How to Improve Internal Site Search for Better Mobile Conversions: 7 Proven Strategies

27 Jan 2022

Mike Patel

How to Improve Internal Site Search for Better Mobile Conversions: 7 Proven Strategies

Mobile traffic contributes to the highest percentage of global web traffic. The majority of visitors and potential customers most likely use their smartphones to access your website.

Mobile users have different behaviors than desktop users. User’s location, internet connection and attentiveness contribute to these behavioral differences. Using the same conversion strategy for desktop and mobile platforms is counterproductive.

How you can use internal site search to boost mobile conversions?

1) Learn from No-Results Pages

A page that returns zero results is the most frustrating search result a user can receive.

The solution is to discover what searches cause “no results” pages to display.

Whenever possible, relevant search term suggestions should appear on the “no-results” page. Explain to your user how you can improve their search query. For example, checking for typos, trying different or fewer keywords or by checking the spelling.

If you leave the page blank, you’re sending your visitor(s) to your closest competitor.

Misspelling Errors

Online shoppers often make spelling mistakes. Missing out on sales or conversion opportunities from the frequency of human error is bound to happen.

When you find common misspellings on your website, create landing pages, curate a set of products and set up redirects to them.

Display Related or Similar Products

Displaying related or similar products in a search result provides product alternatives and keeps the customer shopping even if they don’t get a perfect match.

Cross-selling and upselling increases your overall site revenue. For example, Amazon places great emphasis on providing shoppers with product comparisons and alternatives. This method keeps visitors on the page and engaged with the buying process.

2) Make the Search Bar Obvious

24-48% of an eCommerce site’s revenue comes from customers that utilize the search bar. When people use their mobile device to make purchases online, shopper’s views are usually limited to one or two products per screen. This gives a different browsing experience to a desktop PC.

By making the search bar obvious you can achieve a higher conversion rate than the typical mobile website. Include filters and faceted search so you can transform the shoppers mobile shopping experience.

3) Use Semantic Search and Natural Language Processing

Track and analyze the users behavior. This provides a custom-tailored search solution to your visitors. Additionally, use advanced Natural Language Processing technology (NLP) to automatically filter the result set based on the query.

NLP filters out the “noise” in search results. It eliminates additional products that aren’t relevant to the search term.

4) Allow Users to Filter Internal Search Results

Filters and facets added to search boxes give a quick and simple shortcut to assist user search. You add layers of complexity to the product investigation.

Filters allow users to narrow down their search results by category and by allowing them to apply one filter at a time.

Facets are multiple filters. Users apply the filters to product features, which allows them to refine their search further. If you provide multiple filters, you provide more accurate results and save time.

5) Search Engine Optimization

eCommerce site search engines allow users to query the product database fast and efficiently. An optimally configured search engine allows users to find the information they need and more.

Examine the terms that your website visitors are entering in the search box and the results they see. This will help you to optimize your site search engine. Once you figure out that part, add Tags, Titles and descriptions so that products get found correctly.

6) Fast Loading Time

Did you know that 53 percent of mobile site visitors abandon websites if it takes more than three seconds to load?

Make sure that your website page loads fast. There is an equivalence with website speed and the mobile conversion rate. The faster a page loads, the higher the conversion rate.

A fast loading website improves your mobile conversion rate and reduces bounce rates. Conduct a diagnostics to assess the number of server requests. This can help you decide what elements need to show up on the screen first.

7) Personalize Marketing

Personalizing marketing increases conversion, traffic and sales. It makes your users feel empowered, well-understood and connected to your brand.

Personalization is not just about using a customer’s name on ads or emails. It’s about showing visitors the right deal at the right time. Gather data about who your visitors are and how they interact.

Google’s research suggests that around 61 percent of mobile users prefer to shop from sites that customize their marketing material according to their location.

Another way to personalize your marketing is to display offers that provide relevance to your target audience.

Wrapping up

By combining the above tactics together, you can improve your site search and watch conversion rates grow. You don’t need to go about it all on your own. That’s why we’re here to help and improve your eCommerce Conversion.

Mike Patel

Mike Patel is a digital marketing enthusiast, innovator and President of a leading Digital and E-commerce Development Agency in Dallas, Texas. Mike holds a BS, Computer Science degree from Wayne State University and is a key player in the E-commerce development and digital marketing industry since 2004. The scope of technology in his extensive experience of more than 15 years ranges from Magento, Shopify, BigCommerce SEO (Search Engine Optimization), PPC (Pay Per Click) management, E-commerce SEO, Google Shopping Ads and more.