Search feature for usability

So you've made your best attempt at making your website as user friendly as possible. You thought about everything from the user's perspective instead of your own, and you've tried to identify and correct any assumptions you've made.

But, there will still be people who can't find what they're looking for on your website. People who are too impatient to look for it, people who are maybe to stupid to find it, or people who have just made some incorrect assumptions about where it should be.

How do you stop them going somewhere else, and taking their custom with them?

With a search facility.

For some visitors, a search box is the first port of call when trying to find something. For others, it's a last resort when they've tried looking but can't work it out.

Either way, if something can be found with a search box that they can't find through the intended means, that could well be a retained customer. Or better still, a visitor converted into a new customer.

A search box is a great thing to put on a 404 (page not found) error page. If they've followed a link to a page that doesn't exist (hopefully from another website, not a broken link on your own website), a search box is one of the best ways that they can then find exactly what they were looking for.

But adding a search facility isn't the end of the matter, because it can help you to make ongoing improvements to your website.

If you analyse the things that people are searching for most, you might be able to identify the things that people have the most trouble finding. You could then increase the prominence of these pages so that they are easier to find. This should prevent you from losing those visitors who can't even be bothered to use your search facility before giving up and trying another website.

The OpenGlobal website management system has an integrated search facility which can be activated easily for any clients that want it. Call us today if you'd like to find out about the other ways that an OpenGlobal website can help to retain visitors and generate new customers.