How to boost products to the top of your store's search results
Open Merchandising in your AlFinder dashboard, click Add Rule, choose what to boost and save. The products you choose move up in the search results, either for every search or only for the search terms you list, and you can switch a rule off at any time.
- 1:09 video
- Merchandising
Why add your own priorities to search
Out of the box, AlFinder ranks results by relevance: the products that best match the search come first. Merchandising rules add a second layer on top, so the products you care about most get a push without the results losing their meaning.
Typical uses: a perfume store pushing gift sets before Eid, a fashion store putting the new abaya collection first, an electronics store moving a phone it has plenty of stock for above an older model, or a grocery store featuring its discounted items during a promotion.
What you can boost
Each rule has one Rule Type. The first three need you to choose what to boost; the last three work on their own.
Products you pick by hand get the strongest push. Category, tag and on-sale rules give a lighter lift, so the best matches inside them still lead. When a product falls under more than one active rule, the boosts add up.
- Boost by SKU: specific products you search for and select by name.
- Boost by Category: every product in the categories you choose.
- Boost by Tag: products carrying the tags you type, handy for labels like new arrival or Ramadan.
- Boost On-Sale Products: items with a discount that is currently running.
- Most Viewed Products and Most Purchased Products: the most viewed or best-selling items of the last 30 days. These start within 24 hours of creating the rule and refresh daily.
Rules for every search, or only some
Leave Apply only to these search queries empty and the rule applies to all searches. Add search terms to it and the rule only runs when a shopper searches for one of them. For that search, only the rules that list it apply, and your all-searches rules are set aside.
A listed term has to match the whole search, not a word inside a longer one. A rule for oud will not run when someone searches for oud oil, so add the variations shoppers actually type. Capital letters, punctuation and Arabic spelling variants such as أ and ا, ة and ه, or ى and ي are ignored, so عباية and عبايه count as the same term.
Mistakes to avoid
Keep your rules few and focused. When everything is boosted, nothing stands out, and shoppers start seeing products that only loosely match their search near the top.
- Forgetting seasonal rules: turn off Active when a campaign ends instead of leaving last month's offer on top.
- Expecting a boost to add products: a rule changes the order of the products a search finds. It does not make a product appear for a search it doesn't match.
- Not checking the result: after saving, search your storefront for the terms you care about and confirm the order is what you expected.
How to set it up
- 1In the dashboard sidebar, open Merchandising and click Add Rule.
- 2Enter a Rule Name you will recognise later, such as Eid gift sets.
- 3Choose a Rule Type: Boost by SKU, Boost by Category, Boost by Tag, Boost On-Sale Products, Most Viewed Products or Most Purchased Products.
- 4To limit the rule to certain searches, type each term under Apply only to these search queries and press Enter. Leave it empty to apply the rule everywhere.
- 5Pick what to boost: search for products by name, select categories, or type tags. On-sale, most viewed and most purchased rules need nothing more.
- 6Make sure Active is switched on, then click Save Rule.
- 7Search your storefront for one of the affected terms to check the new order.
Common questions
Will a boosted product show up for searches that have nothing to do with it?
No. A rule only reorders the products a search already finds. A boosted perfume will not appear when someone searches for a phone charger.
How quickly does a new rule take effect?
Rules for chosen products, categories, tags and on-sale items apply once you save them. Most Viewed and Most Purchased rules start within 24 hours of being created, then refresh daily.
Why did my all-searches rule stop working for one search term?
Another rule probably lists that term under Apply only to these search queries. When a search matches a listed term, only the rules that list it apply, so your all-searches rules are set aside for that search.
Can I pause a rule without deleting it?
Yes. Edit the rule and switch off Active. It keeps its settings, so you can turn it back on for the next season in a few seconds.
