What is Faceted Search?
Faceted search is a search engine optimization technique that allows site visitors to find the item they are interested in by providing different levels of categorization or classification.
Each level can then be further subdivided into subcategories which, when combined, form a hypertext tree or graph structure with the site’s items on leaf nodes.
This type of search allows users to drill down through hierarchy levels of information very quickly and intuitively while maintaining a great deal of flexibility in exploration.
What is Faceted Search used for?
Faceted search is used in eCommerce to provide a better browsing experience for shoppers. The site visitors see the detail page only after they have selected a category in which they have an interest.
It allows site visitors to explore products or services in ways that would not be possible using traditional keyword-based search. In addition, faceted search enables them to find items they didn’t even know they were looking for, but would buy if they did.
It also helps increase the average order value (AOV) by broadening the types of products users can browse and making it easier to filter out unwanted products.
Examples of Faceted Search
Audi Store
Audi Store is a German eCommerce marketplace where users can browse a variety of cars by selecting the vehicle’s make, model, and features, among other things. The site also allows shoppers to filter the search results using price, brand, color, and style together with filtering by whether the car has internal storage or external storage.
Ford
Ford, a US automaker, provides its visitors with a wide range of filters so that they can choose their desired car based on particular criteria and types of vehicles. This way of categorizing products makes it easier for the users to narrow down their search and find exactly what they want within a few clicks and filter out all unwanted results.
Amazon
Amazon is one of the most popular eCommerce communities which offers its visitors extensive filters for maximum browsing options and detailed product information about the desired item.
All of these features are offered on one website and with just a simple search query. Amazon is a great example of how people can get what they want in the easiest way possible.
How to optimize Faceted Search on your Shopify store?
Use faceted search on dropdown menus
It is wise to use a dropdown menu for the products you want to show on your online shop. That provides search results in a nested way, with fewer steps for users to get their way around and thus providing them with more choices and making it easier for your customers to find what they are looking for.
Use categories that are broad and not too specific
Having both general categories for searching as well as subcategories will provide even more options and ease of use. While search engines have gotten better at understanding what users are looking for, they may not be able to connect the needle between a very specific search term and an exactly related product. The easier it is to find what they want, the less likely they are to become frustrated with using your site’s search navigation tool.
Engage users with customizable search results
This is a great way to appear that you are not just a search engine but something extra intuitive. If you are offering a broad category, allow searches to filter by more than one category at a time. An example would be if you are selling scrapbooks, let a user choose the style they are looking for and then select colors they want to see as well.
Make it visually appealing and attractive to users
Make sure that the search results are visually relevant, visually enticing, easy to understand, and aesthetically appealing. The design of the product page should be robust and professional so that it can attract a wide range of customers as well as provide them with a comfortable user interface as they browse through the results. It will also help increase your click-through rate (CTR).
Offer a seamless experience across devices
It is very important to keep the user interface of your site consistent across all browsers, platforms, devices, and operating systems. This helps customers easily find what they are looking for and engage with your business no matter where they are or what device they are using.
On all devices, you should have a consistent user interface, navigation, and design so that customers can effectively find what they want.
Keep the search consistent
Consistency is very important when using faceted search. Make sure you use the same terms, product names, and visual design so that there is a correlation between multiple facets of your site.
For example, if your customers are looking for handbags on the AMP website and select a particular color, that color should appear across all facets of search results including the product title and description.
Utilize Faceted Search power for your store’s seamless product search experience!
Product Filter and Search by Boost helps optimize your facet navigation and adds additional filtering capabilities to your Shopify site.
