Some typical issues in the design of search on large-scale or commercial sites are:

Let’s take a look at each of these in turn, and what can be done to resolve them.

“Know your user” can’t be stated too often in any redesign, whatever your scope and goals. Whether they are consumers, employees, or professional users, Website visitors have varying degrees of expertise with Web-based searches. It is essential to understand what types of searchers are using your site.

Novice searchers are more likely to browse than search. They need simple language and a guided interaction in their search. More advanced search users, on the other hand, want speed and a full range of search functionality. Those in the midde (intermediate searchers) will need access to advanced search features, but are apt to be comfortable with a simpler search.

A good rule of thumb is to assume your user is a novice at search unless you can prove otherwise. To assume the opposite is to risk alienating (and losing) these visitors to your site. However, if you know for a fact that your users are more advanced in their search capabilities (based on the kinds of searches they are already doing on your site), an overly simple search feature will frustrate them.

So how exactly do you go about classifying (and satisfying) your site’s searchers? If you haven’t conducted any form of user research, now may be the time to gather some basic usage information. There are a wide variety of inputs for this kind of research, including Web logs, focus groups, one-on-one usability sessions, and online surveys.

Your goal is to understand how your users are currently using your search feature, what their expectations are, and how your site is (or isn’t) fulfilling their needs. If you find you have (roughly) equal numbers of two or more types of users, you will need to design for the lowest common denominator.

Content specifics are critical to search design. And key to improving your search design is to get a handle not only on the methods by which users search, but on specifically what they are looking for on your site.

You will need to capture and analyze the variety of search queries on your site. If you haven’t captured this data already, have your Web development team create a report of the leading search terms. Then replicate the top 100 (or 250 or 500) search queries. Are there good matches on your site, or are some results pages confusing?

This is valuable information for a redesign. If your site doesn’t have everything the user is looking for, consider referring them to another page or Web site that will be of value to them.

Also, be sure to allow for misspellings, synonyms, and related terms in your search results. This will require thoughtful analysis, and can (or should) not be entirely automated. For example, a user may enter “phone help” when s/he is actually looking for “customer service” or “customer service phone numbers.” Make sure all such terms are either directing the user to the right results, or are otherwise cross-referenced on your results page. Customizing your results in this manner can greatly improve the effectiveness of your search and the satisfaction of your site visitors.

Another common problem is encountered when a site does not handle searches of all key databases. Yes, it happens. In the rush to get a site out the door, development teams sometimes overlook this when they use standard search tools (such as Microsoft’s Indexing Service) to create the search feature.

Data being pulled from your databases (including the content management databases) will therefore need to be indexed - that is, static HTML pages need to be created which the Indexing Service can then search.

The frequency with which your database is updated will dictate how often you need to update these static, searchable pages. Keep in mind that Google can only find the information if it is in static pages, outside of your databases.

Finally, a word of caution on error messages (or Null Results pages). It’s hard to avoid having “no” search results, but your job in a redesign is to reduce them as much as possible to avoid user frustration. Expanding the content of what is searchable, as discussed above (understanding user goals and allowing database searches) will help.

Additionally, on any Null Results page, make sure you explain to the user some possible reasons for having no results, as well as the best suggested solutions or next steps to improve their search results. Make it as easy as possible to expand the results.

These are some of the most common issues in site-wide search, whether for large-scale information sites, eCommerce transactional sites, or even specialized search engines. By paying attention to the user, tracking what your users are actually searching for, understanding their level of expertise, expanding your content to be as all-inclusive as possible, and helping them resolve Null Results, you can dramatically improve the ability of your search feature to help your user navigate your site.