Technology
By technology, we mean the technically correct functioning of the search functionality on your website. From Pandosearch, the end product is one or more APIs: technical data links where you send a (part of a) search term to get search results back.
As the client, you are responsible for incorporating these into your website. You do this once during implementation, but after that the job is not quite done. Your website is likely to keep changing and the link with Pandosearch may unintentionally break down in the process.
Correctly setting up (automatic) tests and system monitoring makes these kinds of problems visible before website visitors even notice them. The result: a more stable search function for everyone who visits your website.
Content
At least as important is the quality of the search results on your website. Depending on how your organization is set up, this responsibility lies with content managers, web editors, marketers or a combination of these. Whatever the function(s) within your organization may be called, the essence is that these teams or departments are tasked with providing your website with correct and relevant information.
And since you need a search function, chances are this involves a lot of information: hundreds or even thousands of web pages, (PDF) articles, product data, forum posts, video metadata and much more.
Producing and managing all this content is often such a lot of work that, for several people in the organization, it is their full-time job. That’s good, because for website visitors, this information is very valuable. But do you also keep an eye on the extent to which all this information is found by visitors?
Experience shows that this is sometimes a blind spot for our clients. This is understandable, because as an information provider, you know exactly where the information is. Will you then also use the search function on your website like an “ignorant” website visitor does? No, of course not!
Fortunately, Pandosearch has a tool for this: reports.
In our management environment, you can instantly see what the most frequently used search terms are. As a web editor, search for the top 10 search terms yourself and look at the search results. Are the pages you expect at the top?
Specifically, our reports also tell you which search terms are used most often and do not return any search results. This gives you information about how your visitors’ language differs from the language you speak on your website.
Are visitors using a different word for the same term? Adjust your language usage and you will see that this search term disappears from the list of search terms with no results. This happens completely automatically, because Pandosearch goes through your entire website at least once a day (and more often if necessary) to detect and process changed content.
All you have to do is edit your texts and we’ll do the rest. So you see, if you keep paying constant attention to your search function, you’ll end up in a positive feedback loop. You produce information, check how it is found, adjust where necessary and check again.
Summarized
A search function requires attention to technology and content even after implementation. Technology is the basis. If the search function doesn’t work, it doesn’t matter what results come back, because no one can see them. But that’s not all there is to it. Attention to content is what makes your search function really good, because only then can you ensure that your visitors find exactly what you are looking for.
