UpStart Commerce Search
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Key Concepts of NoChannel Search

12min
understanding the core concepts of nochannel search is essential for maximizing the potential of its powerful search engine here's a comprehensive guide to key terms and fundamental concepts used within nochannel search index a searchable collection of data structured for efficient retrieval imagine an organized library catalog where each product is a book and its details are searchable information an ecommerce platform uses an index containing product details like name, description, category, brand, and price query a user's specific request for information from the index it's like a question you ask the library catalog to find relevant books a customer searches for "women's running shoes" on the ecommerce platform this will indicate a query document a set of information assigned a unique address within an index these documents can be blog posts, pdfs, or product detail pages within a catalog pagination dividing search results into manageable, numbered pages for easier browsing it helps prevent information overload the search result for "women's running shoes" displays 10 products per page, allowing customers to navigate and consume the results easily relevance a measure of how well a document matches a specific query the more relevant a document is, the higher it ranks in search results when a customer searches for "affordable running shoes," the ecommerce platform prioritizes documents (product pages) featuring shoes with competitive prices sort order the arrangement of search results is based on chosen criteria, like price, popularity, or brand customers can choose to sort search results for "running shoes" by price (low to high) to find the most affordable options first routes the intermediary layer connects various components like indexes, queries, and access levels to fulfill search requests think of it as the behind the scenes traffic control system directing users to the relevant information a route on the ecommerce platform connects the "running shoes" index with relevant filters, sorting options, and personalized recommendations based on the customer's browsing history query pipelines customized sequences of steps that refine and process search queries imagine a recipe for perfect search results with different steps like filtering, boosting, and sorting a query pipeline in the ecommerce platform might filter search results for "running shoes" to only show items in stock, boost results with high customer ratings, and sort them by popularity query rules defined rules for query matching and generating specific responses this involves the customization of query rules for different search scenarios rules filter rules that refine search results based on specific criteria, allow users to narrow down their options on an ecommerce platform, users might use filters to narrow their search for "running shoes" by selecting specific brands, price ranges, or features like waterproof materials phrase a sequence of words is treated as a single unit in a search query, ensuring accurate matches searching for "running shoes" as a phrase ensures results containing both "running" and "shoes" in close proximity, filtering out irrelevant documents with individual mentions of these terms results information retrieved from the index is based on a user's query when a user searches for "laptops," the search engine displays a list of product pages (documents) containing relevant information about laptops available on the platform boost & bury adjusting the positions of search results to emphasize specific items or hide irrelevant ones think of it as highlighting your bestsellers in a physical store you can boost popular brands while burying out of stock products field searcher specifying which fields (e g , product name, brand) should be searched within a document for precise results searching for "iphone" only within the "brand name" and "product name" fields rewrite rule automatically correcting misspelled queries or applying default filters to improve search accuracy automatically correcting "womans shoes" to "women's shoes" and filtering for shoes in the appropriate size range default aggregation predefined aggregations are automatically applied to search results when specific ones aren't defined, ensuring relevant information is displayed when searching for "shoes," the platform might automatically aggregate products by brand aggregation appenders tools to dynamically add additional filters or groupings (aggregations) to refine search results based on user interaction allowing consumers to filter "running shoes" by price range dynamically using an aggregation appender ) synonyms words with similar meanings are treated as equivalent for broader search coverage like treating "sneakers" and "trainers" as synonyms for "running shoes" type ahead (suggest) automatic suggestions are displayed as users type their search queries, saving time and effort as you type "pur," suggestions like "purple," "purchase," or "pure" appear searchandising with nochannel search phases of consumer journey interest phase engagement typically begins on the homepage consideration phase in depth research often occurs on category or blog pages purchase phase conversions happen on landing pages, product details (pdp), and shopping cart pages searchandiser formula promoting relevant products tailoring product placement based on user context and intent optimizing position, person & timing strategically placing products in the right position at the right time for the right user search results page prime real estate top six positions considered valuable for showcasing products product relations & merchandising automated bundling, cross sells, up sells, and defining product relations to enhance engagement and revenue