Features/Search Analytics

Search Analytics

Understand what your visitors are searching for and discover content opportunities.

Overview

FlowSearch automatically tracks search behavior on your site. The Search Insights dashboard gives you actionable data to improve your content strategy and user experience.

Total Searches

Searches per day/week/month

Click-Through Rate

% of searches resulting in clicks

Popular Queries

Most searched terms

Content Gaps

Zero-result searches

Accessing Analytics

To view your search analytics:

  1. Log in to your FlowSearch dashboard
  2. Select your website
  3. Click the "Analytics" tab

Key Metrics Explained

Search Volume

Track how many searches happen on your site over time. Spikes in search volume can indicate:

  • Increased traffic
  • Content that's hard to find via navigation
  • Successful marketing campaigns driving curiosity

Click-Through Rate (CTR)

The percentage of searches where users clicked on a result. A low CTR may indicate:

  • Search results aren't relevant to queries
  • Result titles/descriptions need improvement
  • Content is missing for popular topics

Zero-Result Rate

The percentage of searches that returned no results. This is your content gap goldmine:

  • Every zero-result query is a potential content opportunity
  • High-volume zero-result queries should be prioritized
  • Consider adding synonyms or redirects for common variations

Average Response Time

How fast search results are returned. FlowSearch targets sub-50ms response times. If you see higher times, it may indicate:

  • Very large result sets
  • Complex search queries
  • Network latency issues

Popular Queries Report

This report shows your most-searched terms. Use it to:

  • Optimize navigation — If people search for "pricing" often, make it more visible
  • Improve SEO — Popular queries reveal what your audience cares about
  • Create content — Write articles about frequently searched topics

Content Gaps Report

Searches that returned zero results. This is actionable intelligence:

Example: Turning gaps into content

If users frequently search for "API integration" but get no results, you should:

  1. Create an API integration guide
  2. Add "API" and "integration" to relevant existing pages
  3. Consider adding synonyms to your search configuration

Time-Based Analysis

View analytics for different time periods:

  • Last 7 days — Recent trends and immediate issues
  • Last 30 days — Monthly patterns and content performance
  • Last 90 days — Seasonal trends and long-term insights

Tracking Custom Events

Send search events to your own analytics (Google Analytics, Mixpanel, etc.):

const flowSearch = new FlowSearch({
  apiUrl: 'https://api.flowsearch.io',
  apiKey: 'YOUR_API_KEY',
  
  callbacks: {
    // Track searches in Google Analytics
    onSearchComplete: (results, state) => {
      gtag('event', 'search', {
        search_term: state.query,
        results_count: results.nbHits
      });
    },
    
    // Track result clicks
    onResultClick: (result, event) => {
      gtag('event', 'select_content', {
        content_type: 'search_result',
        item_id: result.url,
        search_term: result.query
      });
    },
    
    // Track zero-result searches
    onSearchComplete: (results, state) => {
      if (results.nbHits === 0) {
        gtag('event', 'view_search_results', {
          search_term: state.query,
          success: false
        });
      }
    }
  }
});

Exporting Data

Pro and Business plans can export analytics data as CSV for further analysis in spreadsheets or BI tools.

Best Practices

Weekly Review

Set a weekly reminder to review your search analytics:

  1. Check content gaps for new opportunities
  2. Review CTR for potential improvements
  3. Look for trending queries that need content

Act on Insights

Analytics are only valuable if you act on them:

  • Create content for top zero-result queries
  • Improve result quality for low-CTR terms
  • Add navigation shortcuts for popular searches

Next Steps