Websites are like people in that they can be very different. It can be a struggle to find a single solution that works perfectly for everyone. Even trying to decide on where to go to dinner can turn into a complicated mess. While websites don’t get hungry, it isn’t safe to assume that a single search solution will work out just fine for every situation.
Just like parents help shape their children, developers have a huge impact in the makeup of their websites. Everybody sets up their websites differently, which can lead to challenges when it comes to adding search functions to a site. Some professionals may try to simply plug in a search solution and hope it works well enough, whereas custom search engine software can be tailored to fit an individual site.
Why it Makes Sense to Use Custom Search Engine Software
First, let’s recognize that there is no true standard when it comes to a search solution. There are simple plug-and-play options that can offer a few basic functions, but they won’t work for every site. Everybody uses their own conventions or standards, so even these basic search solutions aren’t guaranteed to work on your website.
Like the rest of the website, the search needs to be thought of with the user in mind. What can you do to present the content they need most? Making use of these various conventions and standards including where the site pulls its meta data from or which parts of the site need to be excluded from indexing can dramatically improve the search experience. These answers are going to change site to site, but a so-called standard search engine software may not have the flexibility to deliver the best search you could have.
On the other hand, the customized search solution can be tailored to fit your needs. Thunderstone’s suite of custom search engine software allows you to select a search solution that can seamlessly integrate with your site’s conventions and allow you to provide reliable search functions that deliver better results, not just acceptable ones.
The Thunderstone Difference
At Thunderstone, we don’t just offer a single solution that will hopefully meet your requirements. Our search solutions are built to be flexible enough to be able to handle different site conventions, and our expertise allows us to help clients figure out solutions quickly instead of having them fumble around trying to do it themselves.
We can crawl your website to discover potential issues that may affect your search solution. Our Head Start Program also starts with a conversation that allows our experts to discuss your project and your goals so that we can assess your needs and customize our search engine software to your needs. We also provide ongoing support once your search solution is in production.
Contact us online or give us a call at 216-820-2200 to start the process of getting a customized search solution that truly fits your site.
