- Allow users to more easily find the information you need
On how to allow users to more easily find the information you need to use to optimize your website information architecture in the previous article , this article introduces to help users find the information you need through optimizing Search.
Site search has become almost all essential for a function, especially in content-rich site, when users have a destination to find the target content but can not directly from the home page or navigation page to find, when the user turn to Search.
Analysis of significance to Search
Analysis station search the most common is to analyze the user's search phrase or keywords, to understand the needs of users by keyword, but some further analysis based on user actions and behavior in the search is often more valuable; significance Search the following:
The refinement of user requirements
Search keywords tend to search and outside the station is quite different from, for example, the user may be a Google search for ThinkPad notebook, but when the user enters an e-commerce site for sales of notebook computers, they search through the station often such as "the ThinkPad the X200" Search keywords tend to better reflect the needs of users to more detailed level.
Users are most concerned about the content
This is a manifestation of one of the most intuitive analysis of significance, to understand by looking at the ranking or popularity of the search keywords on your website are most concerned about what information is often involved in these top-ranking keywords is the content of the website's core values, because users expect to see more on these aspects.
Find the potential needs of the user's
Obviously, the Search is not always the outcome of the needs of users is diverse, while the content of the site is limited. If the user is not found through the Search results or no follow-up operation, or has been flip until you leave, then the user does not find the information they need. These results or no operating keywords into a potential demand of users possible, perhaps you should consider is not the provider related to enrich your site.
Search analysis metrics
To reflect the above in several senses, it should be how to analyze Site Search? May stand the search is not only a search phrase or keyword ranking, we should also care for the subsequent operations of the user's search behavior, that is, the user is not a true search through the station to find the information they need, so when the search in the analysis of station We need to focus on some relevant measure. First analysis metrics look at the Google Analytics Site Search:
Visits with Search (Visits with Search)
This well understood, is to use the Search Site Visits (Visits).
The total number of unique search (Total Unique Searches)
This should be understood that the total number of unique keyword search for each Session, multiple searches in the same search keywords will only be recorded once and can be used to measure according to the search phrase segments in the same session.
The results of the number of page views / number of searches (Results Pageviews / Search)
Is the average of each search, browse search results list the number of pages.
Search dropout rate (Search Exits)
Search Exits, exit the site immediately after a search, the search operation is the last action the views of the user; then search for the exit rate is the search for exit access / total search number of visits.
Search improvement rate (Search Refinements)
When the user completes a search and then conduct another search, we can define step search is to improve the search; the search to improve the rate is to improve the search for the number / total number of searches.
Search the mean residence time (Time after Search)
Each search the residence time of the site (if an access to multiple searches, the previous search are each adjacent two search intervals, the last search is time to leave the site from the search to the user). sum / search access number.
The search for the average visit the number of pages (Search Depth)
After each search a user browses the page number (if a visit to a number of search previous search are each two adjacent search between the number of pages viewed, the last search is viewed from the search to the user leave the site before the sum of the number of pages) / search access number.
Search analysis measure could be many, but also need to focus on the search key phrase rankings (Top Key Phrases), or a list of search results page Overlay (search results page the overlay), this can help you better understand the search The key words in the exposure of the results page and click.
The efficiency of search in the evaluation station
With these metrics, we can analyze the efficiency of search and evaluation stations.
Search utilization within the station
This evaluation is easier, as long as the total number of visits will be used to search for the number of visits / site Search the utilization.
Search the effectiveness of
Search more important analysis Search the end well perform its function. Exit rate by searching, searching to improve the rate and browse an average of three measure of the number of search results pages to evaluate the lower dropout rate and improve the rate, while the average visit the search results page, the less number, then the more effective the search efficiency higher.
Search results
Mean residence time and browse average number of pages to evaluate the effect of search, but these factors are often not the station search function beyond their control, Search is just to help users better match search keywords by searching relationship with the site's content to help users find relevant content, As to the subsequent interest in the content have to see how the quality of the contents of the site itself.
The value of Search
When the appraised value of the site had mentioned several analysis metrics: conversion rate (Conversion Rate), task completion (the Task the Completion), and goal attainment rates (Reach, Object).
For e-commerce sites, this evaluation is relatively simple, because the goal of e-commerce sites is relatively simple - profit, so long as the analysis each time a user searches the order conversion rate and transaction completion rates, and each search can obtain income can be used to assess the internal search for the value of the site, of course, you can search keywords broken down, to see which keywords bring you the maximum benefit.
If the site does not have a clear single goal, and then evaluate the internal value of the search will be somewhat difficult, but if you set site goals in Google Analytics, then the problem would be much simpler, Google Analytics, you set goals to help you calculated for each search to reach the target number of target conversion rate and the average value of each search target (if you are set for each target index, value).
Optimization Search
Search through the analysis station, we targeted the optimization of the site's search function based on the results of the above metrics.
Optimize the results of sorting
When the average Web site browse the search results for the high number of pages, we need to concern is not Search results sorting problems. We can see many sites search results provide a ranking selection function here to look at the Wordpress website plug-in search page:
There are 5 search results sorting options are available: the highest score, the latest release, last updated and the most popular plug-ins, but found that even with the sort of so many, sometimes I still search for less than what you want plug-in, maybe I'll want the combination of sorting the results and the highest score.
Most critical to optimize the results of sorting the optimization of the default sort, click the Search button are willing to see displayed in the list of results is most consistent with the search expected, which is he most interested in, then for him to find the information they want is the most powerful of course. Therefore, to minimize the redundant operation of the user (select the appropriate sort) at the outset to help users to do the best.
Optimize information design
Information design is the classification of information, organize and set out the process for a rich variety of classification sites, provide a systematic and clear information design, information retrieval multiplier.
We analyze the search to improve the metric, if the user's search improvements are generally expressed in the distinction between the classification of information or details of the improvement Keywords, then this can be considered to provide users with search results filtering function, such as the Pacific above a very a wealth of information filtering feature:
Synonyms and the results of recommended
When users enter search keywords are sometimes misspelled or the user may input a fuzzy definition of the phrase, which can directly analyze the search keywords and search station improvements to confirm your site the user is not the prevalence of such behavior , so we need to provide users with suggestions for improvement of some key words and the recommendation of the results, the following is it when I enter "promise to remember Asia Taobao search Search suggestions:
Therefore, the search can be said that a more complicated function, especially want to optimize it better, so many large companies have a special team to study and improve the search function. Recommended that the search optimization stations consider the method of using web analytics to optimize the work with clearer objectives and aspects, and by comparing the optimization metrics before and after the site analysis, for optimal results provide strong quantitative reference.
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The analysis of this one, I do less
Users more easily by other means more easily find the information search was used in the less, should consider how this? Search utilization in this case station should be as low as possible do? How to measure the significance or the evaluation of utilization?
Thinkingfish : Thank you for your comments. Indeed, better organization, classification, navigation of the website information, the Search may be the less used. Therefore, the utilization rate is a relative concept, should be defined for the user can think of can not find the information to use Search. As for how to know whether users find the information you need can refer to find the lost user and user task completion .
Do not know other friends and do not have good ways to share.
Will the joegh shoes, Site Search analysis metric to manually set the GA it?
@ sun : Search the default is not open, need to go to the configuration file is enabled and the settings related to the specific blue whale can refer to the Google Analytics feature articles - Search inside the steps described detail.
I ask webdataanalysis.net bloggers Bowen client tools or edit hair blog background? What experience did not?
_AT_ polar WATCHES : I edit control interface directly through the background, as if the format of the collation does have a bit of trouble.
Good article, is reproduced.
_AT_ thinkingfish :
Do you tend to search should depend on the site's content and strategies. Search helps users quickly find the desired content, but not suitable for mining other content on the site.
If it is a mining process, then it should guide the user through the other path to access the content, such as Douban.
The best, best, best, offer you two reviews of two cases ~~
421-hospital : Hello, the recent internal search analysis of the case, and then update the application instance, but the application or should the characteristics of the site varies, a methodology can change hundreds of thousands of applications.
Ask a question ah, the results at the number of page views / number of searches (Results Pageviews / Search) and search Browse number of pages (Search Depth), the specific differences of these two indicators, how applications are able to use examples to explain, very confused .
In addition, the GA official definition of the percentage of search engine optimization is the case, the percentage of search engine optimization = triggered the search engine optimization search percentage. Calculated as follows: the number of search engine optimization / search results page hits.
This definition is clearly open to question.
However, I am responsible for the site, the percentage of search engine optimization are more than 100%, often up to 300%, 400% of the point where, this is what went wrong?
Ask for advice, I would like to thank
Qianshan twilight Snow @ : the search results page is a list of all the results, such as search returned 100 records per page put 20 in that a total of five, all of the Results Pageviews is the search results page hits; search page views follow-up action, refers to the search is no longer the search results page, that is, whether it is reasonable Results Pageviews / Search assess the ranking of search results, Search Depth assessment of search results, driven by the follow-up to the user's browsing behavior.
The search results optimization, specifically I do not really know, but I looked under my GA above Search Refinements are 0-100%, the absence of what you said. GA to statistics by the request of the search results page search, that is, the GA set up inside the Query parameter, as long as the URL with this parameter, the GA is considered that this is the search action, you can confirm that the next piece of configuration if there are problems.
Joegh : Yes, thank you.
The percentage of search engine optimization, it should be when I subdivided the data error, and now re-looked at and found that does not exceed 100 percent of the.
Search Depth to assess the effect of the search can be driven by the follow-up to the user's browsing behavior.
That this indicator is high or low Well? Or generally speaking what extent it is more reasonable?
@ Qianshan twilight snow : Search Depth In fact, hard to say what extent is reasonable, because on the one hand, want the user to quickly find the information and then leave, on the other hand want the users to find relevant information and can continue to discover new interested in the content after search, so the Search Depth I usually only concerned with too large or too small value, such as follow-up operation is 0 or 1, or follow-up operation is too large, there are 20 several of these may be problems in the search.
Joegh : Thank you, ah,
Why the total number of unique search (Total Unique Searches) is even higher than the total number of searches? How to understand?
@ Amauri : where the Total Unique Searches searches Visits with Search is the number of visits (Visits), in an interview is entirely possible to initiate multiple searches, and search keywords are not the same.