When building – or re-building – websites, a great deal of effort is always put into the information architecture of the site; that is, the way information on the site is structured and organized. Creating an intuitive navigation for a site is a huge priority, and rightly, as making it easy for users to find the pages they are seeking is of paramount importance. Navigation, however, is not the only way users expect to be able to find what they are looking for — for many, search is their preferred manner of finding information.
According to Coveo, 43% of users start their investigation of a website using the search bar, and Google Cloud research indicates that 90% of consumers indicate “a good search function is very important or absolutely essential.”
Despite customers feeling so strongly about the value of search, it can often be relegated to secondary importance in the development process, rather than going hand-in-hand with creating intuitive navigation. But backburnering search can leave your customers frustrated, reduce conversions, and place you at a competitive disadvantage.
Enhanced User Experience Leads to Increased Revenue
A strong enterprise search functionality helps site users find what they are looking for by making relevant results readily available. This speeds up interactions and builds customer confidence that they can receive what they need quickly and efficiently.
And of course, the leap from improved user experience and customer confidence to increased revenue is a short one. If your customers can find what they want on your site quickly and easily, they are more likely to complete a transaction. Sitecore cites data that “online visitors who use the search box on a site are 2x-3x more likely to convert than non-searchers.” And Google Cloud research has determined that “99% of consumers are at least somewhat likely to return to a website if it has a good search function.” That is the kind of loyalty that grows revenue.
Improved User Data and Streamlined Management
An enterprise search engine also makes marketing teams more effective, as they can use search data to make strategic decisions. Your website becomes a portal to discover exactly what your customers — both existing and potential — are looking for from your website. Over time, this can be leveraged to drive personalization strategies in the search context. In addition, AI/machine learning can be leveraged to streamline processes and continually improve results.
The benefits of enterprise search extend to reducing the workload on developers. These tools, especially cloud-native software as a service (SaaS) platforms, are intended to maximize scalability and ease of integration, and are built to handle large volumes of requests and data. They’re also designed to be a self-service option that allows marketers and other team members to make changes without involving developers. This is a change from traditional search platforms, which functioned as “black box” system, requiring intense developer assistance.
AgencyQ is Here to Help
At AgencyQ, we have years of experience helping customers with implementing enterprise search solutions and transforming their knowledge management. Visit the Work section of the website to see recent samples of successful projects.