The video is in the works. Until then, the guide will get you there.
Step-by-step guide
Where to find the Search report
In the side menu, click "Behavior".
A submenu opens. Choose "Search" there.
The Search report opens.
The four metrics at the top
Four numbers sit at the very top. In two seconds they give you a feel for how your visitors use the search and whether they find anything.
| Metric | What it means |
|---|---|
| Searches | How often a search was run in total in the selected period. |
| Share of visits with a search | How many of your visits included a search. A high value means your visitors actively reach for the search instead of clicking through the navigation. |
| Ø Results per search | How many results a search returned on average. A low value is a warning sign: your visitors often find nothing suitable. |
| Most common term | The search term typed in most often, along with the count. |
A high share of visits with a search is not automatically a good thing, by the way. Sometimes it means your navigation is so confusing that people would rather search right away. In that case, look at what gets searched for most. Is that not sitting prominently in the menu? Then you have your answer.
Most searched terms
Below that you see the five most common search terms as bars. That way you spot immediately what occupies your visitors the most. That is your to-do list: offer more content on those topics or make existing content easier to find.
Search terms
The table holds every search term with three columns:
- Term: what was typed in
- Searches: how often it was searched for
- Ø Results: how many results the term returned on average/li>
If you also record search categories, a second tab called "Categories" appears. Without categories, it stays hidden.
Terms with no results
In the top right you find a "No results" icon. One click and you see the list of every search term where your visitors found nothing.
That is the most valuable look in the whole report. If a term turns up here regularly, your visitors are searching for something your website simply does not have. The perfect blueprint for a new article, a new product, or a new page. You do not have to guess what your customers want. You see it in black and white.
Detail view: clicking a term
Click a term in the table, and the detail panel opens on the right with everything you need to know about that one word.
- Key figures: how often it was searched for, how many results there were, and the share with no results, meaning how often the search ran into nothing.
- Trend: how the searches developed over time. That way you see whether a term is picking up speed.
- Most visited follow-up pages: which pages your visitors looked at after the search. That tells you whether the search led people to the right content or whether they keep clicking around clueless afterward.
- Devices: which device the search happened on, desktop, phone, or tablet.
Aha moments you will recognize
This is what keeps turning up in the Search report:
- A term with plenty of searches but 0 results. People want something you do not have yet. The most direct product or content tip you will ever get.
- A term that gets searched more every month. Growing interest, live in front of you. React early here, and you are there before the competition.
- After searching, people always land on the same page. Then that content should really be placed more prominently. Why hide what everybody is looking for?
- Your product name gets searched with a misspelling. Add that spelling to your search as a synonym. Otherwise, the very people ready to buy run into nothing.
What is in it for me?
In short: you listen in on your visitors thinking.
- Terms with no results: write the missing content. You close the gap people are actively searching for.
- Common terms: pull that content forward, into the navigation or onto the home page.
- Watch the trend: a term on the rise shows growing interest. React early, not when everybody else does.
- Check the follow-up pages: do people land in the right place after searching? If not, rework the content or your search results.
Common questions
When do I see my data?
Your search data is processed overnight. So you usually see the report the morning after the searches.
Why do terms with no results show up at all?
Because those are the most valuable ones for you. A term with no results is not an error in the report, it is a pointer to a real gap.
Are bot searches counted?
No. Search engine crawlers and the like get filtered out automatically. You only see real visitors.
I do not see the "Categories" tab.
It only appears when you pass along search categories during setup. Without categories, it stays hidden.