Got “no results”? Give customers an alternative
When someone searches your site only to get a “no results” page, their visit will likely come to an end – whether you’re an e-commerce site, publisher, or otherwise. When you don’t give visitors other options, they’re likely to give up on the search and leave. Here are some tips for avoiding “no results” pages and how to offer alternate suggestions for visitors.
Reduce the number of “no results” pages:
- Use Auto Complete to offer suggested search terms as soon as visitors start typing in the search box. The suggested search terms will always deliver results.
- Pull reports on search terms that have no results. Often “no results” pages occur because your visitors are using different language than you use on your site – for instance, alternate spellings, or synonyms for product names. You can fix this by incorporating the alternate spelling or language into your search. Reports on “no results” search terms can also tell you about products or information that your visitors expect you to have, but that you don’t carry. You can use this information to help expand your offerings.
Offer more options on “no results” pages:
- Show spelling suggestions using the “Did you mean …” phrase. You can pull these suggestions from the language you use on your website.
- Show popular searches and popular products
- Display keyword-specific banners. For example, if a visitor searches for a product that you no longer stock, then a banner may be a good way of saying, “We no longer carry this product – but here are some alternatives.”
- Display your phone number and invite the customer to call you, or ask you questions via live chat.
