Product Search Keywords

[suntower]

Man, I am so sorry if this is a self-evident question, but I need FAST help and I am red-faced for not addressing this when I got started with the store

Our store has a BUNCH of products with hyphens in the description... Sometimes. eg...

Many customers (and employees) use a hyphen... and many do not. I've tried to get them to be consistent, but it ain't gonna happen. Plus, they're auto-enthusiasts and have very <ahem> creative ways of spelling.

Turbo-Drive
TurboDrive
TurobDrive

Is there a way to add search 'tags' or 'keywords' in each product so that the Search finds the product. It seems stupid to have to include a hyphenated product description and then also a non-hyphen description.

Ideas?

---JC

[suntower]

Anyone? Help!

[dbltoe]

Always be consistent on your site.
It might help if you placed all versions of the item as keywords for the item. Sometimes the SE will post matching a misspelling along with "Did you mean?" This might get you listed there.

[suntower]

I -agree-. However, our customers cannot be expected to be so. People mis-spell stuff all the time. Plus there are regional differences...

eg. color vs. colour.

So you're telling me there is no way to add search keywords or terms to each product for ZenCart's search engine?

Say it isn't so. Please.

---JC

Always be consistent on your site.
It might help if you placed all versions of the item as keywords for the item. Sometimes the SE will post matching a misspelling along with "Did you mean?" This might get you listed there.

[dbltoe]

I'm amazed that

It might help if you placed all versions of the item as keywords for the item.

could be taken as

So you're telling me there is no way to add search keywords or terms to each product for ZenCart's search engine?

Every category and product has a symbol resembling a hazardous material sign at the far right of the page. Click on that to add keywords and other meta tag data.

[suntower]

Thank God!

I take it from your reply that you find my post a bit over-reactive, but I -did- search in this forum and didn't find -anything- on the search engine. To -me- Product Search should be front and center in the docs.

And when I looked @ the 'hazardous materials' icon, yeah, it talks about meta tags, but does not say anything about the intra-site search engine. I thought those tags were for -external- web sites to spider---which is not a big deal for us.


OK quick follow up: So the SE is based on meta tags for each product page? That concerns me a -little- in that we don't want to pass all that onto Google.

Anyhoo... Sorry for the critique. This is GREAT news. ZenCart seems very cool. Just needs better docs.

Thanks.

---JC

I'm amazed that could be taken as
Every category and product has a symbol resembling a hazardous material sign at the far right of the page. Click on that to add keywords and other meta tag data.

[dbltoe]

One of the things we all had to learn on the internet is how to ask a question or Google something. We quickly learn that searching for whatsit might not get us what we are looking for.
Also, sometimes, those of us here will stop reading a post when we think we know for sure what's being talked about. That's what I did just before I might have realized that you were talking about the internal search capabilities of Zen Cart which has nothing to do with keywords or meta tags.
It is, in my opinion, one of the better ones out there as it does not have to have a specific match to find an item. If one were to enter tur or turbo the item would be found. Still, I see the dilemma.
What about doing this:

• Add a class to the stylesheet - .misspell {display:none}
• Add a <div class="misspell">Trbo turbod tubrod tbro-d</div> with all the possible misspellings to an item's description (not meta). You get to pick 'em

Now the misspellings won't show in the description but can be found by the internal search.
Only time can tell what this will do to search engine's listings, but it might help customers find what they are looking for once they managed to find your site.

[suntower]

Sorry for the -very- delayed 'thank you'. Much appreciated.

Brings to mind another question: is there a protocol or API for modifying the Internal Search? For example, to adjust the relevance/weighting of various terms?

TIA,

---JC

• Add a class to the stylesheet - .misspell {display:none}
• Add a <div class="misspell">Trbo turbod tubrod tbro-d</div> with all the possible misspellings to an item's description (not meta). You get to pick 'em

Now the misspellings won't show in the description but can be found by the internal search.
Only time can tell what this will do to search engine's listings, but it might help customers find what they are looking for once they managed to find your site.