The query
A search query can be a SKU, brand, short product term, natural phrase or error spelled variant. Start with the language that customers actually use.
Query understanding →Academy · Lesson 1
The basis of e-commerce search.
A strong search experience arises when query, product data, matching, ranking and feedback are designed as a single system.
Five building blocks
From customer language to a usable result.
Product data
Titles, categories, brands, attributes, variants and identifiers determine which signals search has available.
Product data →Matching
Exact words, synonyms, spelling and semantic agreement can together determine which products are candidates.
Hybrid retrieval →Ranking
The order combines relevance with appropriate business signals such as stock or controlled merchandising.
Ranking signals →Feedback
Search volume, zero-result searches, product clicks, and conversion make visible where the experience can be demonstrably better.
Analytics →Important starting point
A search bar is the input, not the whole system.
Search quality is created in the collaboration between data, retrieval, ranking, interface and measurement. A one-layer change can therefore have implications for the rest of the search experience.