Telescope: Everything You Need to Know About Search
Welcome to this edition of Telescope on Search, our monthly newsletter devoted to search. Our goal is to offer a regular, quick-browse e-newsletter with useful information, tips, and news of the latest developments on Site Search, Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine Marketing, and site usability. If you have any feedback or questions please direct them to newsletter@sli-systems.com.
Feature: Merchandising Search and Navigation for Increased Conversions - Part 2
Shaun Ryan, CEO, SLI Systems - In our previous edition we discussed several methods for merchandising your products through site search and navigation pages. In the second part of this article we will discuss methods that are less common but can be well worth investigating.
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Related Searches
A subtle way of merchandising is to show related searches on the search results or navigational page. The related searches can guide visitors to similar or related products, or items which they may not have known about. Related searches can also be used to help visitors by providing alternative search terms, especially useful when they have searched with a very general term, as shown in the example below.
Related Searches are provided with our Learning Search service and provides visitors with the ability to refine their query with a single click.
Enhanced Product Listings
Another method is to provide enhanced product listings. Enhanced listings not only have the product description and product image but can also provide additional information; for example, availability, current price, and discount information. You can also provide additional features for specific product types (i.e. size selector for clothing, color selector for furniture, etc.). You can click on the image below to see how Emitations have enhanced their product listings.
Product Numbers
Often we see product numbers being typed into the search box. This is very common for multi-channel retailers, where the customer has a catalog and is looking for more information on the web. In this case you can save the user time by taking them directly to the product detail page, rather than showing them the search results page first.
Tips 'n' Tricks: Results "Above the Fold"
"Above the fold" is a term used on the web to refer to the portion of the page that is shown without the user needing to scroll. This area of a web page is the most valuable and should be used thoughtfully. The design of the area "above the fold" on search results pages and navigation pages is critical to obtaining the right balance between the options provided at the top of the page and the number of products shown. You want to provide visitors easy access to the search box and facet selections (search refinement options) but it's important to still show a number of search results "above the fold". We can provide advice on the design of your search results and navigation pages - contact us for more information.
If you have any tips or tricks you'd like to share, email us at newsletter@sli-systems.com.
SLI Systems & Customers in the News
Below are links to recent announcements and news articles highlighting SLI and our customer success:
Mikasa and Company Increases Conversions and Draws More Site Traffic with SLI Systems - November 21, 2006
DIRECT magazine: Mikasa Learns a Lesson in Search Etiquette - November 15, 2006
Internet Retailer: New navigation tool improves site search at Footwear Etc. - November 9, 2006
Organize-It Cleans up Online Search Functionality with SLI Systems' Learning Search and Site Champion - November 8, 2006
Integrated Solutions for Retailers: Intelligent Web Site Searches - November 1, 2006
Practical Ecommerce: Ongoing Growth Challenges Carolina Rustica - November 1, 2006
If you have any comments or suggestions for future issues please email us at
newsletter@sli-systems.com.
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