Internal search engine for a website

[deniser]

My site was custom built and is now so big that I desperately need some kind of internal search engine on it.

I believe that google has one that you can use for a fee.

Is there an alternative to this which doesn't promote google?

How do I go about adding one to my site? My web developer is so behind with my work that it will be years before he gets round to it.

Can anyone help me out in the meantime?

[Cromulent]

My site was custom built and is now so big that I desperately need some kind of internal search engine on it.

I believe that google has one that you can use for a fee.

Is there an alternative to this which doesn't promote google?

How do I go about adding one to my site? My web developer is so behind with my work that it will be years before he gets round to it.

Can anyone help me out in the meantime?

As a short term solution the Google solution is most likely the best. Certainly it won't put any extra load on your servers which is a good thing.

Longer term you could implement something fairly easily using PHP and some SQL queries. What powers the backend of your site? MySQL, PostgreSQL or something else?

[deniser]

Sorry I am not technical at all but think it is MySQL.

I need someone to actually write it for me so I can give it to my web developer to upload (if that's how it works)

[Cromulent]

Here is an easy tutorial to follow:

http://www.askdavetaylor.com/how_can_i_add_a_google_search_box_to_my_web_site.h tml

Edit :

Should probably read this as well http://www.google.com/coop/cse/

[nass]

Use Google, it's easy to add. Just get the developer to use CSS to make it not promote google as much. Ie see the search at my telephone systems (http://www.telefonix.co.uk/) site, he can copy it from there

[Steve2507]

My site was custom built and is now so big that I desperately need some kind of internal search engine on it.Sorry, but you had an ecommerce site custom built and they didn't include a search function???

If it is an ecommerce it is definitely a reason NOT to go down the custom build route.

[Steve2507]

I need someone to actually write it for me so I can give it to my web developer to uploadIf he or she is a web developer they shuuold be able to do the search system for you, if they can't then they ain't a web developer.

[dave_n]

is it's asp I have a search modiue you can have free

[cycloneuk]

www.hotscripts.com

Should be something on their that you could easily add to enable your customers to search your site.

[Pembrokeshire Directory]

Hi there if you want to do it yourself try coffeecup website search (http://www.coffeecup.com/website-search/)

[masonuk]

Please do not use a Google search engine! I find that they never work and if a website has one, I dont use it and try another website. If it puts me off, it must put off others too. Get one developed and have it compatible with your back-end database - shouldn't cost you too much from any developer.

[FireFleur]

If you have a large number of items, there may be a necessity for a search engine, but you would want to look into structuring the information and products better first.

Search is not too hard to do, but it is not trivial, and it can be the most processor intensive element of your site, so if you are going to do it, you want to do it well.

Adding a search engine search is ok, but probably not what you want if you are looking to sell your items. A google dbase listing might work better.

Search is useful to engage users, and the fact you can see what they search for can give you ideas of what to stock, so it is useful. But, it is not essential most people want to click through directories of information, it is simpler.

[KM-Tiger]

.....most people want to click through directories of information, it is simpler.

Interesting point.

Once in a site I'll usually only use search as a last resort, it means the navigation has failed. I'd much rather not use it.

No idea why, it might be a male thing like not asking directions!

[masonuk]

Interesting point.

Once in a site I'll usually only use search as a last resort, it means the navigation has failed. I'd much rather not use it.

No idea why, it might be a male thing like not asking directions!

Haha! That does seem like a valid theory.

[FireFleur]

It just human nature, but the interaction element is interesting.

A search gives you a chance to quickly interact, unfortunately most searches are not done too well nowadays.

As soon as you think interaction, then you should always return results, there should be synonyms, contact to live support etc. There needs to be some intelligence in a search, not just:

lower(description) is like '%lower($term)%'

Searching is quite awkward you need a strategy for it.

But yeah, to start with it is a look at your product directories, search is more akin to walking up to a sales assistant and asking where a product is, directories are well labelled aisles.

[Cromulent]

Please do not use a Google search engine! I find that they never work and if a website has one, I dont use it and try another website. If it puts me off, it must put off others too. Get one developed and have it compatible with your back-end database - shouldn't cost you too much from any developer.

That is ridiculous. Do you use the main Google website? If so then internal search engines using Google just use the main Google database except it is restricted to that one domain name.

[quikshop]

Please do not use a Google search engine! I find that they never work and if a website has one, I dont use it and try another website. If it puts me off, it must put off others too. Get one developed and have it compatible with your back-end database - shouldn't cost you too much from any developer.

I agree with this, if I'm looking at a website that has a Google internal search it just gives the impression of either being some sort of Google affiliate thing or the website owner was just too lazy to create their own search feature.

[DotNetWebs]

Have to say I agree too.

A Google internal search is unlikely to locate all the products in your database and often the results it does find are misleading because they are presented out of context. i.e the page returned may not be the product page itself but a page containing a reference to the product.

There is a fundamental difference between using a Google type search engine and a properly coded internal search facility.

A Search 'Engine' will only search and present PAGES that is has found containing references to the search query. The first result presented my not be the most relevant to person doing the search.

A properly coded Search 'Facility' however will directly search the DATABASE and then dynamically create a page to present the results. This approach is far more likely to find the most relevant result and present it in the correct context.

Regards

Dotty

[deniser]

If it is an ecommerce it is definitely a reason NOT to go down the custom build route.

It is an old site from 3 years ago which had 8 products when it started and now has thousands. When I started this site with 8 products never in my wildest dreams could I ever have imagined how big or successful the site would become so it never occurred to me that I might need a search box then.

Of course if I was starting with a new site now it would be a completely different matter........

[deniser]

If he or she is a web developer they shuuold be able to do the search system for you, if they can't then they ain't a web developer.

They can, they're just too busy so it isn't going to happen anytime soon unless I sack them and use someone else.

That's another problem altogether.

[deniser]

Have to say I agree too.


A properly coded Search 'Facility' however will directly search the DATABASE and then dynamically create a page to present the results. This approach is far more likely to find the most relevant result and present it in the correct context.



that's exactly what I'm after.

[deniser]

If you have a large number of items, there may be a necessity for a search engine, but you would want to look into structuring the information and products better first.

Search is not too hard to do, but it is not trivial, and it can be the most processor intensive element of your site, so if you are going to do it, you want to do it well.

Adding a search engine search is ok, but probably not what you want if you are looking to sell your items. A google dbase listing might work better.

Search is useful to engage users, and the fact you can see what they search for can give you ideas of what to stock, so it is useful. But, it is not essential most people want to click through directories of information, it is simpler.

The site is well structured but very big and very busy. The question has nothing to do with sales, we don't have a problem there.

An example of why I want a search engine is that people want to look for a particular colour or fabric or other details eg. "sage green" or "linen" or "Mediaeval" - there are too many variations to create another index.

[Esk247]

the website has grown since its first time going live..i've had that experience with a few clients...they start off with a tiddly ecommerce site that doesn't require a search tool at all and within 2 years they have over 1000 products and some are very similar...then comes the necessity for a search tool as you cannot navigate your way through 1000 different options unless you make the visitor go through a series of click-thrus which is just not useful at all.

isn't the developer going to need to install the search system anyway though? therefore if they are as busy as a bat then they still won't get round to installing it even if you give them the script.

[masonuk]

Pay a new developer to do it?

[deniser]

Pay a new developer to do it?

yes that's what I want to do. But how?

[masonuk]

Send me a PM and I can send you the details of some freelancers I know :)

[FireFleur]

You could do a basic drop down search. So, select a few categories and then just link directories of products to it. That could work in the interim.

Then you probably do some leg work first yourself:

1. Compiling a list of words to associate with each item.
2. Produce an index.

So:

mediaeval - product#1 : product#2 : product#3

The pass that to a developer who can code in whatever you have on your server.

The actual time to do this is in the compilation of the words. You can automate it a bit, by scraping.

[ken_uk]

If you have a ecommerce system that did not even consider search at the design stage, then what else is it missing?

It may be worth looking at existing ecommerce solutions to see if yours if lacking some other major features that are pretty standard.... Maybe think about swapping to a new system, and exporting the products over etc.

More work, but possibly better long term.

[deniser]

If you have a ecommerce system that did not even consider search at the design stage, then what else is it missing?

It may be worth looking at existing ecommerce solutions to see if yours if lacking some other major features that are pretty standard.... Maybe think about swapping to a new system, and exporting the products over etc.

More work, but possibly better long term.

Yes it's lacking loads of things that I want - which can all be bolted on if only someone had the time to do it. I don't want to change it because it I can't risk anything happening to it. It works very well in terms of sales.

I am in the process of setting up new sites to take over gradually but I can't radically alter the main site as I can't jeopardise the google rankings etc.