Here at Venture Stream, we’ve come to appreciate the benefits of outsourced search services like Klevu and Searchanise in our Magento stores for some time now.
![](https://venturestream.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/search-article-1-1.jpg)
Rich search result experience using Searchanise.
The driving reason behind this is that Search features are often the most server-intensive tasks that a shop will have to perform. In a matter of milliseconds the shop has to analyse thousands of rows of data looking for a match, on top of keeping the rest of the shop up and running. This can quickly add up to a slow and unfriendly search experience, and unnecessary slowdowns for other visitors.
To avoid this, we can use third-party search services that outsource this intensive task for us. These services use dedicated lightning-fast cloud servers specifically designed for performing one job – returning relevant search results in the quickest time. A monthly fee is charged, the service indexes your product data, and an extension sits on top of your shop to talk between the two when a customer starts typing in the search box.
Fast
The primary benefit is in speed. With relevant product results appearing instantly below the search bar, visitors can arrive on a product page ready to buy after typing just two or three letters – compared to the usual process of being sent to a results page, followed by a decision, before finally moving on to a product page.
Scalable
On top of this, cutting out the server power required for searches means other visitors will experience a faster browsing experience, and infrastructure can be upscaled at a more sustainable rate.
Rich
The visitor also receives a much richer search experience than before, with features like preview images, prices, related searches, spelling corrections and category links allowing them to drill down to what they want in a way that a traditional search might take a few page-loads to reach.
This all translates to improved conversion and customer loyalty. Outsourced search is an essential addition to a modern small to medium e-commerce operation.
Venture Stream recommends Klevu or Searchanise for outsourced third-party e-commerce search. Contact us to find out more about how we can help build your ecommerce business.