Allowing your users to navigate around your website in a logical and clear manner is hugely important. Obviously there is a need to provide relevant links throughout the site, but another important feature is the ability to perform a keyword search.
Many websites offer a search function, but not all search functions perform and return relevant results. In many cases, developers create search scripts within their databases which are less than reliable in returning valid key word matches (they cannot easily search static html from web pages).
At e-volve, we decided to invest in a Google Mini. Since you have most likely never heard of one of these, let me explain... A Google Mini is a piece of hardware that we host next to our web servers. It is used to display results on your website about your website.
How it works
The Google Mini has some complex search algorithms (Google owned) which we can use to scan any website. We can then output on any particular website a set of results which are identical in composition to those displayed on google.co.uk. Displaying results in the same manner as Google provides huge confidence to both us, and more importantly the customer. The hardware also means that we do not have to spend hour after hour writing our own bespoke search scripts and continually updating them when websites or databases are changed.
Additional to this, we can configure a search results page on a website so that its design is the same as the surrounding website, thus keeping the customer on the website.
As well as public web applications, the Google Mini can search internal intranet systems, and therefore provide your staff with quick access to thousands of documents.
If you are interested in this service, or would like some additional information or explanation, then please give us a ring on 01670 501 599.