Floating Search Box Increases Search Usage and Website KPIs

As we’ve discussed in our Big Book of Site Search Tips and in our blogs, site search users are responsible for a proportionally larger share of revenue and conversions – so if you can increase the number of visitors who use the search box, the better your business performance. It makes sense for eRetailers to encourage visitors to use site search more often by making the search box more prominent or easier to find.

Increasing the size of the search box, or testing for optimum placement, are tips we’ve talked about in the past. In this newsletter, we’d like to share a new tip, which was suggested by one of our customers, American Bridal. In a bid to increase site search usage by their visitors, the company came up with the idea for a “floating search box,” which floats or hovers over the content even as the site visitor scrolls down a webpage. This means the search box is always visible and available. American Bridal generously shared this great idea with us.

You can see how the floating search box works on American Bridal’s website. When visitors arrive on the homepage, they see the search box near the top of the screen:

Search Box Top of Screen

As shoppers click through to different pages and scroll down, the search box remains at the top of the page:

Search Box still There

American Bridal’s search box toolbar also includes codes for order discounts, giving the company an additional way to promote special deals and increase conversions.

Test the floating search box on your own site, and see if it helps your visitors take advantage of site search more often.