Search within your site is as important as finding it

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 | By Will Cooper

One of the points often raised is how little thought many mainstream sites seem to put into their on-site search.

Search boxes exist on almost all sites, but results from even the most recognisable names can be a very basic text list – no images, no dynamism.

So when you do come across good examples of where sites have tried to do something different, they really stand out.

Take Rightmove. The property site has recently rolled out a Draw A Search tool, which, via a Google Maps mashup, lets house hunters draw the boundaries of where they’d like to search for homes.

Previously you had to enter an area based on a distance from a particular fixed point, but now you can specific exactly where you want to look. It’s easy to use and makes the house-hunting experience much better.

Rightmove is certainly not the only site to do something like this – sites have been offering search functions via Google Maps mashups ever since Google opened the API. But it shows that when a brand considers the user experience of their site, they need to think far beyond basic navigation.

Consumers want to find what they want quickly and easily, but they also want to see results displayed in a format that’s convenient.

Thinking about how to display results in a dynamic and useful manner should be top of the agenda for any site.

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