Many websites rely on search instead of good information architecture, but many times search isn't well designed. This presentation reviews how to look at site search analytics, metadata and taxonomy, and user testing to improve the internal search

1. 3 Ways to Improve Searchability
Theresa Putkey
Information Architect & Taxonomist
tputkey@keypointe.ca
@tputkey
www.keypointe.ca

2. Search is an afterthought, even though
we say users can use it to find
everything*.
*the kitchen sink, my missing sock, my sunglasses that I took on vacation and
were “lost” in my suitcase for 2 months

3. Why Do I Care About Searchability?
● Search is one of the two main ways users find
information
● Search is easy to implement but hard to make effective
● Users are typically untrained searchers and need help

4. Users change search strategy only 1% of the time;
99% of the time they plod along a single unwavering
path.
Whether the true number is 2% or 0.5%, the big-picture
conclusion is the same: users have extraordinarily
inadequate research skills when it comes to solving
problems on the Web.
Jakob Nielsen
www.nngroup.com/articles/incompetent-search-skills/

5. What Is Searchability?
Definition: The ease with which users can search for
information on your site. Users start with the search box,
enter a term, and then continue to refine their results
either with filters or more search terms.

6. What Is Searchability?
In this context, I am talking about on-site search, or
internal search, and not external search from a search
engine.

7. 3 Steps to Identify Searchability
Problems

8. Look at Site Search Analytics
● Site search analytics essentially keep track of
everything that users have searched for on your site
● What are the most frequently searched terms?

9. Look at Metadata and Taxonomy
● Are you using metadata and taxonomy?
● Are you using them consistently?
● Can users filter search results by metadata and
taxonomy?
● Does your taxonomy support synonyms and
keywords?

10. Test It!
● Doing user testing helps find more problems
● Plan and conduct user testing that focuses on search
and search results refinement
● Problems can include unclear use of filters, badly laid
out filters, or a badly designed search results page

11. Fixing Searchability Problems

12. Site Search Analytics
● Go on! Search for those frequently searched terms.
See what comes up. Are these results appropriate?
● Can the site search be adjusted to show promoted
results?
● Why aren’t the right pages showing up? Could it have
something to do with metadata and taxonomy?

13. Metadata and Taxonomy
● Improve the metadata and taxonomy
● Improve the synonyms and keywords in the taxonomy
● Use metadata and taxonomy consistently
● Improve the search engine results page to show filters

14. User Testing Results
● Prioritize the findings from the user testing
● Plan how to resolve these issues either on the web
team, with the content creators, or the website/IT
team

15. What’s Next?

16. Learn More
● Follow the Key Pointe Newsletter at http://bit.
ly/2atccXl
● Read Ambient Findability by Peter Morville
● Read Search Analytics for Your Site by Louis
Rosenfeld
● Read Designing the Search Experience by Tony
Russell-Rose

17. Theresa Putkey
tputkey@keypointe.ca
www.keypointe.ca
@tputkey
ca.linkedin.com/in/tputkey
604 563 6317