A simple and clear search tool is essential for a successful online store. If users can’t find products, they won’t be able to buy them. Poor search results make users go to the competitor’s website. Below we’ll show you how you can effectively use the text search filter using the WooCommerce Product Filter by WooBeWoo plugin to make your website search does its job great.
From searching the Internet to finding Woocommerce products
If you remember the history of the Internet, then you know that search as technology emerged as opposed to directories. Once, this was a revolutionary way to find information: instead of opening a large list of websites and looking for a suitable one by meaning and name, you entered a keyword – and the search was narrowly dropping you only to the websites that contained it. This logic is called an inverted index. It successfully works until now.
Today, we are witnessing a similar technological revolution in the WooCommerce sector, as stores are beginning to realize the full potential of the tool as a faster, smarter, and more flexible alternative to catalog navigation. Internal search is becoming a priority for online retailers, as it has been in the shadow of other priorities for so many years.
- According to various sources, from 18% to 30% of all traffic of an online store (on average) are users who are looking for a specific product, and they will use the search first.
- 80% of visitors leave a website after having a negative search experience.
Why search for products on a Woocommerce store is needed?
The practical value of the search for a store is easier to underestimate than overestimate. What search affects:
- Shortening the path to purchase. How easy it is for a visitor to find the product he needs. A high search rate for the desired product indicates that all the necessary conditions have been created on the site so that the visitor can find the product as quickly as possible. Speed decides – the more time it takes to search, the higher the risk of losing a potential buyer.
- Visitor comfort. The purpose of an online store as a service is to make the shopping experience as comfortable as possible. Personalizing search results, as well as adding personalized product recommendations to the autocomplete search field, are two important steps that reduce the number of inappropriate visitor actions.
- Fast converting valuable traffic. Visitors who come to an online store to buy a particular product are the most valuable part of traffic. These visitors are closest to the time of purchase. Search is the tool they will use in the first place, as it is a way of “fast” navigation (as opposed to “slow”: catalog, filters, sorting).
- Growth of conversion and profit. As a result, of all said above, high-quality text search can become one of the main channels for generating profit for the store. According to commercial publications, a store can generate up to 40% additional profit by converting internal searches into purchases.
Thus, technically advanced internal search is a necessary attribute of almost any online store with a large assortment and high traffic.
How should the search work?
Using the WooCommerce Product Filter by WooBeWoo plugin, you can use all the features of the “Search by text” filter, as well as configure all of its additional options.
But still, there are some tips from the WooBeWoo team that we would like to share with you for the successful organization of a search filter by words in your online store:
- Search by sku. Our plugin fully supports searching by item number. Especially relevant for segments where it is critically important for the visitor to find a specific model: electronics, household appliances, auto parts, special equipment, etc.
- Small smartphone screens always have limited space; however, the critical functionality of the search tool should not be lost. Product filter by WoobeWoo is fully responsive to any mobile device, you can customize all the news to suit your individual style, right down to fine-tuning the breakpoint.
- Conceivability. The simple visibility of the search field predetermines the success of the entire tool. So, feel free to highlight it graphically and choose the innovative styles of your filter.
- Only relevant information. You will make the choice easier for the visitor if you’ll specify the criteria the text search filter will use.
- Search phrase on the page. An important detail – the user must constantly see the search field in front of him, do not hide it. And the default phrase should be short and clear.
- Autocomplete relevant options. Users should not waste time on entering a request – therefore, it is rational to offer them already made options, this will shorten the path from request to purchase.
Fortunately, in the WooCommerce Product Filter by WooBeWoo plugin, you can completely customize all of these options and give them a unique style with simple design customization.
How to add “ Search by Text” to your product filter?
High-quality text search from Product Filter by WooBeWoo can reduce the number of customer actions on the website, increase conversion, and generally improve the user experience. The addiction is simple to the point of genius: the better the search, the more people use it, find what they want and buy it. Let’s deal with all the complexities of its creation.
Of course, you shouldn’t have any difficulties, because all you need is to go to the filter editor, select search by text, and click add. Then you can customize each element of this filter. As you can see, everything is nowhere easier, and even a 4-year-old child can cope with this, but if you still encounter difficulties, then read this article of our detailed documentation and it will help you figure it out.
Below is an example of how it works on the frontend:
Conclusion:
If a person has entered the online store, he may need a search to find the desired product. But, an analysis of the current situation on a wide variety of online stores shows that often this search does not give any results. Frequently this feature is just not properly configured. The user enters a keyword, but the search function in the online store finds the desired product. This is a problem for website developers who do not consider the importance of the Search function working properly.
Sometimes it happens that the search function is simply missing. This is a very big disadvantage, as it eventually repels potential buyers. Also, if there are a lot of different product units on the website, the search takes a lot of time and the buyer in such a situation simply leaves.
I would like to add that if you are interested in the success of your online store, you must choose the right tools to create effective filtering and search in your store. One of them is WooCommerce Product Filter by WooBeWoo, thanks to which you can quickly customize all the search options you need, and your customers are guaranteed to get the desired result.