In today’s digital landscape, consumers are increasingly turning to search engines to find information, products, and services. Precisely, 43% of shoppers, once they land on a website, go directly to the search bar.

If your ecommerce search engine satisfies the user’s request, most likely, he will purchase the product from you. The statistics are promising - site searchers are 2-3x more likely to convert compared to shoppers that do not use the search.

One way to improve your ecommerce search engine accuracy is to exploit semantic search.

What is it, how does it work, and why does it matter for your business’s success?

What is semantic search, and how does it work?

Semantic search, different from lexical search, considers the underlying meaning behind a search query. Lexical search, on the other hand, looks for literal matches of the query words or variants of them, without understanding the overall meaning of the query.

This technology uses natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning to understand the meaning and context of search queries, providing more accurate and relevant results.

In ecommerce, semantic search plays a critical role in providing user-relevant product suggestions. For instance, if a user searches for “waterproof hiking shoes”, your search engine should offer products that perfectly match the search query.

However, users might also search for “robust footwear” or “military boots.” In this case, your search engine might not find those shoes (even though they are very similar).

Here, the semantic search comes in handy. It understands the similarity between these terms and takes them as synonyms for the same group of products.

Why is semantic search crucial for business success?

Semantic search is critical for business success because it helps improve the accuracy and relevancy of search results. Eventually, this can help you drastically increase sales and ensure long-term business growth.

Here are some key reasons why semantic search matters for your business success:

1. An improved user experience.

By providing more accurate and relevant search results, semantic search can improve the user experience on your website. This means, your users will find the products more quickly, and the recommendations will be more relevant.

It can lead to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty, as well as better engagement and conversions.

2. Increased targeted traffic.

Semantic search can also help you drive more targeted traffic to your website. On-site semantic search efficiency is highly related to better SEO results.

Implementing semantic search can help improve the overall organization and structure of your website, making it easier for search engines to crawl and index your site.

It can lead to increased conversions and sales and a higher return on investment for your marketing efforts.

3. Faster website improvements.

Semantic search does many tasks for you without you even noticing it. You do not need to manually add lists of all possible synonyms or typos or identify related products.

The AI-driven site search that supports semantic search (like LupaSearch) will do that for you. This allows you to focus on your business growth while the search makes fast website improvements.

Semantic search can help your business provide a better user experience, drive more targeted traffic, and improve your website. All these factors can ultimately lead to increased business success and revenue.

If you do not use a semantic search on your website, it is time to start. Contact LupaSearch product consultants, receive a demo, and start noticing promising results for your ecommerce business.