subject: Search Function: Its Importance In Knowing Your Customers [print this page] Knowing the whys? of visitor browsing habit and visitor behaviour can be a frustrating undertaking. It is difficult to understand the needs, wants, and preferences of vast amounts of visitors at a glance. But there is actually an often-overlooked tool that can help you know your target audience better. Yes, it is the ?search function?. This simple feature that is found in almost all websites these days can unveil a lot of information about your customers.
The search function lets you know what is inside the visitors' minds and what they expect to find on your website. If they will see relevant results, they will likely click on the links given and stay on our website. If not, then the next step is to meet the needs of those searchers and cater to their needs. This simple scheme allows you to know more about the customers.
Aside from letting you know what information they demand in general, they are also putting exact keywords into the search box. This will allow you to know relevant keywords in your niche and industry. These can set the foundation for future ideas. It is crucial not to waste this opportunity to know your visitors better. For many people, the search box is their preferred mode of site navigation. It is seen as a short-cut that lets them save time and effort.
How to Get a Site Search Tool
If your website doesn?t have a search box tool yet, the good news is that it is easy to get this for free on the internet. Open source search tools in different language abound; all you need to do is integrate these plug-ins in your content management systems (CMS). Many blogs themes also have this as a built-in feature so you don?t need to worry about anything.
To get more from the data provided, you can use Google Analytics. Google?s detailed instruction provides you information on how to set up search solutions to your website. Edit Google Analytics and put in the query parameters in the appropriate section. After this is set up, look under the Content Section for Site Search. Keyword data that is direct from site visitors can then be easily analysed.
Some important information you can anticipate from this initiative include Search terms, Total Unique Searches (for the selected phrase), Pageviews (from the search results), Percentage of Exits, Percentage of Search Refinement, and Search Depth. Take all these into consideration the next time you upload content into your website. It will make you more relevant to the target market and improve user satisfaction.
