What is Enterprise Search?
Enterprise Search (ES) is typically defined as the practice of creating content from multiple enterprise sources, such as databases, intranet sites, and/or directories that is searchable to defined audiences. Enterprise Search differs from traditional web search by indexing data or documents from sources such as file systems, emails, or document management systems. ES has the ability to use access controls to limit the content that is available to user types.
How can my business use Enterprise Search?
Businesses of all industries and sizes can leverage Enterprise Search to increase productivity, reach new customers, and improve customer services. Enterprise Search can help your sales team effectively and efficiently find product information (Product updates, features, and benefits, for example) to help them in their sales process. It also helps prospective customers quickly identify information related to products or services on your website. According to Google, customers that deploy an Enterprise Search solution report an increase of conversion rates by 25%. Enterprise Search solutions offer improved customer services and cut costs by providing relevant information to customers faster.
What Enterprise Search Solutions are available for my Business?
- Google Search Appliance: Search Box with similar algorithm as Google for intranet, employee directories, internal databases, etc.
- Google Site Search: Integrated into your company website to find product and service related information
- Google Commerce Search: Integrated into your e-commerce website for a better shopping experience
- Open Source Solutions: Constellio, Apache Solr, etc.
- Other ES Solutions: Vivisimo, Attivio, SharePoint, IBM, etc.
How can my business apply SEO insights to Enterprise Search?
Enterprise Search can incorporate SEO/SEM insights to provide query suggestions, related queries, dynamic navigation and synonyms for a better user experience for customers, and create internal operating efficiencies. Your business can also leverage meta data that aligns to web related searches and business information. Enterprise Search provides an opportunity to use the insights that are generating leads and sales to save your company time, money, and develop internal efficiencies.
Tip for Considering an Enterprise Search Solution
- Be sure to choose the correct Enterprise Search solution base on your business goals and objectives.
- Consider the impact of Enterprise Search on your intended audience.
- Target your Enterprise Search on your intended audience.
- Target your Enterprise Search solution and configuration according to your audience.
- Test configurations, query features, and designs to maximize its benefits.
- Measure the impact on revenue, internal efficiencies, and sales.
Conclusion
The power of search goes beyond search engine optimization and pay per click advertising. In general, we associate “search” with the customer finding us within the search results. As marketing professionals and business owners, we need to consider what happens when a prospective customer lands on business website. We work to create strategies to increase brand awareness and reduce our cost per lead, but we still need to identify opportunities to increase productivity, reach new customers, and improve customer service. Enterprise Search provides us with the ability to leverage our findings from SEO or SEM to take advantage of these opportunities to better serve customers, create efficiency, and increase sales.
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