I’ve spent most of my career working on search consulting, including developing search engines and serving as product manager for IBM’s search engine software product. But my most important experience is improving search results for ibm.com’s site search engine, and doing the same for other clients, because Web site search is not, at its heart, about technology–it’s about helping customers to find what they are looking for. Because if they can’t find it, they can’t buy it.
It’s sad but true that most Web site search experiences are lacking. People love to hate the search engines, but the truth is that the search technology is typically fairly good. It’s everything else that we miss:
- We don’t know what words people are searching for
- We don’t have the content people are looking for
- We don’t know how to get the right content to show up in the search results
It’s the management of the search experience, rather than the technology, that is typically the difference in a good site search experience for your customers instead of a disappointing one. And remember, when they are disappointed, they go somewhere else to buy.
If you’re leaving sales on the table with a less-than-stellar site search experience, I’d love to help. If you’re interested in talking to me about a consulting opportunity with your company, I’d love to hear from you, so please contact me.