Here's something that might surprise you: over 25% of people actively use search bars on websites. Yet most marketers completely ignore this goldmine of data sitting right under their noses.
Many marketers fall into this trap. Outside of Amazon and YouTube, most people rarely use site search bars. They navigate through menus, click around, and hope for the best. But just because you don't use internal search doesn't mean it's not valuable. That's marketing 101: your behavior isn't everyone's behavior.
While marketers obsess over every scrap of data from Google (which gives us less and less each year), they're overlooking what's happening on their own sites. Companies are sitting on a treasure trove of user intent data, and most don't even know it exists.
As Google continues to lock down data and AI takes over search results, smart marketers need new sources of customer insights. Internal search isn't just a nice-to-have feature anymore—it's becoming essential competitive intelligence.
Not every business needs robust internal search, but you need to understand your business model to make this call.
You definitely need it if you're:
You can probably skip it if you're:
The key question is: where are you trying to attract customers, and how complex is your offering? As search strategist Justin Loera puts it, internal search and SEO are "almost synonymous with each other." Both are about helping people find what they need, whether that's on Google or your own site.
Here's the thing most people miss: customers don't always start their journey on Google. Sometimes they come directly to your site and need to search from there. You have to meet customers where they are, not where you think they should be.
Google gives you crumbs. Your internal search gives you the whole meal.
With Google Search Console, you get limited glimpses of what people searched for before they found you. With internal search, you get the complete story:
The metrics that matter most:
Here's where it gets interesting. If you see people clicking on the fifth result or going to page two of your search results, that's telling you something important. As we know from SEO, page two is where you "bury the bodies"—nobody should have to dig that deep to find what they need.
This data tells you if you're optimized correctly for your customer journey. Are you ranking the right content for the right searches? Do you need better content? Or do you just need to boost the right content to the top?
Your search data will scream at you if you know what to listen for.
Red flags include:
Here's a reality check: just because you think customers search one way doesn't mean they actually do. We need to think like customers, not like the people who built the product.
The average customer uses just 2 to 2.5 keywords when searching. That's often not enough context to deliver good results. This is where you can influence behavior by educating users on how to search better.
Take Airbnb's approach—they don't just give you an empty search box. They show you what's possible: "I want to go to this city for this many days, and then end up here." Suddenly users realize they can provide much more context, leading to better results for everyone.
Most sites treat search as a fail-safe. When navigation fails, there's always the search bar. But what if search could be the preferred way to find things?
Think about how hard it is to navigate most websites. The way companies organize their content makes sense to them, but it's not intuitive to customers—especially new customers who don't know your products yet.
As Loera notes, "The taxonomy and ontologies of a website aren't intuitive to customers unless they know your product, they've been lifelong customers." You want to capture new customers too, and you don't want them stuck in a loop trying to figure out where to go.
Sometimes search is faster and easier than navigation. Sometimes navigation works better. The key is making both options seamless and letting users choose their preferred path.
Here's the hard truth: "better user experience" isn't enough to get budget approval. Not in this market. Executives want numbers.
Here's how to build your business case:
Start with your traffic: How much of your traffic comes directly to your site? Let's say 30% is direct traffic.
Estimate search usage: Of that direct traffic, maybe half will use search if it's available and working well.
Calculate the impact: What's your average cost to close a sale? What's your revenue per conversion? If internal search helps people find what they need faster, they'll convert at higher rates and close faster.
Factor in cost savings: Every question answered through search is a support call you don't have to handle. Every product detail found through search is time your sales team doesn't spend on basic education.
Let's say implementing search costs $10,000 per year. You need to show you'll make multiples of that back through increased conversions, faster sales cycles, and reduced support costs.
Those are the two questions every executive will ask: What will it cost? What's my return? Have solid answers for both.
The good news? You don't need to build a Google-level search engine to get value.
Basic level: If you're running WordPress or a simple site, plugins can get you started. Easy to implement, basic reporting, good enough to test the concept.
Mid-level: For hosted sites serving decent traffic, tools like Google Vertex AI offer more power with relatively easy implementation. You get Google's search technology without building it yourself.
Enterprise level: Large operations need sophisticated platforms like Algolia, Swiftype, or custom solutions. These require dedicated teams but offer advanced features like AI-powered results, detailed analytics, and complex optimization tools.
The key decision is platform choice. As Loera points out, "That's likely going to be your North Star" for years to come. The technology changes quickly, but switching search platforms isn't something you want to do every six months.
One warning: don't overcomplicate this. If you're analyzing URL parameters to figure out what people searched for, you're doing it wrong. Good search platforms give you all this data in clean, actionable reports.
Here's where internal search gets really powerful: the data helps multiple teams, not just marketing.
Content teams get real-time feedback on content gaps. If people search for "red apples" and get no results, you need content about red apples. If they search but don't click through, your existing content isn't optimized for how people actually search.
Sales teams learn what prospects really want to know. Those search queries reveal the questions prospects have before they're ready to talk to sales. Use this intelligence to prepare better, anticipate needs, and shorten sales cycles.
Marketing teams get validation of messaging and positioning. Are people searching for the terms you're trying to rank for? Are they using language you hadn't considered? This data can inform everything from PPC campaigns to content strategy.
The problem? Most companies have these teams working in silos. As Loera observes, "They don't even know who they are in some cases." Your PPC, SEO, and site search teams should be sharing data and insights regularly.
As AI reshapes search everywhere, internal search becomes even more important.
Whether users interact with a traditional search bar or an AI chatbot, they're still searching. The data is equally valuable. In fact, you should look at both as search traffic that needs optimization.
The rise of generative AI means you should be optimizing your content for AI responses on your own domain, just like you optimize for Google's AI overviews. The same content that works well in internal search will often work well when AI systems reference it.
As traditional data sources become more opaque, owned data becomes critical. Your internal search data is yours—no algorithm changes can take it away.
Ready to dive in? Here's your action plan:
Quick win: Check if you already have search data sitting unused. Many sites have basic search functionality but nobody's looking at the analytics.
First steps: Implement tracking and start analyzing patterns. Look for your most common searches, highest-volume terms, and biggest content gaps.
Low-hanging fruit: Identify searches that return zero results. These are immediate content opportunities or optimization wins.
Content opportunities: What are users searching for that you don't cover? What terms do they use that you hadn't considered?
Don't try to boil the ocean. Start simple, prove value, then expand.
Internal search creates a virtuous cycle. Better on-site search improves user experience, which generates better data, which helps you optimize both your site and your broader marketing efforts.
As Google gives us less data and AI makes traditional search more opaque, internal search becomes more valuable, not less. You're sitting on customer intent data that your competitors probably aren't using.
The bottom line? Users who search convert at higher rates. They're actively looking for something, they're engaged, and they're telling you exactly what they want. Don't leave that value on the table.
Start tracking what your visitors are really looking for. The insights might surprise you.
"You could have the best search engine in the world, but if your content isn't good, it doesn't matter. And it's an inverse relationship too. You could have great content, poor search, and still have the same problem." - Justin Loera
Justin Loera is a search strategist and owner of Justin Loera Consulting. Justin has spent over a decade building both external and internal search programs for enterprise tech companies. He’s a rare expert who understands how to drive qualified traffic and how to help users find what they need once they’re on-site.
