Search Algorithm
These settings support Multi Channel Configuration. Depending on the status of the selected channel, direct configuration might be locked or linked to other channels. See here for more information.
The Minimum score (1) setting defines the minimum score (which measures the similarity to the search term) that any product must have in order for it to be included in the search results.
The similarity of the individual products of a search result can be easily calculated by the "Search term effect" value displayed in the Cockpit. The similarity value results from the following formula:
Similarity = 100% + "Search term effect"
In the cockpit a mouse-over over the value for the score makes a window appear which displays some values including the search term effect (see screenshot below)
Example:
The similarity for the first product in the example screenshot is 100% + (-8.7%) = 91.3%.
If the minimum score was set to 91% or lower, this product with the example search term "Packsafe" will appear in the search result.
If the minimum score was set to 92% or higher, this product with the example search term "Packsafe" would not appear in the search result.
Please be aware that the minimum similarity is not compared with the overall score (which also includes the influence of ASO, of the Semantic anhancer and of the ranking rules) but with the similarity (which only depends on the search term effect, see the formula above)
Performance vs. Quality (3) is a parameter which affects for the FACT-Finder search algorithm. In general, the search quality improves as this value increases. However, search speed decreases at the same time.
The Result score spread (2) parameter can also be seen as a form of dynamic minimum score. Its value determines the minimum score below which results are not counted, compared with the best hits. For example, if the best hit has a score of 98.7% and the spread is set to 8%, all hits with a score of less than 90.7% will be discounted. The purpose of this setting is to “separate the wheat from the chaff”, ensuring the quality of results returned.
The Search timeout (in seconds) (4) parameter makes it possible to set the maximum allowed time for a search.