Back to OmniBlog

Tips and tricks for search relevance

Published:

June 22, 2023

Topic:

Product

Back in the early days of the internet, search was pretty basic and not nearly as efficient as it is today. The first-ever search engine, Knowbot Information Service, could only search for users, not content. Later on, Archie became the first internet search engine capable of searching for web content, which led to the creation of several other search engines such as AltaVista and Yahoo! Search, both of which were popular at the time. However, in 1998, Google was launched and effectively ended search engine competition.

Nowadays, search has come a long way from simply entering keywords into a search box. Many online apps, websites, computer operating systems, and smartphones offer search features in various forms, making search relevance more important than ever.

Search relevance refers to the accuracy level of search results produced by a website’s underlying algorithms, going beyond just finding words or phrases in search boxes. It measures the relevance between multiple search results and the original search query, and companies such as Amazon and Netflix have implemented machine learning algorithms to provide users with extremely accurate search results and product recommendations. With precision being the key factor, search relevance is what sets these platforms apart.

Users now expect to see relevant product recommendations and search results when they use a website. Search relevance understands the intent behind a user’s search and uses machine learning algorithms to provide better results based on factors such as search history, location, and other important data. By examining past search results, popular products, and browsing behaviors, these advanced search algorithms output the most relevant results related to the user’s search intent, even if the results don’t contain the exact keywords entered in the search field. Education and e-learning platforms have also adopted these advanced search algorithms, making it easier for students and educators to find lectures, tutorials, and texts.

So why is search relevance important, and how can it help? Firstly, search relevance helps visitors and users easily locate what they need on websites and e-learning platforms, which is crucial for course experts who want potential customers to find their courses quickly. Secondly, improved search relevance substantially enhances user experience on a website, making the learning experience more enjoyable. Thirdly, improved search relevance saves time for customers, as they can locate what they need faster. Fourthly, better search relevance attracts users and visitors to a website and retains them as they can easily find what they need. Fifthly, high search relevance can improve conversion rates by prompting users to make a purchase. Lastly, it can improve revenue by satisfying existing users, hastening the purchase decision for new users, and recommending highly relevant courses and products.

To manage high expectations with Omnisearch, edtech platforms, online course creators, and course experts can use the tool to provide their users with the best search performance. Omnisearch uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to help users locate exactly what they want and offers accurate search results and extremely relevant search suggestions. The tool has a site search analysis function that reveals the search habits of visitors, making it possible to see the most commonly searched keywords, phrases, and kinds of suggestions they accept. Furthermore, Omnisearch can search within videos, PDFs, word documents, charts, images, slides, presentations, and other media files to help users get the exact results they are looking for. Finally, Omnisearch can automatically transcribe all videos, giving them subtitles in mere seconds, which makes multimedia materials more accessible and improves the learning experience.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign up to our newsletter and receive the latest updates!