Microdata into Content
- Use Personalization and Other Data to Bias Results
- Integrate Search Data in CMS
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN
34. 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
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN
35. The Power Was With You
This Whole Time
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN
36. Thank You
Questions? Comments? Threats?
Reach out to me on Twitter, I’d be thrilled to chat more
@jpsherman
HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM INTERNAL SEARCH FOLLOW ME @JPSHERMAN