Search Settings Overview

You can enhance the item search capabilities of your website by configuring the item search settings with your preferences. The following illustration shows how item search settings relate to your web store:

• Search Fields influence the default sort order of the search results, which is relevance. For more information, see Select and Configure Search Fields.

• Facet Fields help a shopper narrow down the search results. For more information, see Select and Configure Facet Fields.

• Sort Fields define how results can be sorted beyond relevance to a search query. For more information, see Select and Configure Sort Fields.

• Field Sets are a grouping of item fields taken from item records, used to display information to your shoppers. For more information, see Define Field Sets.

Prerequisites

Before you configure the item search settings, you should:

• Complete Item Availability, which includes setting up item records for display on your web store, setting up item records for search index, and setting up item inventory in web stores.

• Review the FieldSetsList spreadsheet, which lists all the fields that are available for keyword search, faceting, sorting, and for use in field sets.

  Note:

  When the Multiple Vendor feature is enabled, do not use the Preferred Vendor field (Field ID: vendor) as a sort field, facet field, or search field as it will not return any values.

• Review the Sample Search Field Configuration.

• Read the best practices to Improve Relevance of your Search Results.

• Identify the item record fields that contain keywords, which shoppers might use to search for products on your website.

  Important:

  For every website, the total number of fields included in the Field Sets, Sort Fields, and Facet Fields and should not exceed the limit of 1200.

• Identify the item record fields shoppers might use to quickly narrow down search results.

• Identify the item record fields shoppers might use to sort the search results.

• Identify the item record fields you want to include in each field set.

• Create any custom fields you want to add to field sets or use as search, facet, or sort fields.

  Important:

  If you use a custom item field in a field set or as a search field, facet field, or sort field, the custom item field gets locked and cannot be edited until unlocked.

  To unlock a custom item field, remove it from all field sets, search fields, facet fields, and sort fields on every Commerce website, then wait for the Search Index to rebuild.

General Notices