When visiting a website, especially one that specializes in e-commerce, it is very important to be on point with the various search parameters that could yield results. Faceted search is one such way to approach the problem and not as a nice to have option either but as a must have solution to an oft too common issue. Simply put faceted search, once applied to a customized e-commerce search engine, is supposed to assist visitors to an e-commerce website in narrowing down, what could be hundreds of, options in the most efficient way possible. It achieves this by having a group of categories, or other classifications, preset. Although the definitions of what they do sounds similar, faceted search and filters differ in certain intricate ways. Filters are normally the starting point for onsite navigation around an e-commerce website. Providing tabs and links as the navigation components displayed for the visitor to click for more information. However, faceted search takes that up another notch allowing visitors to adjust search results to whatever their preferences are. This could seriously narrow the search returns from thousands of random items to a handful of more curated choices. Faceted search encourages the visitor to the website to use facets to group their search engine queries better by using qualifiers such as size, pattern, color, length whatever makes the visitor’s shopping experience quicker and with less hassle. But exactly how does faceted search, and by extension, facets work? And how does that relate to the details that visitors normally input in an e-commerce search.

How Does Faceted Search Really Work?

By definition, metadata is detailed data. Data that describes other data details is the common refrain. With that being said, faceted search is used with finer details of items within the management inventory of these e-commerce websites. Stock Keeping Units (SKU), tags, product types are some examples of the metadata used to define the products in the inventory thus helping visitors make better requests with their search queries. Eliminating the need to manually enter products and their identifiers directly in order to achieve the optimal result. Faceted search, if done correctly, could introduce visitors to everything that is available on the e-commerce website. Visitors could become interested in the product features they missed initially on their website visit through the multiple facets created to highlight the varying products in the inventory. The power of faceted search lies in the ability of visitors to create their own custom navigation by combining various viewpoints rather than forcing them down a specific pathway. As visitors combine facet values, the e-commerce search engine is really launching a new search based on the selected values, which allows the visitors to see how many variations are left in the set corresponding to each remaining facet choice.An effort should be made not to overload website visitors with facets. Visitors will generally not scroll beyond the initial landing page to find the more obscure facets suggested by the e-commerce search bar activated on the website.

How Should A Search Bar For E-commerce Be Designed?

When designing the search bar, it should be clearly visible to a visitor, no matter on which page they are on. The most common design for the e-commerce search engine is a box, with the input field being contained in a relatively wide box. Visitors tend to look for this search bar layout on their first visit to a website.The standard position, where the search bar is normally located, is generally on the top right corner of a website. Digital business owners could follow this template as creating familiarity could truly speed up a visitor's search, leaving them less time to think about what they are doing. Navigating the e-commerce search engine bar should feel like second nature. Many e-commerce websites place their search bar on the top, just above or near the navigation menu bar. This position provides the most comfort for the visitor and should be replicated most of the time unless it is impossible to do so. When designing the search bar, its selected color must be able to draw attention towards it. This is why the search bar color must be set in contrast to the main e-commerce website color. Digital business owners should also consider testing the size of their search bar. For this, it would be advised for these digital business owners to check their customers’ behavior. For example, if they find that their visitors are using lengthy words to search for results, then it would be good practice to make the size of their search box a little larger in order to facilitate. This should help visitors to see what they are typing down as visitors appreciate when they receive proper guidance. Adding a ‘search’ or ‘go’ button beside the bar coupled with a stylized icon like an arrow or a magnifying glass is imperative for a search bar’s structured design. An efficient search engine puts visitors in control of their search for products and services displayed by the e-commerce website. When visitors encounter a relatively complex navigation system on a website, they will immediately look for a search bar to find their desired product or service quickly and painlessly.

What Are The Things To Avoid When Designing A Search Bar For E-commerce?

Digital business owners should avoid these faux pas when creating their customized e-commerce search engine: placing the search bar at the bottom of the page, or hiding it in the navigation menu, making the input field too short - because visitors would be forced to use short, imprecise queries and longer queries would be hard and inconvenient to read, making the submit button too small - so that visitors would have to point the mouse very precisely, making the search box hard to find, putting the search bar together with other forms, such as a newsletter box - this could be irritating for the average new visitor, by over-designing the search bar - making it really hard to spot, overloading the user with advanced search functionality - making it too hard to perform a simple search, labeling the submit button something unintuitive, making non-search design elements look like a search bar and providing multiple submit buttons.

Digital business owners should be aware of all the possibilities at hand to design the most functional e-commerce search bar for visitors to their digital storefront websites. From faceted search and filters to metadata and location of the search bar, everything needs to be considered. However, the search bar should look as simple to use as possible while having the capability to access their entire inventory or catalog.