The Fast Lane
Discover the world of AI-driven shopping optimization and fast-track your way to increased conversion rates, AOV, and customer loyalty. Explore expert insights on e-commerce personalization, merchandising, site search, and more.
Search & discoveryNo Search Results Found: Troubleshooting Tips for Your eCommerce SitePicture this: a member of your ideal target audience finds your website while shopping. They have a specific product in mind, and they've been searching for a while—they plan to buy it the second they see it. So, they type it into your search bar, only to be met with "No search results found." All your hard work has gone to waste as they X out of the browser window and continue their search. In this article, we look at 6 troubleshooting tips to help you strengthen your search game and avoid a "no search results found" scenario.
» Have you tried using search and discovery to boost sales? Here's how to do it.
Understanding the Impact
A "no search results found" message has more implications than simply being annoying to your site visitors. If they're not willing to manually search through your catalog, they may choose to shop somewhere else, resulting in lost sales.
So, this is a good opportunity to positively transform your revenue and your brand. By addressing this issue effectively, you can not only prevent lost sales but also enhance customer satisfaction, both among your current and potential customers. You can also boost user engagement. This will help to produce increased sales and contribute to the growth of your brand identity and reputation, ensuring long-term prosperity for your company.
» Customers might be leaving your website for other reasons: Find out how to make them stay
Common Causes of No Search Results
Before you start working on a solution, it's important to understand why the dreaded "no search results found" message is popping up in the first place. Here are some potential causes:
Typos: Customers may make a mistake or spell a term differently than what you've indexed. For example: "saphire ring" instead of "sapphire ring."Synonyms: They may search for a synonym or related term different from what you've used. For example, a UK or Australian shopper may type "trainers" when you've used "sneakers."Product availability: Your search may show no results when your stock is low, or the item isn't currently listed. For example, a shopper searches for a limited-edition cosmetic set that you're currently out of but will restock soon.Indexing issues: If your site's search engine has an incomplete, inefficient, or glitchy indexing function, it could miss potential matches. For example, your search skips certain products or categories.
» Want to give your customers a better experience? Give AI a try.
6 "No Search Results Found" Troubleshooting Tips
1. Improve Your Search Algorithm
Your algorithm is the backbone of your search engine. It dictates how effective your search function will be and how easily shoppers can find what they want.
One strategy to enhance your search algorithm is fuzzy searching, which matches similar terms instead of strictly exact terms. This allows site visitors to see results even with typos, misspellings, or variations. You can also incorporate synonyms and partial matching, which are similar tools to broaden search results.
Satya Jewelry uses fuzzy search to ensure customers see "sapphire" results even if they misspell it as "saphire."
2. Use Autocorrect and Spellcheck
If you do a lot of typing, you know how easy it is for typos and misspellings to slip through. They may even have caused you to lose a few sales or customers. That's why it's a good idea to implement an autocorrect or spellcheck feature into your site search to ensure that users never miss out on a product just because the spelling was off by a letter or two.
» See how natural language search can help maximize your website content.
3. Implement Filters and Sorting Options
When you group and categorize products, your visitors have a much better chance of finding what they're looking for. This is especially true if they don't know exactly what they want but have a general idea based on the broader details. With filters and sorting options, shoppers can browse and refine their search based on these options, like brand, product type, features, price, and more.
Tonerbuzz has a robust filtering and sorting system, allowing customers to find toner and ink products based on typical filters and more advanced ones like pack type and page yield.
» Avoid these common mistakes when implementing search filters.
4. Generate User-Friendly Error Messages
If a user sees a "no results" page without any accompanying interactive or engaging content, odds are they'll promptly leave the site and continue their search elsewhere. But you might be able to keep them on with messages that offer alternative suggestions, similar products, or other ways to help.
Mastermind Toys' website offers a user-friendly message that directs customers to top-selling products instead of simply telling them that no results were found. This encourages them to stick around and keep shopping.
5. Monitor Search Analytics
As an eCommerce store owner, analytics are one of the most powerful tools you have. They allow you to take a look under the hood and see what's working and what isn't. They also pave the way for strategies you may never have thought of on your own. By looking at your site's search analytics, you might uncover new user behavior insights or search patterns that show how people search on your site or what they're looking for. You can then turn this data into optimizations and improvements that boost your site's performance.
» Did you know? Tweaking your website's homepage can lead to more customer satisfaction.
6. Regularly Update Your Catalog
If your product catalog is outdated, you might be undoing some of the work you put in to grow your store in the first place. Outdated or unavailable products can lead to empty or misleading search results, which can be frustrating at best. Regularly reviewing, refreshing, and "cleaning out" your catalog helps to make the search process smoother and more seamless.
Testing and Iteration
A "set it and forget it" approach doesn't work when running an eCommerce store. It's critical to continuously test and iterate so that you're always on top of changing customer needs and market trends.
A/B testing is a great way to gather meaningful data on your performance to see which changes are more promising. Collecting user feedback is another tried-and-true strategy to better understand your customers and learn about their interests, needs, challenges, and pain points.
Searching for Gold: Turning "No Results" Into Customer Engagement
"No search results found" can be a valuable opportunity to engage your customers and grow your business. In your quest for troubleshooting, test out some of the strategies we've discussed. As the eCommerce industry continues to evolve, you'll learn firsthand that a robust site search is more of a necessity than a bonus. It's a way to turn visitors into customers, keep them around, and build strong relationships, all while protecting your brand's reputation.
» Give your customers a more personalized shopping experience with custom site search.
Search & discoveryAdd Product Filters to Shopify: A Step-By-Step GuideOne of the most important factors behind the success of any Shopify store is adding product filters. This way, your customers can refine their search results and find their intended products faster by applying different criteria, such as product type, size, color, or price. Product filters can therefore help improve the user experience and sales. Here is a step-by-step guide to adding a product filter to your Shopify store.
What Is a Product Filter?
A product filter is a tool that allows your customers to narrow down a wide array of products and find the ones they're looking for quickly and efficiently.
This extremely beneficial navigation tool streamlines your customers' shopping experience because, by simply clicking a few buttons to enable the right filters, they can easily find the right products at their fingertips. For example, if a customer wants to buy a red shirt within a certain price range, they can select the "red" and "price" filters, and the search results will be narrowed down to just red shirts that meet the specific price criteria.
Product filters can also improve the product catalog of your store and increase the visibility of certain products, resulting in a better shopping experience for your customers and higher sales for you.
How to Add the Filters to Your Shopify Store
There are two different processes for adding product filters to a Shopify store: one is for desktop, and the other is for mobile. There are also two types of filters you can add.
Basic or default filters include options like primary price, vendor, and product type. These filters work with any store, and you can add up to five to your store.Advanced or custom filters depend on the type of products you sell, so you'll use your product variants to determine which custom filters you need. You can add up to 20 of these filters to your store.
On Your Desktop
First, you need to check which filters are available to you based in your store theme. Once checked, you have to enable the filters in Navigation. Now, you can start adding filters to your store.
Go to your Shopify Admin and click on Online Store.Click on Navigation and find the section named Collection and search filters.Click on the Add filters button.
You'll see a list of available filters. Select as many as you want.Click Done and save to update.
On Your Mobile
Adding product filters to Shopify on mobile is quite easy and very similar to the process on your desktop.
Install the Shopify app and log in.Go to the sales channel section and click Online Store.Click on Navigation and find your way all the way down to Collection and search filters.Click Add filters, and you'll see a list of available filters.Select as many as you want and click Done to save and update.
Importance of Filtering Your Products
Product filtering is an important factor for e-commerce businesses because it not only helps to improve your customers' search experience but also helps to enhance navigation, which ultimately increases your chances of making sales.
Filtering can also be beneficial for your product organization because the more product filters your store has, the more satisfied your customers are with its great look and feel.
» Make sure your filters are the best: Here's how to optimize e-commerce filters and avoid common mistakes
Simon Says Automate Your Filters
Overall, product filters are an essential part of online stores that have a large number of products and want their customers to have an extraordinary search experience.
But we know that manually creating filters can take a lot of time and money, especially if a developer is involved. Instead, consider automatically generating filters for your Shopify store. Once generated, these filters are fully customizable, so they can suit your store and brand. Just choose the filters you want to use to drive your store forward.
Learn more about automated filters from Fast Simon on YouTube:
Search & discoveryGuide to Shopify Search Bar: Add, Customize, Troubleshoot, Remove, and MoreAs a leading e-commerce platform, Shopify offers its users a variety of tools and features to help them sell their products online, including a search bar. You may have heard about the advantages of Shopify's search bar, like maximizing product discoverability, but you're unsure about its technicalities. In this guide, we provide easy-to-follow steps so you can effortlessly add, customize, troubleshoot, or remove your Shopify search bar.
Effortlessly Add, Customize, and Remove Your Shopify Search Bar
1. How to Add Your Shopify Search Bar
First, you need to get your Shopify search bar up and running. There are two paths you can choose: enable this function directly in your Shopify store or via a third-party app.
Enable Your Shopify Search Bar in Your Shopify Store
Please note that you can only follow this method if your Shopify theme supports it.
Log into your Shopify account and navigate to your admin page.Click on Themes.Click on Theme Editor or Customize, depending on your setup.Click on Theme Settings and navigate to Add-Ons.Locate the search add-on in the list and check the box to activate it.
If you can't find this in your theme settings, then your theme most likely doesn't support a search functionality. But not to worry! You can just as easily add a Shopify search bar through an app.
Add Your Shopify Search Bar via an App
Go to your Shopify dashboard and log in to your account.Click on the Apps section on the left-side menu and visit the Shopify App Store.Search for "search bar apps", and you'll see apps like Fast Simon.Install the app and follow the installation instructions to add the app to your Shopify store.Go to the app's settings to configure the search bar.Click on Save to apply the changes.Go to your website and test the search bar to ensure that it's working correctly.
Adding a search bar will help your customers find their ideal products quickly and easily, thereby improving their overall shopping and user experience.
2. How to Customize Your Shopify Search Bar
Now that you've added your Shopify search bar, you can start customizing it.
Log in to your Shopify account and click on Online Store.Click on Themes.Find the theme you want to edit and click on Customize.Click on Search Bar.Change the search bar settings and save to update.
Customization is important because it gives your store a certain look and feel. This includes changing the search suggestions, result display settings, and whether the product description should be available in the results.
3. How to Remove Your Shopify Search Bar
Removing your Shopify search bar will depend on how you added it, directly in your Shopify store via its theme or with a third-party app.
Remove Your Shopify Search Bar in Your Shopify Store
Log into your Shopify account.Navigate to Themes.Click on Actions and select Edit Code. Navigate to the list of codes and select icon-search.liquid. Delete the code in the section.
Remove Your Shopify Search Bar via an App
Log into your Shopify account.Click on Apps to review the list of apps installed on your store.Click the delete icon of the app you want to remove.Click Uninstall.
Removing your Shopify search bar may seem strange, considering its advantages. But perhaps you have a limited number of products, so your customers don't use the search option, or your website is just one page with minimal navigation.
How to Troubleshoot Common Shopify Search Bar Issues
Here are some common problems your Shopify search bar may encounter and their quick solutions.
Search Icon Issues
The most common issue comes with the search icon. Normally on mobile devices, the search bar won't appear until your customer clicks on the magnifying glass icon. If they have connectivity issues and the icon doesn't load, then the search bar will always be kept hidden.
Tip: Try clearing your cache, checking your theme, or reverting to the previous update.
Theme-Specific Issues
Popular themes like Venture or Debut come with a hidden search bar for mobile devices, and when the themes are upgraded or changed manually, search bar issues can happen.
Tip: Try reverting to old updates or contacting the theme developers.
Why Is the Shopify Search Bar Important?
Shopify's search bar gives your customers a quick and easy way to find the products they're looking for, which ultimately results in an enhanced shopping experience for them. By reducing the time it takes to find a product, your customers are 2-3 times more likely to convert. A good and functional search bar can therefore lead to:
Improved customer experienceIncreased brand recognition, loyalty, and social proofBetter product discoveryIncreased sales
Benefits of the Shopify Search Bar
There are several benefits associated with the Shopify search bar. Some of them are:
Improved product catalog
With search analytics, you can understand which products are in demand and push them as per your customer's previous search history, thereby giving them a personalized shopping experience.Improved Shopify SEO
Your search pages can be a great source of SEO-optimized links that will improve your website's ranking in search results.Design marketing campaigns
Knowing your customer's search data can help you launch relevant promotional campaigns and give you opportunities for upselling and cross-selling.Improve product linking
Understanding your customers' search intent means you can add relevant search keywords to your search functionality, products, and collections to ensure your customers' search results are more tightly knit.
Start Your Search Today
In a nutshell, the Shopify search bar is one of the greatest aspects of your store's success and can be the game changer in your Shopify store's performance. Once added, you can leverage the benefits from more specialized search functionalities like federated search and predictive search. As you've seen, adding and managing your Shopify search bar is easy and fast, so start optimizing your Shopify store today.
Search & discoveryAdvanced Search in WooCommerce: Elevate Your E-Commerce GameAdvanced search in WooCommerce can significantly elevate your e-commerce store, enhance your customers' experience in your store, and drive sales. This robust search functionality helps your customers quickly find what they're looking for by searching for specific products, categories, attributes, and even custom fields.
What Is Advanced Search in WooCommerce?
Advanced search in WooCommerce allows your customers to refine their product searches by using a number of filters and parameters.
Your customers can narrow their search by selecting several parameters, such as the type of goods, features, price range, and so on. This type of e-commerce search process is simplified and more efficient, which in turn improves the user experience.
How Advanced Search Improves Your WooCommerce Store
1. Show Relevant Results Instantly
When you use advanced search in WooCommerce, your website's search function can return relevant results almost immediately, making it easy for shoppers to find what they need.
This is especially true if you have a large product catalog. Your customers don't want to search endlessly through collections and product lists. Instead, advanced search can save them time and effort because your customers can easily filter search results by keywords, product features, price range, and more.
Bamboo Clothing: Get an Instant Perfect Fit
Bamboo Clothing sells sustainable men's and women's activewear. Their customers can search by size, color, brand, and price. These advanced search tools allow their customers to quickly locate the products they want without browsing through irrelevant merchandise. For example, a customer found relevant results instantly when typing in "large women tops".
Also, note how the search function gave relevant results even though the customer didn't use the exact same wording as the store ("top" vs. "jacket"). Its natural language search capabilities take synonyms and misspellings into consideration to continually provide an optimized shopping experience.
2. Product Searches Anywhere on Your Site
Since 43% of your customers immediately start their shopping journey with your search bar, it should be available to them throughout their entire shopping journey in your store.
Easy access to your search bar means your customers are more likely to stay on your site and explore more pages. They may even stumble across products they didn't know you had or that are better than what they were originally looking for, giving you an ideal chance to upsell and cross-sell. Additionally, increased stay time and engagement show search engines that your site is important and relevant to users, which can boost your ranking.
Gourmet Basket: Not Putting It All in One Basket
Gourmet Basket specializes in compiling luxurious gift baskets. If a customer browses a specific collection (like "Non-Alcoholic Gift Baskets"), the search bar remains easily accessible at the top of the page if the customer wants to search for something else. Within the collection, various filters are available to refine the customers' search more, thereby giving them more options and encouraging them to stay on the page.
» Learn how product search engines and federated search can enhance your store today
3. Live Search and Autocomplete
Live search and autocomplete give your customers a faster, more convenient, and more efficient way to find and purchase products in your store because they automatically provide suggestions based on what your customers are typing.
This can not only save time but also help avoid spelling mistakes that could result in a "no results" page. In this way, you can lower your bounce rates and increase conversions because you're leading your customers on a straight path to their desired products.
Wowmart: Finishing Your Sentences
Wowmart sells various health and beauty products. If a customer is looking for "shampoo", the store automatically provides various popular, category, and product suggestions for them to consider and peruse.
4. Tailored Product Search
Because you're interacting with your customers through an interface now instead of face-to-face, it's even more important to make them feel special. And giving them a personalized shopping experience tailored to their preferences is the perfect way to do this.
By making your customers part of the process, you can increase your sales by 6-10% because at least 51% of your customers are more likely to buy a product if you add a personal touch to their shopping journey.
Protest: No Objections to Personalized Search Results
Protest sells clothing for men, women, and children. If a customer searches for "black top", then they get relevant results from all categories, including summer and winter clothing as well as for men, women, and children. But a personalized shopping experience can refine these results, e.g., black tops for women of a specific price and size.
» Discover more about personalized search and recommendation engines
Fast Opportunities
WooCommerce stores need advanced searches to improve product discoverability and user experience. This includes delivering quick and accurate search results to your customers, giving them the opportunity to further refine their searches, and personalizing their shopping journey.
An effective search function can potentially double your conversions, build customer loyalty, and increase your sales.
Search & discoveryWooCommerce Instant Search Makes Browsing a Breeze—Here's HowWooCommerce is a leading e-commerce platform that allows users to create and manage online stores by offering a variety of features, such as inventory management, shipping and tax options, and customer management. But one of its most salient features could arguably be instant search. WooCommerce instant search provides real-time search results, which makes the search experience faster and makes browsing a breeze for your customers.
What Is WooCommerce Instant Search?
WooCommerce instant search is a feature that allows your users to find their desired products at their fingertips in no time.
WooCommerce instant search benefits customers in a number of ways, including simplifying the search process and giving them more options to choose from. It also holds advantages for your store. For example, an effective search process causes fewer frustrations for your customers, which eventually decreases the chances of them hopping out and increases the chances of making additional sales.
Below, we discuss how WooCommerce instant search helps customers have a better browsing experience in your store.
1. Relevant Search Results
Every visitor to your online WooCommerce store demands relevant search results, and at least 39% are influenced by relevant search results to make a purchase. WooCommerce instant search makes it easier for them to catch on to their desired products without the hassle of going through all your pages, thereby saving them time as well.
For example, if a customer is looking for medication to help with heartburn on WOWmart, they'll not only get suggestions of popular heartburn searches to try but also a list of relevant heartburn product results. This simplifies their search and spares them from manually searching through various categories.
» Learn how product search engines can help refine your search results
2. Personalized Search Results
WooCommerce instant search can also personalize search results based on a customer's previous data, such as search history, purchasing history, and preferences. The algorithms of instant search can track down these data points and use them to give your customers personalized shopping experiences with relevant and fast results, thereby increasing your chances of making sales.
For example, if a customer is looking for green t-shirts from Bamboo Clothing, they'll get green shirts of all styles and sizes as their result. While still relevant, these search results are not personal to the customer. If the customer is looking for short-sleeved green t-shirts for women, WooCommerce instant search can track this data and display it for the customer instead.
» Explore further how personalization can help your e-commerce business
3. Autocomplete and Autosuggest Functionality
Autocomplete and autosuggest are two key features of instant search.
Autocomplete allows users to complete their search query based on the letters they've already typed.Autosuggest provides suggestions regarding a user's query as they type.
Both of these features are generated according to your database of customers and provide fast and accurate results so your customers can quickly reach their desired product. This not only reduces your customers' frustration but also maximizes product discovery and eventually results in more sales—up to 24%.
For example, a customer is looking for a gift basket on Gourmet Basket. They're unsure what exactly they're looking for but know they want the gift basket to contain wine. Gourmet Basket's instant search automatically provides category and product suggestions for the customer to consider.
4. Synonym Functionality
Synonym functionality works by understanding your customers' intent when they type a query to display relevant results. This is based on natural language processing and natural language search, which use your customers' way of communicating and their context to match them to products.
For example, if a customer searches for "protective muffs" on BC Fasteners and Tools, the algorithm understands the search intent and still displays relevant search results even though the search query doesn't match the store's wording or product names exactly (e.g., "ear protection" or "ear muffs").
» Discover more tips on synonyms to drive your store forward
Take the Fast Way
In a nutshell, WooCommerce instant search is one of the most important aspects behind the success of a WooCommerce online store. Instant search possesses the power to convert users into buyers and uplift your sales, which is why it shouldn't be neglected.
This feature can also be coupled with other search functionalities, like federated search, to give your customers an elevated and even more refined shopping experience.
» Explore how to use your search results to improve your WooCommerce store conversions
Search & discoveryImprove WooCommerce Conversion Rates: How to Use Your Search ResultsSite search and conversions fit together like a puzzle. While over 40% of your customers will immediately go to the search bar on your store, another 68% can bounce if the search results aren't satisfactory. What does this mean? As a WooCommerce store owner, you can leverage the power of site search results to improve your conversion rates.
Let's investigate how.
Understanding the Importance of Relevant Search Results
Relevant search results can give your customers a quick and easy route to their desired products, greatly enhancing their shopping experience. It also fosters a positive perception of your brand—relevant results demonstrate your commitment to customer satisfaction, instilling confidence and trust in your store.
But the benefits don't stop there. Up to 43% of consumers are willing to pay more to find what they want in just a few clicks. This means you can monetize the opportunity through membership or subscription models and personalization.
» Here's how WooCommerce instant search makes browsing a breeze
Optimizing WooCommerce Product Search
It’s no secret that WooCommerce’s default product search isn’t the most intuitive or advanced. Fortunately, there are ways to create a better search experience for visitors.
Utilize Advanced Search Plugins
Advanced search plugins improve your customer's product search experience by integrating robust search widgets into your website. These widgets have a wide range of customization settings, meaning you can easily align them with your brand image. Plus, they contain features to help customers find, sort, and buy products quickly. Key features include:
Search tuning: Allows you to include or exclude specific content types from the results. AJAX live search: Delivers real-time search results, enabling visitors to find information and navigate the site more quickly. Product search and filters: Improves product discoverability by allowing customers to refine their searches.Synonyms and autocomplete support: Makes the search process more forgiving and user-friendly by letting customers find products despite spelling errors.
» Up your search game with Fast Simon's eCommerce search plugin
Implement Effective Filtering Options
Effective filters combat decision fatigue for online shoppers. They cut down the surplus of choices, making product selection less overwhelming. They also amplify relevant attributes, echoing customers' unique preferences and needs. This increases their engagement and reduces friction on the path to their purchase.
Here are some tips to help you implement relevant filters in WooCommerce product search:
Opt for familiar placement: Place filters where customers expect them. Vertical filters are familiar and allow more options, while horizontal ones increase visibility and convenience. Employ a wide range: Use a mix of product-specific (model, size, etc.) and thematic filters (bestsellers, season, etc.) to cater to various customer needs. Use simple language: Write filters in plain language. Avoid creativity and jargon in favor of simplicity and clarity. Filters are functional tools, not branding exercises.
Sodashi implements thematic horizontal filters on their main shop page. They then switch to product-specific vertical filters within categories. Each filter is labelled clearly, so their meanings are plain.
» Make sure to avoid these common mistakes when adding search filters to your store
Integrate Auto-Suggestions and Auto-Corrections
Auto-suggestion uses machine learning to predict shoppers' intent as they type and auto-correction uses algorithms to find and fix misspelled words.
So, what's the effect?
These features speed up the search process. Users don't need to type out full queries—the search bar suggests as they type. Search results become more accurate. Auto-correction fixes typos, thereby reducing mistakes and delivering more precise results.
When searching on Bittersweet for a dress, the search function already gives suggestions and still generates relevant search results despite misspelling the search term as 'dres'.
» Find out more about accounting for synonyms and spelling in site search
Leverage Search Analytics
What search queries do shoppers enter? Which products are unavailable through search? Which SKUs are most frequently searched by visitors? Search analytics can help you find the answers to these questions.
The analytics generated by advanced search in WooCommerce contains a wealth of information about customer intent. By analyzing the data points, you’ll gain a deep understanding of your audience and make better business decisions:
Address product gaps: Identify frequently searched terms with no relevant results and expand your inventory to meet customer demand.Optimize pricing: Utilize customer activity data to determine optimal pricing for improved conversion rates and profitability.Forecast trends: Use search analytics to predict popular products, stock inventory accordingly, and implement complimentary marketing campaigns.
Optimizing Search Engine Results for Your WooCommerce Website
Before arriving at your site, visitors typically use a search engine like Google to research potential shopping destinations. You want to ensure your site is discoverable in search results so people can easily find it.
Consider optimizing search engine results for your site by:
Conduct Keyword Research
Keywords are the foundation of SEO. They indicate the words, phrases, and queries people use to find products. Conducting keyword research enables you to integrate these terms into your website's pages, improving its chances of ranking at the top of search results.
Tips to find relevant keywords for your WooCommerce store:
Use Google Keyword Planner: This free tool helps identify similar and long-tail keywords relevant to your product. Research competitors’ keywords: Study top-ranking competitors' keywords in product titles, descriptions, and reviews for insights.
Optimize Product Titles and Descriptions
Product titles and descriptions appear in search engine results and are closely tied to the user's query. That's why it's crucial to craft compelling product descriptions that entice people to click and explore further.
Tips for creating captivating product titles and descriptions:
Integrate keywords: Include important words naturally to make your content attractive and easy to find online. Structure your descriptions: Incorporate visual hierarchy to share information in a clear and organized way. Highlight essential details and features that make the product special.
Enhance Meta Tags and URLs
Meta tags are HTML code elements that convey information about your website to search engines.URLs are web addresses people use to locate and retrieve your site’s pages.
Optimizing both is essential for improving your website’s SEO and ensuring a seamless user experience:
Craft user-friendly tags: Create short and descriptive meta tags that tell users what your page is about. Use simple language and avoid technical jargon.Concise URLs: Keep your URLs short and easy to remember. Use 3-5 words at most to describe the content of your page.
Improve Site Speed and Mobile Responsiveness
Fast-loading and mobile-optimized sites ensure a flawless user experience, which is what Google wants for its users. With the battle for online rankings getting more and more competitive, you need to optimize these elements if you want to rank higher and gain visibility in search results:
Optimize product images: Heavy images can slow down your website. Use a plugin like Smush to compress and optimize them for faster loading times. Choose a responsive theme: Select a mobile-friendly theme with a clean and professional design. Examples include OceanWP, Astra, and eStore.
The Search for Conversions Is Over
Every store owner wants more conversions—it's just a matter of leveraging the tools and resources you have access to so you can make it happen. While WooCommerce doesn't have excellent native search capabilities, you still have several options, from advanced search plugins and filters to SEO strategies like fine-tuning metadata and descriptions.
By leveraging relevant search results and optimizing search engine results, you'll be well-positioned to drive conversions and achieve success with your WooCommerce store.
» Take the next steps to maximize your sales with a comprehensive search and discovery approach
Search & discovery6 Ways to Maximize Sales With a Comprehensive Search and Discovery ApproachToday's online shopper doesn't just enjoy simplicity and convenience—they demand it. That's why user experience is critical for eCommerce store owners who want to increase conversions and sales. Site search and discovery is a big piece of that puzzle. Forrester notes that website users who perform a site search can produce conversion rates as high as 250%. Below, we discuss 6 ways to maximize sales with a comprehensive search and discovery approach.
1. Optimize Your Product Data and Catalogs
A great search and discovery experience starts with accurate, well-organized product information. Your customers have a better chance of converting if they clearly understand what they're buying. This means your product information has to be up to date and written in plain language—no unnecessary jargon. You can optimize your product data and catalogs further through:
Detailed product descriptions: Include product features and benefits in your content. This enhances customer understanding and improves search results. Robust categorization: Structure your data into logical, broad categories and subcategories to simplify navigation and enhance product pages. Attribute optimization: Mention key attributes such as quality, weight, and price to facilitate more precise and effective searches.
Pro tips if you have a large inventoryIt can become tricky to ensure your product information is accurate and uniform if you have a large inventory. Try:Implementing a centralized product information management (PIM) systemUsing automated data feeds or integrations to update product information in real-timeAdhering to data validation rules to make sure all your product information complies with specific standards
2. Implement Intelligent Search
Advances in site search technology have made it possible to leverage natural language processing and machine learning. These features enable intelligent search solutions to identify the precise context of a user’s query, whether it's a description, question, or even an abbreviation. This allows you to provide targeted results with speed and accuracy.
Plus, intelligent search adds a whole new dimension to the customer experience. It uses machine learning to identify shopper intent based on their past searches and preferences. You can use this data to fuel personalization strategies and earn customers’ loyalty and trust.
For example, Steven Madden uses intelligent search to interpret a visitor's query when they phrase it as a question instead of a search term ["Do you have blue shoes"].
» Here's how to easily implement natural language search on your eCommerce store
3. Enhance Your Filters and Faceted Navigation
Filters and facets are an integral part of the search and discovery experience. Customers can narrow down and refine their searches efficiently with filters. For instance, if the customer from the previous Steve Madden example wants to refine their search results, they can filter by size, brand, price, and even heel height.
Pro tips to optimize your search filters and facetsFacilitating searches with intuitive filters such as “brand” or “type” for clothing items. Including interactive facets like price sliding scales or color pickers. Highlighting frequently used and beneficial filters/facets for easy user access.
4. Incorporate Visual Search
Visual search is an immersive tool that lets users find items by uploading a picture. This new approach to web browsing, site searching, and shopping analyses all the details in a user's picture. This includes products, colors, and even brands. Visual search then scours your website for content that matches the picture and gives the user very targeted search results.
Visual search eliminates errors typically associated with text-based searches. For example, users won't miss out on search results because of typos or spelling errors.
For example, if a shopper misspells "brown boots" as "brwn bots" on Fashion Nova, the search results aren't relevant. However, by uploading an image of the boots the shopper wants, the results are on point.
» Here's how to implement visual search with Fast Simon
5. Harness User-Generated Content
Many brands globally have been able to increase conversions with user-generated content (UGC). It's an effective tool because you allow your audience to guide the discussion around your offering. This ensures your brand and content are relevant, engaging, and useful.
UCG isn't restricted to your marketing strategy—you can easily incorporate it into your search and discovery strategy too. For example, you can add reviews, ratings, and social media sharing opportunities to your product pages, search results, and checkout pages. You can even create user-generated landing pages. This will all help to improve search relevance and trust.
ASOS combined their UGC marketing and search and discovery strategies. Their #AsSeenOnMe social media campaign encourages users to post photos online of themselves wearing ASOS clothes. In turn, ASOS created a shoppable #AsSeenOnMe gallery on their website.
6. Optimize for Mobile Shopping
More and more customers are shopping on their mobile devices. This means optimizing your whole online store, not just the search bar, for m-commerce has become non-negotiable. Start by:
Making sure your theme is responsive and mobile-friendlyRemoving or redesigning pop-ups that may cover up content or interfere with the user experienceEnsuring there are no glitches, bugs, or unnecessary redirects
Nordstrom places a search bar prominently at the top of their mobile website, ensuring customers have easy access to search and discover products.
» Stay ahead of the curve by following these mobile eCommerce trends
Search and Discover Your Way to More Sales
It's more important than ever to optimize your website's search and discovery functionality. As you move forward with the process, remember a few tips: track and analyze your search metrics, identify insights and patterns to optimize search performance, and conduct A/B testing so you can continuously improve your site's search algorithm. When you tap into your customers' needs and behaviors, and combine it with your business goals, the sky is the limit.
Search & discoveryDecoding Natural Language Search: Easy Implementation for eCommerce MerchantsThe way people interact with technology and conduct online searches is continuously evolving. One significant shift is the rise of natural language search (NLS), driven by advancements in machine learning and natural language processing technologies. For eCommerce merchants, understanding and harnessing the power of NLS can have a profound impact on their businesses. Below, we decode NLS and guide you through what NLS is, its potential challenges, and strategies to optimize your website content for NLS queries.
Meet the Expert:
Jameela Ghann is an e-commerce expert with over 10 years of experience. She runs her own successful online store, Alora Boutique, and is the marketing manager for Fera Product Reviews.
What Is Natural Language Search?
Natural language search is a type of search query that utilizes human language rather than traditional keywords or phrases.
This technology leverages natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning to interpret the intent behind user queries accurately.
For example, if a customer types "cute summer dresses" into Superbalist's search bar, NLS understands this is a request for dresses suitable for summer wear.
Why Is Natural Language Search Crucial for eCommerce Merchants?
NLS can help you deliver more accurate search results and understand customers' specific needs and preferences. This includes creating a more personalized shopping experience, which in turn enhances customer satisfaction and boosts conversion rates.
Considering the growth of voice search, it's crucial to incorporate NLS into your online store to match spoken as well as text queries.
Challenges and Solutions to Implement Natural Language Search
While NLS offers several benefits, eCommerce merchants may encounter some challenges when adopting this technology.
Finding the right app or tool to facilitate NLS can be challenging, especially for merchants that don't have access to dedicated development resources.Properly structuring product descriptions and utilizing relevant keywords are essential to ensure NLS interprets customer queries accurately.
Platform Differences and App Integration
Which eCommerce platform you choose can significantly impact how easily you implement NLS. Platforms like Shopify, Squarespace, and Wix have a robust ecosystem of apps that can simplify NLS integration. Conversely, less popular or niche platforms may lack the necessary tools, making the process more complex.
Optimize Product Descriptions and Content for Natural Language Search
The point of NLS is to account for conversational language and context. Common mistakes to avoid when crafting product descriptions and website content include:
Overusing technical jargon as it may hinder NLS from accurately understanding customer intent.Neglecting regional and cultural language differences, especially when targeting international markets.
Instead, you can try:
Incorporating long-tail keywords to align your content with the way people naturally speak or type queries.Using FAQs to improve search results and provide valuable information to customers. Striking a balance between natural language and technical jargon because some customers may seek detailed technical specifications.
» Everyone makes mistakes: Find out how accounting for synonyms and spelling mistakes improves NLS
Harness the Power of Machine Learning
Machine learning plays a crucial role in NLS. By analyzing user interactions and feedback, machine learning algorithms improve search rankings and deliver more personalized results over time. Implementing structured data, particularly for customer reviews, enhances NLS's ability to understand customer sentiments and preferences.
» This is why it's important to personalize customer reviews
Speaking Your Customers' Language: Embracing Natural Language Search
NLS is reshaping the way customers interact with eCommerce websites. If you embrace NLS and optimize your platforms accordingly, you can provide better personalization, improve search rankings, and enhance customer satisfaction. By understanding the challenges, utilizing machine learning, and adopting effective NLS optimization strategies, you can stay ahead in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Search & discoveryeCommerce Brands Use Visual Search to Improve Product Discovery—Here’s HowWhile shopping in a physical retail store, customers decide to buy a product after touching it, taking a sample, trying it on, or testing it out. But when it comes to retail vs. eCommerce, you need to up your game to mimic the physical shopping experience. This is where visual search comes in. Explore below how you can use visual search to improve product discovery and improve your customers' experience on your store.
Meet the Expert:
Jameela Ghann is an e-commerce and marketing expert with more than 10 years of experience. Apart from running her own successful online store, Alora Boutique, she's the marketing manager of Fera.ai.
What is Visual Search?
Visual search is a cutting-edge technology that enables users to search for products using images instead of traditional text-based queries.
For example, rather than typing in keywords like "emerald cut sapphire with small diamonds at the side," users can simply upload a photo of the desired product. The magic happens when the computer leverages advanced algorithms to match the image with similar products.
Popular visual search applications include Google Lens, Pinterest's visual shopping feature, and IKEA's augmented reality app.
Pros and Cons of Visual Search
Visual search eliminates the need for precise text descriptions, allowing users to find products effortlessly. Your customers can also explore unique styles and design combinations they might not have considered otherwise, especially if you have a "Complete the Look" feature. Plus, users tend to engage more with photos and videos, leading to higher conversion rates and longer time on the page.
However, as visual search technology is still in its early stages, it might not always deliver accurate results for specific products. Also, users may unknowingly upload sensitive data in images, raising privacy concerns that you need to handle responsibly.
Fashion: A Resounding Success for Visual Search
Among various industries and product categories, fashion stands out as the most successful area for visual search. Fashion enthusiasts often want to replicate looks they discover on social media—and visual search bridges the gap between inspiration and product availability. From clothing to makeup, fashion brands have witnessed remarkable results with this technology, enabling customers to find and buy products they spot on influencers' feeds or social media.
For example, Fashion Nova incorporates visual search into their normal search bar via a camera icon. The customer has the choice to upload their own photos or to test the feature if they're unsure.
Visual search helps to make your products more discoverable because your shoppers' journeys are personalized and direct. Customers are immediately taken to their desired products with the added bonus of upselling and cross-selling opportunities.
» Have your own fashion store? Discover how to overcome different fashion eCommerce challenges
How to Improve Your Visual Search Functionality
If you want to enhance the visual search functionality on your eCommerce store, here are some essential tips:
High-quality images: Ensure you have high-quality images to facilitate accurate recognition by the algorithm.Different angles: Provide multiple images of each product to accommodate various user-uploaded angles and improve matching accuracy.Learn from leading brands: Observe how successful brands like IKEA or Pinterest implement visual search and consider similar functionalities for your store.Incorporate AI: Especially once you start to scale, AI plays a pivotal role because it can handle large data sets efficiently. This includes learning from users and managing extensive image databases.Integrate other technologies: Consider pairing your visual search functionality with augmented reality (AR) and voice assistance. AR allows users to virtually try on products while voice assistance enhances user intent understanding and matches long-tail keyword searches with relevant images.
Measuring the Effectiveness of Visual Search Campaigns
You can use the following metrics to gauge how successful your visual search campaigns are:
Conversion rate: Measure the percentage of users who made a purchase after using visual search.Time spent on page: Analyze the time users spend exploring visual search results and products.Click-through rate (CTR): Track the number of users who click on visual search results and proceed to view products.User surveys: Conduct surveys to gauge customer satisfaction and gather feedback for further improvements.
Revolutionizing eCommerce With Visual Search
Visual search is changing eCommerce and redefining how users interact with products and discover new items effortlessly. Although it's still evolving, the potential benefits are undeniable. As e-commerce merchants, embracing visual search and combining it with AI and other cutting-edge technologies can open doors to exciting possibilities, enhancing customer experiences and driving business growth.