Does your retail website have a search engine? Then you’re sitting on a treasure trove of data—one that can help you increase your eCommerce commerce conversion rate to gain new customers, increase satisfaction among current customers and even identify new business opportunities. The insight is just waiting to be discovered in what we call “the long tail” of your search query data and all you need to do to harness this treasure trove is a bit of search query analysis.
The Long Tail
If you plot every search query on a graph in order of popularity, starting with the most-searched on the left, you’ll have a picture that looks something like this.
On the left, a few really popular queries most likely relate to your top-selling items. We call this “the head.” Then there’s a sharp drop off before the next section, “the body,” where maybe twice as many queries appear half to a third as many times. And then you’ll have everything else: the tail.
很容易将这些尾巴查询视为毫无意义的垃圾，并集中精力确保您的搜索为更受欢迎的查询提供一流的结果。那是最大的回报，对吗？
Not necessarily. Taken on a case-by-case basis, tail queries might not seem important. But in aggregate, they could add up to almost half your total queries.更重要的是，他们可能会为您提供有关遗漏的销售的重要见解 - 这就是金矿。
Specific Queries
我们通常在尾巴中发现的一类东西是漫长而特定的查询。例如，出售计算机的网站可能对“笔记本电脑”有很多疑问，而“联想ThinkPad X1 Carbon”相对较少。这些长期查询的发生频率较低，但它们也显示出更高的购买意图，并且以更高的速度转换。当人们寻找联想ThinkPad X1碳时，他们可能已经进行了一些研究，并且已经决定要购买什么，或者非常接近它。
您的搜索引擎是否将这些客户带到他们想去的地方？许多搜索引擎没有。To capture these sales, regularly monitor your tail query data to learn what terms people are using, and teach your search engine to return the right results.
“库存增强”机会
另一个观点你会得到从你的尾巴查询is visibility into items that people would like to buy from you, but that you don’t sell. Your site’s search box is oftentimes the first place you’ll see shoppers asking for new products.您的尾部查询可以告诉您，消费者比临床焦点小组更快地购买几个月。
For example, a tire retailer may have tail queries for windshield wipers, headlight replacement bulbs, mud flaps and other auto parts. These queries represent opportunities for growth. They tell you that your brand is strong enough that people are looking to you for more. If there are sufficient queries for specific items, you may consider enhancing your inventory or establishing partnerships to meet those expectations.
拼写和缩写
拼写错误，替代拼写和缩写也构成了许多尾巴查询。幸运的是，我们都在小学中幸存下来，不必再参加拼写测试了！因此，不要惩罚这些“错误”。您希望您的网站了解简单的错别字，缩写和拼写变化。例如，如果英国人搜索“灰色” T恤，而不是您的美国电子商务网站上列出的“灰色” T恤，您的搜索引擎会直接传递到正确的页面？当人们输入“花椰菜”时，他们还会得到蔬菜吗？
Don’t ignore these kinds of queries. Capture the conversions they represent by training your search engine toconnect common misspellings, alternate spellings and abbreviations to products on your site。总体而言，潜在的销售量可能会增加一些相当大的数字。
Usability Issues
Tail queries can also highlight ways that your website confuses people. Recently, an analysis I did for a client contained a bunch of seemingly random numbers in its tail queries. They were all five numerals long. A quick look at the client’s homepage revealed that the search box was right next to another feature that helps customers find the nearest store. As it turns out, people were mistakenly entering their zip codes in the search box. Those numbers added up to a full five percent of the site’s total queries! Luckily, it was an easy fix.这样的小事情会使客户感到沮丧，以将其发送到竞争对手的页面。您的尾部查询会引起人们的关注。
What’s Your Tail Telling You?
The great thing about your tail queries and your search query data in general is that it can tell you a lot about how people are using your website, and how well you’re serving them. And don’t forget, you’re getting all these data points for free, in real-time, from the people who are already using your site. They’re providing more accurate, timely and cost-effective data than any survey or focus group can produce.
问题在于，尾巴是如此的大且截然不同，很难知道从哪里开始，并且很难缠绕您的头。
搜索改进解决方案可以帮助您。它可以通过所有尾部查询并对它们进行分类，从而让您了解客户使用搜索引擎时发生的情况。一个良好的搜索解决方案将评估您的搜索表现如何，帮助您了解尾部查询数据，并提供有关如何解决阻止您出售更多问题的指导。该解决方案应以相应的电子商务转换率增加。
What’s your tail telling you? You’ll never know until you look. The bottom line is this:If you’re not actively monitoring your tail query data, you’re ignoring valuable information and letting easy sales walk out the door.
接触us hereto learn more about how Appen can help improve your conversion rates based on your tail query data and other important insights.
