Track site search
Website URLs can sometimes have search queries embedded in a URL query parameter. Any search initiated by a user appears after that query parameter in the URL. For example, suppose that when a visitor searches for “Sale,” the string, “?term=Sale#search” appends to the end of your URL. In this case, the word term is the URL query parameter, which must be tracked under the Track Site Search option. Each time a visitor enters a search in your site, the URL changes. Since Digital User Tracking records URL changes, the information about each visitor’s specific searches can appear as part of the customer journey data. If you don’t configure the search parameter, the URL query parameter used to store search queries are tracked as a new page navigation, unless it is specifically added in the web tracking settings as a search query parameter, in which case user searches appear as a Search performed event and searched terms are listed under Searches in a customer journey.
Note: If you do not know your URL parameter for search terms, try searching for something on your website. Then note what appears when the URL changes.
Add search-specific URL query parameters
- Under Track Site Searches, in the Search query parameter field, add the query parameter that stores searched terms. By default, no query parameters are added.
- Click Add parameter. The added parameter appears below the Search query parameter field.
- To edit a query parameter, remove it and add the correct parameter again.
- To delete a query parameter, click cross-mark .
Use cases and examples
| Use case | Example URLs | Query Parameters to Add |
|---|---|---|
| Collect internal site search insights to improve navigation and content gaps. |
https://example.com/products?q=return+policy https://example.com/home?search=car+loan |
search, q |
| Capture buyer preferences to identify sales trends. | https://example.com/products?q=running+shoes&brand=Nike&price=under-100 | q, brand, price |
| Track support portal searches to identify friction points and improve self-service effectiveness. | https://example.com/faqs?query=API+403+error | query |
| Track popular pricing or subscription comparisons. | https://example.com/plans?compare=Enterprise,Pro | compare |
