Prepping your analytics account
Before I get into the details, make sure you have the following set up in your GA account:
Exclude internal traffic (filter). You wouldn’t believe how many organizations don’t do this. This simple filter makes all the difference when it comes to data quality. Make sure your website is excluding all internal traffic (step-by-step directions: how to set up internal filters in GA.)
Goals, events and conversions. In order to discover user intent, we need to be able to segment reports by conversions. Make sure that your website has clearly defined key performance indicators (KPIs) that are represented by goals in GA (step by step directions: how to set up goals in GA.)
Setting up GA site search reporting
Standard GA implementation doesn’t have internal search reporting configured. In order to get the data, we need to input some information into GA manually.
Follow these steps to get it up and running:
Navigate to the “Admin” tab
Click “View Settings”
Go to the bottom, where you’ll find “Site Search Settings”
Click the button so that its setting is “On”
In order to complete the tracking, you’ll need to locate your site’s query parameter.
In a new browser tab, open your website
In your website's internal search bar, type the word "seo" and click "search"
You will be redirected to your website's internal search landing page
Look at the URL on the landing page (see screenshot below)
You will see your search term, along with these characters: "?", "random letter", and "="
The letter before the equal sign ("=") is your website’s query parameter
Enter this value into the appropriate box in GA
Click save
Analyzing the site search data
To access your site search data, navigate to Behavior > Behavior Flow > Site Search in GA.
There are five reports under Site Search:
Overview
Usage
Search Terms
Pages
Any/All Reports (Segments)
Report #1: Overview
How to get there: Behavior > Behavior Flow > Site Search > Overview
What the report tells us: Lists the high-level metrics related to your site’s internal search
Potential insights:
Visits With Site Search, % Search Exits, and % Search Refinements: When looked at together, these metrics can tell you a lot about how visitors are finding content. If all three numbers are high, it likely means users can’t find what they‘re looking for.
Time after Search and Average Search Depth: Conversely, if these two metrics are high, it probably means users find a lot of value in your site search.
Overview (graph): Pay close attention to spikes and surges in internal searches. Were you running campaigns during this time? Use traffic segments to dig into causation.
Usage:
How to get there: Behavior > Behavior Flow > Site Search > Usage
What the report tells us: User journeys that used site search vs. those who didn’t
Potential insights:
Pages/Session, Average Session Duration: If the pages viewed and session duration is higher with visitors using site search, this indicates your website has the right content (i.e., users are finding the content they are searching for). Keep a close eye on these metrics and test widgets, sidebars and "suggested article" plugins to help you figure out how to improve navigation.
Goal Completions: These are important metrics. Plain and simple, this tells us whether or not site search helps drive goal completions. If so, you may want to consider making your site search more prominent, or make it stand out with specific calls to action.
Secondary dimension: You can add a number of dimensions to this report to get deeper insight. I like to add "Medium"—it gives you a breakdown of each traffic medium, segmented by Visits With Site Search and Visits Without Site Search.
Pages
How to get there: Behavior > Behavior Flow > Site Search > Pages
What the report tells us: The pages users made their queries on
Potential insights:
Overall: Looking at the overall picture of the data will show you where users are having problems finding content. Take a closer look at how your top pages are structured—can users find what they need
Secondary dimension: I like to layer on the “Previous Page Path” dimension. This helps create a greater context for the problems users are have navigating your site.
Segments
How to get there: Behavior > Behavior Flow > Site Search > Any/All Reports
What the report tells us: Segments add additional depth and value. I often use the following segments to drive more insights:
Mobile traffic: Segmenting by mobile allows you to see visitors are using site search more from mobile. This can yield insights into mobile design and layout.
Converters or Made a purchase: Is site search driving conversions or adding roadblocks?
Organic traffic: What percentage of users that find your website through search engines need to refine their searches? The internal keyword searches are the keywords that users are really looking for when they find your site.
Returning users: Returning users are loyal—they enjoy your content enough to return for more. Use the internal search data to find out what content you need to best serve them.
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