Get an Accurate Website Search Engine!
| • | Add the Project Developer search engine to your website and get accurate search results! The website search engine functionality described here can be set up and fine-tuned so that it returns the right site content-specific entries among the top search results. So, the site content-specific search results can be made very accurate. |
| • | We can customize and install the Project Developer website search engine that offers the advantages described here for most of the websites, using the site own design and template. Further, we can customize the functionality for sites that offer different products, so that the users will quickly find what they are looking for. |
| • | For the installation we charge for labor only, that is, no extra fees are charged. |
| Below is a description of this functionality's advantages, disadvantages, pricing, installation and setup, followed by a discussion on why you should add a search engine to website and why having an accurate search engine can benefit people in your company or organization, no matter what the company or organization does. |
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| Contents |
| - | Advantages |
| - | Disadvantages |
| - | Pricing |
| - | Installation |
| - | Setup |
| - | Why Do You Need It? |
Advantages that Project Developer, Inc. Search Functionality Offers
After the installation, you can set up the search functionality so that it returns the right site content-specific results among the top search results. Optionally, you can also set up the functionality so that selected results appear in the order that you have determined.
The search results that have matches appear in 5 probability categories:
| • | High probability match |
| • | Medium-high probability match |
| • | Medium-low probability match |
| • | Low probability match |
| • | Partial match |
In addition, the results are ordered so that matches to the entire search phrase are listed first, followed by the matches to all of the search words entered by the user, followed by the frequency-based matches. Further, the matches to the entire search phrase and the matches to all of the search words entered by the site user are sorted by frequency as well.
You can flexibly, on the fly, redesign, add, delete or modify parts of the underlying structure that are searched for generating the search results, without having to change how the search engine or any of its parts function. That is, you can flexibly change in what probability category results to any particular search will appear. Similarly, you can flexibly change the rankings of the selected search results within the probability categories.
Based on the search words used and the results selected, you can fine-tune the search functionality. The more the search functionality will be used by the site visitors, the more accurate you can make it. For example, if you discover that site visitors selected a page or product that appeared in the Low probability match category, you can add the search word or phrase used by the visitors to the appropriate field. By doing so you are moving the matching page or product into the High or Medium-high probability category as a match to the given word or phrase.
The search results page contains an additional feature that we named Popular search words and phrases. This is actually a site content marketing vehicle, because you determine the search words and phrases that appear on this list. We can change the caption from Popular search words and phrases to anything else you like, or, if you do not like this feature, we can eliminate it from your search functionality results page.
You can see these features in action when you use the ProjectDeveloper.com search engine that appears on every page on this site. For additional information on how this search functionality works, you can download Project Developer, Inc. search functionality development document and description as a PDF file from here. This is Version 1 development document and description; additional features were added later.
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This Functionality's Disadvantages
This search engine may return among others also less relevant entries. For example, not every entry returned that is in the High probability category, is necessarily highly relevant to the specific search. Avoidance of this issue simply was not among the objectives that were set for building of this search engine. The objective was to set the search engine up so that it returns the right site content-specific entries among the top search results, so that an optimum number of search words and phrases have to be used for setting up this functionality.
What means "site content specific" and why is this term repeated throughout this text? The following site-specific example should answer this question.
We at Project Developer, Inc. provide high quality computer application and professional IT project development and management services. Lets say that a website user happens to be interested in home improvement projects instead. If the user enters a search phrase home improvement project in the search window, the search engine will provide responses, but none of them are related to home improvement projects. Instead, they are related to this website's content, that is, they are site content specific.
Is this a disadvantage? We don't think so. After all, our objective is not to provide answers to all the questions in the world or market all the services in the world. Our objective is to market site content specific services - and in this area the search engine does a very good job.
Further, the user may need the services that we provide in the future or may know somebody who needs them. Briefly, as long as the search results contain the most relevant site content specific material among the top search results, the search engine has done its job well.
So, the search process is site content specific. If the site user uses a search word or phrase that does not have a match in any of the fields that are being searched, the search results in a "no match" notice to the user. However, this search engine searches for matches to the entire phrase first, and then for matches to individual words. So, after the functionality has been set up correctly, it is rare to find instances where search words used by the site visitor should have returned matches, but did not do so. Further, you can correct each such instance by reviewing the site visitors search word usage and page selection results.
This functionality's setup and maintenance are more labor consuming than many other search functionalities are. However, these other search functionalities also return less accurate results.
So, here's the decision you have to make: If you want for your website a search functionality that returns accurate site content-specific results, and it's acceptable that this functionality requires some maintenance, Project Developer, Inc. offers an excellent solution.
The Setup subsection provides additional information on this subject matter.
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Pricing
Project Developer, Inc. charges for labor only; no additional fees are applied. That is, we take an existing prototype, work with the customer until we have a solution that meets the customers needs and wants, install it and charge only for the work that we do for the customer. Further, for the Project Developer search engine installation we offer 50% discount of the regular hourly rates.
If needed, we can modify the search engine and its Administration Center. Without any modifications, the installation requires approximately 10 to 15 hours of work. After the installation, the customer can complete the set up of the search functionality, or you can hire us to do that work, too.
Project Developer, Inc. providing an installation price quote to a prospective customer does not obligate the customer to purchase Project Developer, Inc. website search functionality installation from Project Developer, Inc.
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Installation
Project Developer, Inc. will install for the customer either SQL Server or MySQL database and the programming code and style sheet that are related to the search functionality.
SQL Server database requires ASP 2.0 capabilities and MySQL database utilizes PHP programming language.
Further, Project Developer, Inc. will install the page where the search results appear.
In addition, Project Developer, Inc. will install the search box and the related functionality pieces on one web page. As part of the setup, the customer can copy, if needed, the search box and the related functionality pieces to other pages. Alternatively, the customer can hire Project Developer, Inc. to handle any, or all parts of the setup. Regular pricing structure applies to any such additional work.
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Setup
As is stated above, Project Developer, Inc. will install the search box and the related functionality pieces on one web page. As part of the setup, the customer can copy, if needed, the search box and the related functionality pieces to other pages. Alternatively, the customer can hire Project Developer, Inc. to handle any, or all parts of the setup. Regular pricing structure applies to any such additional work.
Image 1. (Click here for a larger version of this image.) You can administer the search functionality through your own Search Functionality Administration Center (adding this is part of the installation). In addition to adding, deleting and modifying the keywords and text that drives the search result generating mechanism, you can determine which pages can appear among the search results, which words are automatically excluded from the searches (like and, or), review the search words and phrases that the site visitors used and which pages they selected as a result, which Popular Search phrases were used, and change the phrases that appear on this list.
Image 2. (Click here for a larger version of this image.) For each page on the website (that can appear among any of the search results) 4 fields need to be filled with data:
| 1) | Primary keywords |
| 2) | Secondary keywords |
| 3) | HTML page short description that appears with the search result |
| 4) | Entire HTML page text. For text pages, including the pages that describe products, entire page text can simply be copied into this field. |
In addition, page-specific data, like page name, site section and article name have to be filled in as well.
The amount of time required for the setup varies depending on the total number of pages on the website that can appear among any of the search results.
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Why Do You Need It?
Why you should add a search engine to website and why is it so important to have website search functionality that returns accurate site content-specific results?
Website is to a large degree the primary business card that you and all your colleagues hand out to the entire world every day without having to (physically) hand it out. So, the website represents your company or organization and the products and services it offers. If the site features do not meet the users needs and do not represent the company or organization correctly, the outcome is reflected in the lower success rates that sales, customer service and other parts of the company or organization will have.
Even non-profit organizations sell something - their expertise, for example, or the benefits that they produce. Thus, the above principles apply to all the companies and organizations, small and large.
So, either directly or indirectly, poorly constructed website lowers user confidence in your company or organization and takes away some of the opportunities that people in your company or organization would otherwise have.
High quality content is the primary factor that attracts repeat site visitors. Close second is what can be described as "ease of use." Site navigation structure and searchability make a huge difference in this area.
Whether your website contains products or text pages, the users should be able to search the site. However, just having a search box available isn't going to do the users or your company much good if for most of the searches the right content isn't among the top search results or, even worse, the right content exists on the site, but cannot be found at all.
Ideally, the right content should be among the top search results - and that's how Project Developer, Inc. search engine works.
Contact/Submit an inquiry
As is stated above, Project Developer, Inc. providing an installation price quote to a prospective customer does not obligate the customer to purchase Project Developer, Inc. website search functionality installation from Project Developer, Inc.
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