Search Tuning:

Just like caring for your

teeth.
Oracle Open World 2012

Presenter: Jim Richmond, jrichmond@realdecoy.com, 1.617.880.8002x5101

Date: October 3, 2012

RealDecoy by the numbers

753
Websites Launched
296
Customers Served
151
Endeca projects completed

142
Fulltime Professionals
100%
Of business is digital
89
Accredited Endeca Consultants

7
Number of Offices
Canada: Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver
2.2
Million dollars
raised for charity
1
Goal To build a long lasting
relationship with each of our
Jamaica: Kingston (www.realauction.ca) customers.
USA: Boston, Atlanta
 Search Tuning: Project Activities
Provided are expected project activities through the search tuning process
Client Search Tuning Search
Education Validation
Preparation Workshop Configuration

Project
Participants Activities Deliverables
Activities
Identify key search terms (e.g. high volume,
Search Terms for Search Tuning
Client BA low conversion, identified issues)
Preparation Client TL Setup test environment for conducting
evaluation
Test Environment setup
relevancy ranking strategy variations

Client BA & TL
Education Endeca TC
Education on Endeca Search Tuning

Complete search tuning scorecard

Consolidate score card results
Evaluate search tuning scorecards
Client BA Completed Search Tuning
Workshop Endeca PM Conduct variations in relevancy ranking Scorecards
strategies to identify requirements
Conduct additional 1 2 iterations of selected
terms for additional search tuning

Workshop Client BA
(Finalize Search Finalize search tuning requirements Search Tuning Requirements
Endeca TC
Strategy)

Implement search tuning requirements

Client TL
Configuration Endeca TC
Conduct testing and evaluation of search tuning Completed Search Tuning Package
results

Reevaluate scorecards based on newly Revaluated Search Term Score

Validation Client BA
implemented search tuning configuration Card
 Search Tuning: Workshop
Search tuning involves an iterative approach to identify search configuration requirements
Client Search Tuning Search
Education Validation
Preparation Workshop Configuration

Identify 200 search term(s) based on a specific criteria (e.g. top search terms,
low conversion, etc)
Search Term Identification Categorize search terms and ensure good distribution of term(s) to be
evaluated
(Client)
Optionally identify personas and expected results from search term(s)

Conduct searches based on current search interface and review results

Score results one to five and provide comments on expected results or issues
Evaluate Search Term with results
Consolidate search results for identification of terms to be evaluated further
ITERATE

Identify terms to be evaluated for search tuning (e.g. score <= 2)

Review Results Identify potential solutions for improving search results

Conduct detailed analysis of identified potential solutions (e.g. rel rank

Generate Requirements /
Interim Configuration
evaluator)
Document search configuration requirements based on search strategies
evaluated
Implement an interim version of the endeca search configuration components
 Demonstration

9
 Questions?

10
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