The Importance Of A Search Facility In Web Design

Request A Free Website Analysis

February 23rd, 2010 by Richard

Many users go straight to the search box on entering a site instead of using the navigation menu. The number of people who do this is commonly underestimated, yet the information typed in can be very valuable when determining customer needs and can easily be collected using web analytics. A search utility should be seriously considered during every web development project.

The specific words entered in a search box provide many clues about visitors’ intentions. They may indicate information that people are looking for but which the website does not sufficiently cover, or reveal confusion about using part of the site. Analysing the search results can allow such problems to be rectified.

Observing which page a particular search was made from and where a visitor went next is useful in determining how an individual page answers users’ needs. Possibly the search itself needs to be improved. This may be suspected if visitors leave the site immediately after obtaining their search results. Perhaps too many results are offered and they are not relevant enough, so the customer despairs and moves elsewhere.

There is also the question of ‘conversion’ during an internet marketing campaign, the term referring to any positive outcome such as a sale, or a blog subscription. If the search facility helps visitors find what they are looking for, then the conversion rate should be substantially higher for those who use it. The web development team at Click Consult know that including or improving a search utility is a key feature of the web design process.

What Is Organic SEO?
Organic SEO is something that is talked about a lot on the Internet. Marketers and website owners are often found lamenting Google search results and damming the algorithm updates. This is because organic SEO is the act of optimising a…...
How Your Visitors Behave
Understanding your visitors' actions is important to helping you develop a better understanding of what they are looking for. It can provide an insight into their experience while on your site and can indicate methods to offer improved web design…...
Using Reviews And Awards To Improve Affiliate Marketing
The most successful affiliate marketing website offers unique content to its visitors and gets them involved in a dynamic and enjoyable experience. The more involved a visitor becomes, the more comfortable they feel making a purchase. Product review sites not…...
Optimising A Site Search During Web Development
While a search utility is extremely important and typically receives a lot of visitor traffic it can be difficult to evaluate and improve. The search terms used by visitors are readily available but their analysis is more tricky. Yet it…...
SEO – The Cost Effective Traffic Solution
Website traffic is the one thing that all website owners want. More importantly, though, is finding a source of targeted traffic that generates visitors inclined to convert to customers. There are a number of methods regularly employed by websites including…...