What Do Website Users Expect from a Search?

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Internet users have certain expectations when using the search function on a website. If your website's site search doesn't meet these expectations, users may not stay on or return to your site.

Expectations
User expectations for site searches are fairly straightforward. They include:

box they can type words in, rather than a link to a search page;

a button that says "search;" and

results listed in relevancy order.

Keyword Searche
     Users expect "search" to mean "keyword search." For example, people expect different results from a keyword search and a product search. With a product search, users expect to see a list of products that doesn't include other documents related to the products, while they expect that all relevant content on the site will be included in a keyword search.

Non-keyword Searches
     If your site provides a non-keyword search such as a product search, it should be offered on a separate page from the main keyword search, with a link to the page provided near the keyword search box or in the navigation menu. This is because many people blindly think every box on a web page is for keyword search, even though you clearly mark the botton as "product search."

© November, 2007



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