Content has become the number one tool for cultivating our customer prospects in an e-commerce dominated world. Whether that is through social channels or spread across the website, our consumers are inundated with an abundance of information that can be significantly hard to sift through.
The new age of e-commerce is all about accessibility! With UX design now the prime focus for many e-commerce leaders, it could be time to start thinking about optimizing this wave of content, for easy customer access.
Enter on-site search. Not only should your website already feature it, but it might be time to start investing more time into its UX capabilities.
In fact, research shows that users who utilize the on-site search function are 3 times more likely to purchase from your site and create successful conversions.
Read on to find out why the evolving e-commerce community has made on-site search more important than ever before and the benefits of investing in something so simple, yet so significant for online success.
How Is The E-Commerce Industry Transforming?
It’s no secret that 2020 moved commerce online quicker than any previous year, sending e-commerce soaring within the first few months of the pandemic.
(Image Source: The Future Of Commerce)
As the physical high street closed down, more businesses than ever before headed online to compete in what has become a battle for visibility amongst niches.
In fact, studies have shown that E-commerce based retailers increased by 35% in just a year, making a secure UX and UI design vital if businesses were going to stand out against the crowd.
As online e-commerce increased, so did the amount of content online. As popular platforms such as TikTok and Instagram continue to grow, consumers are now faced with a landslide of competitive content from a number of sources, making it harder for them to find a clear direction to the checkout.
From backlinks to swipe ups and on-site banners to carousels, it’s no surprise that customers are struggling to find what they want.
What Is On-Site Search?
So could investing in on-site search be the game-changer you’ve been looking for?
Optimizing your on-site search is not the same as simply placing a search bar at the top of your website. In the age of Google Search, Youtube and Amazon taking center stage as the most responsive and effective search based tools on the internet, your on-site search needs to be measuring up.
(Image Source: Search Engine Journal)
The function of the on-site search bar is to customize and tailor the experience to each and every customer.
This means adding options, even the unlikely ones to your search bar results. Get predictive with your search bar and start customizing it for success. Increasing the number of drop-down options increases the chances for page engagement.
To put it simply, the snazzier the search bar, the higher the ROI.
How To Optimize Your On-Site Search for Improved UX
Improving your on-site search is vital if you want to keep your UX strong. Optimizing your search bar only takes a few simple tweaks, meaning you’ll be rivaling Amazon in no time at all!
Here are some of the simplest changes you can make to your on-site search for instant success.
Don’t Make Your Customers Search For The Search Bar
This one might sound obvious, but you’d be surprised at just how many website designs hide the search bar within the navigating system, forcing consumers to physically search for it. Not only does this make it less visible for those who need to use it, but customers are actually ten times more likely to leave your site if they have to spend time searching for what they need.
(Image Source: Amazon)
Take Amazon as an example here. Can you see how visible that search bar is? Positioning is key here.
Giving your search bar space within the navigation bar itself allows it to stand out across each page, giving the customers quicker access to the products they are looking for.
Start Incorporating Predictive Suggestions
For a search bar to be truly optimized, you need to get smart when it comes to search predictions. You need to master the art of suggestion and start listing products that either correspond to your users search or suggest similar categories that may be in need of some engagement.
(Image Source: Screwfix)
Screwfix’s search bar is great at this. Listing a number of suggestions and imaged based prompts is an easy way to entice your customer and improve their search experience.
Not only is this a UX must, but you’ll find that a more detailed search bar experience could in fact boost your engagement on a number of site pages, as customers are likely to browse through those suggestions!
Better still, having a strong grasp of your audience’s needs and gratifications will also set you in a better position when recommending products and page categories.
Why not take a step back and complete an audit of your site visitors using audience traffic trackers such as Finteza or Google Analytics. Using tools to define your demographic behavior, trends and general information can aid you in personalizing that search process and provide search suggestions that are likely to become conversions.
Prioritise Those Smartphone Searches
Did you know that over half of your website traffic now comes from smartphone users?
In order to serve this growing mobile audience, UX developers need to be in touch with smartphone-based design to improve website accessibility.
(Image Source: eMarketer)
As you can see above, 90% of e-commerce’s most active and influential demographic prefer to shop and search for products on their mobile device.
In order to improve the on-site search experience, developers need to start prioritizing minimalism. Reduce the visual content and shorten the length of those navigation bars, to make the search bar stand out for easy use.
The search bar needs to be big enough to be selected with a non-too-accurate finger tap and work in line with smartphone keyboard functions.
The Benefits Of On-Site Search
So what are the benefits of optimizing your on-site search? Could it be the key to increasing those conversions and improving your ROI? Let’s find out.
On-Site Search Reduces Bounce Rate
Did you know that optimizing your UX is the quickest way to increase page engagement and reduce site bouncing?
If consumers can’t find what they want in a matter of seconds, they will jump straight on to your competitors’ site to try their luck. However, if you’re offering them a visible, accessible and quick search experience, you’ll have them hooked and ready to convert into a sale.
On-Site Search Amplify’s Your SEO Efforts
If you’re striving for those on-site SEO rankings, look no further. Optimizing your on-site search could be the key to your success.
While it is vital to prioritize your SEO content writing skills in order to improve your page ranking, aspects of your UX design can also boost your SEO score. Google ranks both the logical and hierarchical organization of content and favors websites with functional designs and impressive accessibility.
Better still, your search bar could also be the key to discovering keywords for future content targeting. Monitoring your search terms is a great way to find your most relevant keywords and strategize the search intent behind them for future optimization.
On-Site Search Boosts Conversions & ROI
Last but certainly not least and the answer you have all been waiting for. Can a simple change to your on-site search strategy boost those conversions?
The answer is yes. Not only will your on-site search optimization improve website accessibility and user experience, but customer-centric sites are also more likely to churn out higher sales rates and boost their customer retention in turn.
In fact, 43% of website browsers immediately look for a search bar when visiting a page. With nearly half of your online traffic demanding a search bar for success, optimizing your experience will set you apart from your competitors and make your investment well and truly worth it.