Guidelines for Search Capabilities in your Websites

Refer to Webmonkey's "Adding Search To Your Site" article for more information.

Search engines allow users to search for different areas within your site based on a text search of selected key words. Web pages which contain the searched upon word(s) will appear in a "results" page typically in order of the relevance to the search (likely based on number of instances of the keywords) allowing users to quickly access relevant documents. Search engines like Alta Vista, Google or Yahoo attempt to conduct such searches throughout the entire web. Creating the ability for users to conduct localized searches of just your site helps users pinpoint information contained in your site without having to navigate to it. However, you also do not want to rob your users of the valuable experience that can sometimes be had in exploring your site while browsing for information.

Searches are enabled by periodic indexes which are made of the particular area defined to be searched. In some cases it is the entire site, in other cases only a particular subsections or only selected folders or sections may be discluded from the search. The period of time a site is indexed can be controlled by the webmaster or sys admin and can be performed in hourly, daily, weekly or monthly intervals, depending upon the how often content is added or changed in an indexed area.

When do you need a search function?

In some cases, you will not need a search function. When a site is very small (like your 5 page websites) or when the site's content consists largely of unindexable media such as images, animation, audio or video (note, there are exceptions to this such as when this information is linked to a database which contains associated metadata about the files and newer media types are emerging allowing metadata to be embedded in the file). Special attention must be given to sites that use image maps, javascript, Flash, Shockwave and frames. You can test the site by reviewing your pages in a text-based browser to get an idea of what the index robot will be encountering.

It's also important to point out that a search function should not be an excuse for a poor navigation system.

Providing users the means to search in other cases creates an indespensable means with which to access relevant content quickly. If your site has a robust amount of content, then it can likely benefit from a search function. If your site contains pages with dense amounts of text, a search function will help facilitate users access to content on those pages (the more pages of this type, the more you'll need a search function).

How do users approach Searches?

As pointed out in chapter 6 of "Information Architecture for the World Wide Web", uses come to your website with different information needs. They've broken it down into a set of user search types:

• Known-Item Searching: The user knows exactly what information they are looking for. (example: looking for what time a movie is playing on Yahoo Movies or checking the weather in your city on weather.com.
• Existence Searching: The user knows what they want but aren't sure how to describe it or what keywords to attribute to it. This is very common when searching for troubleshooting information. (example:
• Exploratory Searching: The user knows how to frame their keywords and search terms but aren't exactly sure what they'll find. It's when the user has a general idea they are seeking to learn more about. (example: a user wants to learn more about Scandinavian Death Metal Bikers after hearing a friend talk about this phenomenon)
• Comprehensive Searching: The user want exhaustive information about a particular topic. (example: looking for every bit of related information about the Revolutionary War).

In addition to these types of searches, we can also look at the more literal ways users approach searching. For instance, users can focus the search for particular terms to "all" desired or to "any" desired keywords. Some search functions provide an option and others choose one or the other. The difference is with an "all" search, it will only provide results that include all of the keywords entered. An "any" search will turn up results that include any of the keywords provided and these tend to be more encompassing and less "relevant".

Users can also use "boolean" operators such as "and", "or", "not" or "near" to help guide their searches to include or disclude certain phrases. These generally work with most search engines but not all have the ability.

Where to place the search function?

The search function usually takes the shape of a form field text box for simple searches and can include multiple text boxes and other fields (check boxes or radio buttons) that help support advanced searching functions. Whatever search options you provide, they should be clear to the users including identifying what they are actually searching through, options for formulating searches (can they use "boolean operators"), other options (such as sorting results) and help if the user is unable to find the correct information.

Where to put the search function depends upon various factors. In many cases, a simple search function on the top page of the site will suffice. For large sites, creating a separate search page which is built into the navigation of the site allows users to access a consistent search function no matter what area of the site they are in. If you wish to use a simpler search function, it is possible to actually embed the search function into the navigation.