How to use the Link Finder in Control Desk to make pages findable via search terms

With Link Finder, you can redirect search terms to specific pages or highlight a link on the search results page. This is because your online shoppers are not only looking for products via the search function, but also for informative pages. That's why Link Finder lets you optimize the service for your online shoppers by redirecting them to service pages, campaign pages, or brand pages, or by drawing their attention to them. In this blog post, you'll learn about the options available when creating Link Finder and the use cases for which it is useful.

Step 1: Define the search term and target URL

First, you specify the search term for which the redirection is to be performed. Using the available options, you can specify how the search term should be interpreted. If you do not select anything, the "exact" option is used by default. However, this entry only applies if the search term is searched for on its own and consists exclusively of exactly these letters. But you also have other options:

• Similar: Include related and similar search terms for executing the redirection.
• includes: Include search terms that contain the specified search term.
• begins with: Include search terms that begin with the specified search term.
• ends with: Include search terms that end with the specified search term.

Then you specify the target URL to which the redirection should be made. With the date entry "Valid from," you can also set a start and end date for the redirection. If you work with country codes, you can select the country code for which the entry should be displayed.

Editing the Link Finder entry

Step 2: Select link type

Redirects can be created as direct links or promoted links:

• Direct Link: This option redirects directly to the entered target URL.
• Promoted Link: This option displays a link box above the search terms.

Direct links are mainly used for service pages such as legal notices, delivery times, payment methods, and brand pages. When you enter a search term in the search box and then trigger the search, you are redirected directly to the target URL.

Example of a direct link:

By analyzing zero-hit searches, you discover that your online shoppers frequently search for "repair." You have a separate page where you describe the procedure for repairing products in detail. To ensure that your online shoppers land on this page when searching for the term "repair" in the future, you create a direct link for the search term repair.

Tip:

In the analysis section of epoq Search (Control Desk), you will find zero-hit searches. This section often contains search terms for which information is available in the online shop but cannot be found. This is often the case because the information does not relate to a product. If your list contains such search terms, you can switch directly from the analysis section to the Link Finder and create an entry. It is therefore worth checking the analysis section of epoq Search regularly.

If you do not want direct redirection, the link with the stored data (title, description, headline, image, button, etc.) can also be displayed as a link box above the search results (promoted link). Clicking on the link then redirects you to another page. A promoted link is useful if you want to find both information and products for a search term.

Example of a promoted link:

You offer ski-related products in your shop, from ski clothing to ski equipment. To show your online shoppers the complete product range in your ski category, you have created a landing page. You are already promoting the landing page through various channels and now want it to be found via search. You therefore create a promoted link for the search term "ski." Online shoppers searching for skis will see a link to your landing page above the search results for skis.

Promoted link in the epoq Control Desk

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