Zero searches and search analytics

Shoporama logs all searches in your online store, so you can see what customers are looking for—and whether they find it. The overview of zero-result searches—searches that didn’t return any results—is particularly useful. This helps you identify gaps in your product range or missing keywords on your products.

The Dashboard

Your dashboard displays a map showing “Empty Searches,” which indicates the number of searches with no results over the past 30 days. Click on the map to go directly to the detailed search analysis.

Search Analysis

You can access the search analysis by clicking the “Empty Searches” map on the dashboard. The page is called “Searches” and doesn’t have its own menu item, so this is the way to get there. Here you can see:

• Search — What customers have searched for
• Results — How many results the search returned
• Number of Searches — How many times the same search term was used
• Latest Search — When the search term was last used

Filtering

You can filter search results in several ways:

• Period — Select All or the last 7, 14, 30, 90, 180, or 360 days
• Show only zero-results searches — Show only searches that returned no results
• Sorting — Sort by time, search, number of results, or number of searches

View the entire search log, not just the zero-results searches

Zero-result searches are only half the story. The other half consists of the terms customers search for most often, and you’ll find them in the same place. Uncheck the “Show only zero-result searches” box, and the list will display all searches for the selected time period.

If you access the page via the dashboard map, the filter is set to zero-result searches from the last 30 days, and the list is already sorted with the most searched terms at the top. If you want to see the top list for the entire lifetime of the store, you must both uncheck the box and select “All” in the date range selector. If you’re sorting the list yourself, click the “Number of Searches” column header until the arrow next to the header points down. This will place the most frequently used words at the top.

Here’s how to read a row in the list:

• Identical search terms are grouped into a single row, regardless of whether the customer used uppercase or lowercase letters. “Dress” and “dress” are therefore the same row.
• "Number of searches " counts how many times the word was searched for during the period, not how many customers searched for it.
• "Results" shows the highest number of results the word generated during the period. If you added the search term to a product along the way, you’ll see the number after the update.
• The list displays 25 rows at a time. Use the page numbers at the bottom of the page to scroll through the results.
• Click “View” on the far right to open the search on your store in a new tab, exactly as the customer sees it.

The number in “Results” covers everything the search finds—that is, products, categories, landing pages, blog posts, and static pages if you’ve enabled “Search in static pages.” A log entry is created when the customer lands on the search results page, so the suggestions the theme displays while the customer is typing aren’t included.

What the most searched terms tell you

Customers who use the search bar usually know exactly what they’re looking for. That’s why the top list is one of the most honest sources you have for what your product range and navigation should focus on:

• Give the top terms more prominence. If a term consistently ranks at the top, it belongs in the menu, on the homepage, or as its own category. Customers shouldn’t have to search for it.
• Use customers’ words, not the supplier’s. If people search for “rain jacket” while your products are called “shell jacket,” include both terms in the product title or search bar.
• Look for searches with high volume but few results. That’s demand you’re barely meeting—and often the fastest route to additional sales.
• A lot of results isn’t always a good thing. A search term that yields 400 hits doesn’t necessarily help the customer find what they’re looking for. Click “Show” and see if the right products appear at the top.
• Reuse these terms outside the store. The most searched terms are good candidates for category names, page titles, newsletters, and ad copy.

The top list goes back further than zero-result searches because searches that returned at least one result remain in the list. If you select the “All” time period, you’ll see them all.

Optimize Based on Search Data

Zero-result searches show you exactly what customers are looking for but can’t find. Use this data to:

• Add keywords to products — If customers search for a word you haven’t used in the product description, you can add it
• Add keywords to categories — Make categories discoverable through alternative keywords
• Identify missing products — If many customers are searching for a product you don’t carry, it may be worth adding it to your product lineup

You can add zero-search terms directly to products, categories, or pages from the search analysis.

How to handle a search with no results

An empty search means a customer who wanted to buy something but left empty-handed. Here’s the order that makes the most sense to follow when you have the list in front of you.

1. Try the search yourself

Click “View” next to the search term. The search will open in a new tab on your store, so you’ll see exactly what the customer saw. Sometimes the problem has already been resolved—for example, because the item is back in stock or because the product description has since been corrected.

2. Determine what kind of “zero-result” search it is

• You have the item, but it’s listed under a different name in your store. The customer is searching for a common word, a brand, a color, or an old product name. Add the word as a search term; see step 3.
• You have the item, but it can’t be found. Check that the product is online and that the “Ignore in webshop search” checkbox isn’t selected for the product. If the customer is searching for a product number, “Search by name, SKU number, and GTIN” must be enabled under “Search” in the store’s settings.
• Spelling errors or inflections. By default, the search also tries to match similar words. If you’ve enabled “Exact Searches” in the store’s settings, it won’t do that, and spelling errors will result in zero search results.
• You don’t carry it at all. Consider whether the item is worth stocking. If the answer is no, you can still direct the customer to a relevant place by assigning the search term to a related category or landing page.
• Nonsense, tests, or bots. Single letters, random characters, and strange repeated queries aren’t real customers. Just filter those out.

3. Add the keyword in the right place

1. Check the box next to the keyword(s) you want to work with. Checking the box in the column header selects all rows on the page you’re currently viewing.
2. Select the recipients from the three lists below the table: products in the first, categories in the second, and static pages in the third. Hold down Ctrl (Cmd on Mac) to select multiple items.
3. Click “Add keywords to selected.”

The words will appear in the “Optional Words for Internal Search on the Store” field, which you’ll find on the product page under “Internal Search.” Categories and static pages have a corresponding field. You can always edit or remove the words there. Note that only products that are online can be selected from the list, and it may take a moment for the change to take effect in the store’s search.

Be selective with your search terms. If you add “shoes” to all 400 items, the search will no longer help the customer, because it will return every result. Add the term only to the few products the customer is actually looking for. You can read more about the search function itself in “Optimize the Search Function ” and “The Search Function in Shoporama.”

4. Make a decision, then remove the keyword from the list

Once you’ve reviewed a keyword, you can remove it from the list. That way, the zero-results searches become a to-do list instead of a pile you’ll never get around to reviewing anyway. See the section on manual cleanup below.

Automatic cleanup

Empty searches are automatically removed after 90 days, so the list is always up to date. You can also manually delete specific search terms or remove all zero-results searches at once.

Clean up the list manually

At the bottom of the page, below the three lists, there are two buttons for cleaning up:

• "Remove Selected Zero-Result Searches " deletes only the search terms you’ve checked. This is the one you’ll use on a daily basis once you’ve decided on a handful of terms.
• "Remove all zero-searches " clears the entire store’s list of searches with no results all at once. This is useful when you want to start over, for example, after a major cleanup of your product range.

Three things to know before you click:

• Both buttons only affect searches with no results. Search terms that returned at least one result will remain, even if you’ve checked them off. This means you won’t accidentally clear your top list of most-searched terms.
• "Remove All" ignores the time period filter. It removes all zero-result searches in the store—not just the ones currently displayed on the screen, and not just those within the time period you’ve selected.
• You won’t be asked to confirm, and this action cannot be undone. However, this is purely a statistical operation. No products, categories, pages, or search terms associated with your items will be changed.

After the cleanup, you’ll land on the list with “Show only zero-searches” enabled, and the number on the dashboard’s “Empty searches” card will be recalculated to reflect what you’ve just done.

A word of advice: process first, clean up afterward, and leave any cases in doubt as they are. A keyword that appears month after month is a much stronger signal than one that’s only been searched once, and you’ll lose that signal if you clean up too early.

For developers: retrieve the search log via API

This section is only relevant if you’re working with integrations. The search log can be retrieved with a GET request to /search-log in Shoporama’s REST API. Each row contains the search term, the number of searches, the number of results, and when the term was last used. The response also includes the total number of zero-result searches, so you can monitor trends without retrieving the entire list.

The query can be controlled using the same options as in the admin panel: period, only_zero, order, sort_order, limit, and offset. If you have multiple stores, this allows you to consolidate zero-result searches and top search terms in one place instead of clicking through each individual store. See the REST API for access and keys.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I actually find the list of searches?

From the dashboard. Click on the “Empty Searches” card. The page is called “Searches” and doesn’t have its own menu item, so that’s how you access it. Once you’re there, you can adjust the period, filter, and sorting yourself, even though the card directed you to the zero-results searches.

Can I see what’s searched for most often, and not just what doesn’t exist?

Yes. Uncheck the “Show only zero-result searches” box, and the list will show all searches. If you want to see the entire history, also select “All” in the date range selector and sort by “Number of searches” using the down arrow. The top of that list shows customers’ own words, which you can use in category names, product titles, and ads.

What should I do if a customer has searched for something we don’t sell at all?

You have three options: add the item to your shopping list; assign the search term to the closest category or landing page so the customer at least lands on a relevant page; or remove the search from the list if it’s irrelevant. If the same word keeps appearing over and over, you’re missing out on a sale every time.

Why does the “Results” column show a number greater than zero for a word I found under “Zero Searches”?

With “Show only zero searches” enabled, only the instances where the term returned zero results are counted, so the column always shows 0. If you uncheck the box, all searches for the term are grouped into a single row, and “Results” displays the highest number of results the term has generated during the period. If you’ve added the keyword to a product along the way, that’s why you’re seeing the number after the correction.

We have the item in stock, but it doesn’t show up in the search results. What’s wrong?

Check the following in this order: Is the product online? Is the “Ignore in Webshop Search” checkbox selected for the product? And does the keyword appear at all in the name, description, or the “Optional Words for Internal Shop Search” field? If searching by product number, “Search in Name, SKU Number, and GTIN” must also be enabled. Click “Show” and repeat the search after each correction.

Does “Remove All Zero-Result Searches” delete anything from my store?

No. The button only removes statistics rows with no results. Products, categories, pages, and the search terms you’ve added to your products remain unaffected, and searches that returned results are also retained. You won’t be asked to confirm, and the list cannot be restored, but you’ll only lose the statistics.

Can I export the search log to our own system?

Yes. The search log can be retrieved via the REST API using the same filters as in the admin panel—that is, time period, zero-result searches only, and sorting. This is useful if you have multiple stores and want to track top keywords and zero-result searches in one place. See the section for developers above.

If you have any questions about the search analysis, feel free to email support@shoporama.dk.