A large number of companies suffered in communicating accurate and up-to-date information to consumers. Particularly during the pandemic, digital services were vital to connecting consumers with brands on the web. Recent online research conducted by YouGov on behalf of artificial intelligence search company Yext found that 58% of UK adults use on-site search at least weekly, with 88% of respondents who use such search agreeing that it is an important tool for providing them with accurate and up-to-date information.
However, despite the importance of site search to consumers, Yext’s research found that more than half (56%) of UK adults who use this tool believe that site search provides them with unrelated online search results.
For many consumers, site search does not meet its goal of providing answers, with the research showing that 46% of users believe it does not understand their questions. Another 35% believe that site search provides them with outdated or inaccurate information.
With this level of competence and accuracy, it’s no wonder that 38% of UK users are frustrated when using site search at least once a week.
Jon Buss of Yext, said, “The pandemic demonstrated that now more than ever, the availability of up-to-date and accurate information online is vital not only for the public to feel confident, but to be able to interact with new and existing customers, no matter where they are in their customer journey. However, site search has been taken for granted for far too long. Businesses need to realize the damage that outdated search tools are doing to their brand and bring it into the 21st century.”
Forty percent of UK users say that organizations are not doing enough to improve their site search. For businesses, this has detrimental effects on customer loyalty and ultimately sales, with 64% of respondents who use site search saying they are more likely to buy from a company that provides direct answers to their questions through such search. Fifty-two percent also agreed that they would also be more likely to trust a company if they provided direct answers.
Out-of-date site search is not just about customers, it’s about businesses failing. When customers can’t get the information they need online, they simply go elsewhere.
Sixty percent of UK adults who use site search features would be more likely to go directly to a customer’s website if they provided direct answers, and 28% say they often bought a product or service from a different company than the one they intended because they couldn’t find the information they were looking for online.