Our customer U.S. Toy has found that cross-linking site search results across its three different websites has increased revenue and reduced confusion among shoppers. The online retailer of toys and classroom supplies has separate sites for consumers and teachers/educators, so visitors sometimes didn’t realize they were on the wrong site – and their searches didn’t turn up results for products that could be found on another U.S. Toy site.

U.S. Toy now cross-links results for all three sites, so that visitors on one site can conduct a search and find products available on the alternate sites. If they click on such a product, they are taken to the site with the product they need.

As U.S. Toy found out, cross-linking can help keep customers on sites longer and make larger purchases, since they’re more likely to conduct successful searches and find what they’re looking for. Since the company began cross-linking in March, site search referrals from each of its sites are responsible for 13% of total revenue for the educator-focused website, and shoppers have completed several hundred purchases that would have otherwise been lost. Click here to read more about U.S. Toy and cross-linking.