Search Tools: Search Rules

Search Rules in Composer's Search Tools feature let site admins pin specific pages or custom content to the top of search results for designated keywords. Rules are configured as "if the query contains/starts with/ends with/is X, then promote Y" expressions and require the Advanced Tools add-on.

In the Search Tools feature in Composer, configure settings in each area to provide optimum findability for visitors to your site.

Search Rules is one section of Search Tools where you can enable site administrators to prioritize specific content or pages, making them appear at the top of search results when users enter certain keywords. This article will focus on how Search Rules can work for you. 

In this article

• Search Rules overview
• Understand how search rank works
• Add a new rule
• Add another page to list of promoted returns

Search Rules overview

Search Rules allow site admins to display custom content and/or selected pages at the top of a list of search results when an end user enters a given term. For example, a Search Rule could be used to ensure that, when a visitor uses the search term “Reunion,” the Alumni home page appears at the top of the list of results.

Understand how search rank works

How does the search feature ordinarily rank results?

Search ranks results in the following priority order:

1. Page keyword match
2. Page name match
3. Page content match

Multiple results of equal priority are ranked alphabetically.

Add a new rule

To create a new rule, click the green + Add Rule button.

A series of fields will appear where you can create the rule:

Rules are created as “If > Then” expressions, where the user’s input determines whether and how a particular search rule will be activated.

1. Give the rule a description. This should indicate what sort of situation the rule is intended to cover.
2. Use the dropdown to select how the user’s search term should be handled. You can set the rule to apply in various ways:
   • Contains: This search rule will apply if the specified term appears in any way in the user’s input.
   • Starts with: The search rule will only apply if the specified term is the very first thing the user inputs.
   • Ends with: The search rule will only apply if the specified term is the very last thing the user inputs.
   • Is: The search rule will only apply if the specified term is the only thing the user inputs.

3. Enter the specified term after the dropdown menu.

4. If you select the Then display specific information checkbox, you can enter text and other content into the text box that appears:

   

5. If you select the Then promote a result checkbox, you’ll be prompted to select a specific site page. The page you choose here will appear at the top of the list of results when users enter the specified term.

   

    

Add another page to list of promoted returns

Use the +Add Result button to add another page/pages to the list of promoted returns.