Search Analytics – What and Why?

Ever found yourself lost in a website unable to find what you want using the links?

The immediate solution - Using the search engine present on it. A majority of people using the internet consider search engines as the best way of navigating a website. Analyzing what these visitors are searching for on your website is an essential part of understanding visitor behavior. This is Search Analytics.

Every time somebody fills up the search box on your site, you get a result to what they are looking for. The role of search analytics is to understand this search and the results it produced so that necessary changes could be made to the way that search operates or to the relevancy of the content to the visitor. It identifies faults in a website that are often missed by other analytics methods and takes you a step closer to understanding your customers. Onsite Search Analysis is one of the least exploited areas. According to reports, about 52% of the companies do not perform search analytics and so, in effect, decrease the efficiency of their websites. This, so far unexplored, opportunity could increase the productivity of your website and make your business multiply.

Opportunity

Visitors on a website are impulsive and research shows reduced stickiness (time spent by visitors) more so with retail and commerce websites. The challenge is to show relevant products and services quickly and in a timely fashion. The relevance of a powerful search capability on the website cannot be over emphasized. Ease of access to required information relates directly to the success of the website, and hence the business. Onsite Search Analysis can set the foundation for your entire marketing strategy:

Plan and fine tune your marketing campaigns based on the search keywords
Target the right audience by branding according to your customers’ needs
Re-position your products and services based on the analysis results
Configure your onsite search engine to show optimum results and align your website accordingly
Improve navigation within your website
Search Analysis could also help launch new services or products

Measuring and Reporting

If your website requires changes for optimum performance, Search Analysis reveals this need and provides certain options for increased efficiency. The value of onsite search increases manifold with a retail website where customers are compulsively searching products. There is a mine of data to be explored:

Pages leading to search
Pages visited after search
Number of search results pages visited before clicking
Search results displayed for keywords
Search keywords to conversion

Analysis and Action

Search Analysis is a true indicator of site performance and throws up highly actionable data which correlates with marketing, technology and branding strategies. Search Analysis can affect changes in site navigation and product/service positioning and is a true marketing success indicator.

Discover more about Search Analytics Methodology and Search Analytics Tools.

Contact Outsource2india if you want to know more about how we can help you with search analytics.