The Quick Guide to Improving Intranet Search

This article is a quick 4-minute read that offers 13 practical tips for designing a better search experience. 

1. The Search Experience Starts with Information Architecture

Improving intranet search begins with a solid information architecture. Planning your search experience around this architecture is crucial. It helps you determine relevant areas when creating search categories and deciding on search refiners.

2. Where Should the Search Box Go?

One of the first questions to consider is where to place the search box. The most common option is in the top banner, either as a visible box or as a search icon. Alternatively, you might place it on the start page, but it's a good idea to have an icon in the top banner for easy access from any location within the intranet.

3. Speed Up Searches with “Search as You Type”

Many intranet search experiences provide results in a drop-down list or search panel. Aim to show around ten results to avoid scrolling. Activating “search as you type” helps users see suggested results before they've finished typing their query.

4. Include a “Did You Mean” Feature

To assist users who misspell search terms, activate the “did you mean” functionality. This small addition can significantly improve the search experience.

5. Narrow the Scope with Search Categories

If users don’t find what they're looking for, guide them to advanced search options. Here, search categories can help narrow the scope to specific areas, like people, teams, or news articles.

6. Enable Search Result Refinement

For each search category, include refiners that help users narrow down results. These should relate to your organization, such as document types, product groups, or locations. Having two or three refiners per category is common, but feel free to include more if it enhances the experience.

7. Gather Feedback on Search Results

Regularly improving the search experience is essential. Appoint a search administrator and allow users to submit feedback on search results. This could include comments and snapshots of the results for specific terms.

8. Use Promoted Search Results

Promoted search results can enhance user experience by ensuring that certain content always appears at the top of the list. For instance, if someone searches for “sales,” the sales process page should consistently show up first.

9. Monitor Search Statistics

Studying search statistics is a powerful way to refine the search experience. Track common search terms to understand user needs, identify abandoned searches, and note terms that yield no results. This data can help the administrator make informed improvements.

10. Enhance Search with Applications

Consider enhancing the search experience by setting up search scopes as stand-alone applications. These should focus on areas important to your organization, like finding colleagues, business documents, or products.

11. Ensure Search is Accessible Across Devices

Don’t forget about the search experience on devices beyond web browsers. Prioritize configuring search functionality in Microsoft Teams and mobile devices, especially the intranet mobile app.

12. Integrate Business Systems in Search

Over time, consider adding the ability to search within business systems or databases. Using Microsoft 365 options, you can include various data sources in your intranet search, such as on-premises file shares, SQL databases, Salesforce, and ServiceNow. Federated search can greatly enhance value for end-users, even if it’s not part of your initial search implementation.

13. Take Care of Your Content

Lastly, ensure your content is well-maintained. Use clear titles on web pages and craft page summaries that help users understand the purpose of each page when they see it in search results.

Conclusion

We hope these 13 tips provide valuable insights for enhancing your intranet search. For additional examples, don’t miss our 15-minute on-demand webinar, Improving Intranet Search. 

Please also download this document for hands-on advice on improving the search experience: Mastering Intranet Search - The Comprehensive Guide to a Great Search Experience.