Using on site search to maximise the user experience 

The user experience is one of the most important aspects to consider when designing any website. Adding a search bar can be a great option, but what should you consider? And what are the advantages and benefits of this?

What is on site search?

On site search means that your website has a search function. This may just be for the product or services section, or you may use a site wide search tool. Either way, this can be a good addition to your website helping to improve the user experience and add value to your website, when this is used correctly. 

What are the advantages of on site search?

There are a number of advantages and benefits to using on site search on your website. These advantages include:

• Helping users find what they need- a search tool can help your website users and potential customers and clients find exactly what they are looking for without needing to search through the categories and pages. This is a key part of providing a positive user experience.
• Indexing page content effectively- when using a site search tool this will show results that are relevant to the search term entered and during the design and building process, you will be able to ensure that the results are correct and as expected. This can help your site fluidity and structure in general as well as helping to create an efficient search tool for website users.

What are the important considerations when using on site search to maximise the user experience?

If you are creating a search tool for your website there are a number of important considerations to take into account. These include:

• The design of the search bar- when adding a search bar to your website it’s important to consider the size, shape and positioning of the search bar itself. This needs to be easy to use and easy to recognise on all screen sizes and devices, with the field allowing easy text entry. Making sure the bar itself is fully functional is crucial for success, as a fault or issue will only direct potential customers away from your website. Testing this design on different devices for responsive design will be essential to get the right results.
• Indexing the results- a search function needs to return the right results to be remotely effective and as a result you will need to test and retest the functionality to ensure the best possible user experience.

Using search data to improve your website

An often overlooked benefit of on-site search is the insight it can provide into user behaviour. Analysing the terms that visitors enter into your search bar can highlight what users expect to find, as well as any gaps in your content or navigation.

For example, frequent searches for a specific product or service may indicate that this information should be more prominently displayed. Similarly, repeated searches that return no results can highlight missing content or unclear terminology. Reviewing this data regularly allows you to refine your site structure, improve content clarity and enhance overall usability.

By treating on-site search as both a navigation tool and a source of insight, you can continue to develop your website in line with real user needs.

Here at Pumpkin Web Design we are Preston’s leading web design and web marketing professionals. We provide a wide range of website solutions and SEO services across Preston and the North West, from Blackburn and Bolton, to Southport, Wigan, and even Manchester. We work with businesses of all sizes and across a wide variety of sectors, from local service providers to established commercial brands. So, for more information about SEO, content marketing, traffic growth and web design, get in touch with the experts at Pumpkin Web Design today.