Who should read this?
• eCommerce Managers
• Heads of Digital & eCommerce
• UX & CRO Specialists
• Marketing Directors
• Brand Owners & Founders
Why should you read this?
• Learn why on-site search directly impacts conversion rate and revenue
• Understand how poor search experiences lose customers to competitors
• Discover practical ways to improve your site search performance
From landing pages, ad blocks and banners to recommendation features and popups, it’s easy enough to grab people’s attention when they’re on your site and show them things they might like. But what about when it comes to showing them what they’re looking for?
You can give someone hundreds of suggestions, but if you’re unable to give the hunter what they need or what they came to your site looking for, the sale is almost always going to be lost. This is why on-site search is so tremendously important. It’s your website’s ability to respond directly to your customers’ needs.
Your website is your 24/7 salesperson, and its on-site search is fundamental to its success. Consider this: just like a shopper might ask for help finding something in a bricks-and-mortar store, they’re going to ask your site search if something is available on your website. And just as a salesperson would take a customer to a product, your site search should respond by offering up those same results.
A site search function that doesn’t work appropriately or effectively is like having a disengaged employee. As an employee might give a vague answer or fail to listen properly, a lacklustre site search returns results that frustrate shoppers and ultimately benefit your competitors.
It’s also important to evaluate the wider customer journey. Many online purchases start offline or originate in search engines like Google or increasingly through AI-powered search tools like ChatGPT. For this reason, content across your website, particularly category and product pages, needs to be rich with helpful information, including specifications and comparisons, to help AI bots understand and cite your content accurately.
🧠 Why On-Site Search Drives Higher Intent
Unlike browsing or scrolling, site search is explicit intent. When a customer uses your search bar, they’re telling you exactly what they want. These users are often further down the buying funnel and more likely to convert, if you help them correctly. When search works well, it shortens the path to purchase, reduces friction, and increases confidence. When it doesn’t, customers abandon quickly.
⚙️ How to Improve Your On-Site Search Experience
Improving on-site search isn’t just a technical exercise, it’s about understanding how real people search. Key areas to focus on include:
- Support natural language search
Users don’t search like databases. Cater for long phrases, spelling mistakes, slang, and synonyms (e.g. “90s” vs “nineties” or “beach” vs “coastal”).
• Use autocompletes and spell correction
Help users before they even finish typing and reduce frustration caused by minor errors.
• Personalise search results
Advanced tools and integrations can tailor results based on browsing behaviour, purchase history, and preferences, making results more relevant and engaging.
• Add meaningful filters
Filters help users narrow down results quickly by price, size, colour, rating, availability, or delivery options.
• Create rich search results
Include product imagery, pricing, reviews, and delivery costs directly in search results to build trust and speed up decision-making.
• Allow direct purchase from search
Reducing steps between discovery and checkout can significantly improve conversion rates.
🤖 Search, AI & Guided Discovery
AI-powered chatbots and guided prompts can help users refine what they’re looking for, especially when intent is unclear. However, it’s essential there’s always a clear route to a human or a helpful endpoint. Nothing damages trust faster than being sent around in circles with no resolution.
🚫 Never Let Users Hit a Dead End
A zero-results page should never mean “nothing found.” Instead, use it to suggest alternatives, popular products, related categories, or educational content. Regularly analysing zero-result searches can also reveal gaps in product ranges, tagging, or content.
📱 Mobile, Voice & Retargeting Considerations
On-site search must be seamless on mobile, where space is limited and patience is shorter. Product data should also be structured with voice search in mind for platforms like Amazon Alexa and Google Home.
Final Thoughts
On-site search is more than a feature, it’s a direct conversation with your customer. When optimised properly, it increases conversion rates, improves user experience, and provides powerful insight into what your audience truly wants. Ignore it, and you risk losing customers at the exact moment they’re ready to buy.
