Hey friends 👋
Quick question for you:
When was the last time you looked at your Search data?
Search is one of the most honest signals in your community. It tells you — in your members’ own words — what they’re trying to find.
- Not what you think they need.
- Not what you’ve highlighted on the homepage.
- Not what your roadmap says is important.
- What they actually typed into that search bar.
And yes… you can track all of it. 🙌
Let’s walk through what’s possible.
🧠 1️⃣ What are people searching for?
Head into the Search data source in Analytics.
From there, try grouping by:
- Search Terms (captures all uses of a keyword — standalone or inside a phrase)
- Original Query (shows exact phrases searched)
- Type (Posts, Articles, Members, etc.)
- Or even User Role / Rank
A quick example because this one trips people up:
If 15 people search “lookup”
And 7 search “api lookup”
- Search Term = 22
- Original Query = 7
Both are useful — they just answer different questions.
You can even get more granular with things like role and rank using filters:
This is where you start spotting patterns like:
- Repeated product questions
- Confusing terminology
- Emerging topics
- New users searching differently than experienced members
It’s basically free user research sitting in your dashboard.
📭 2️⃣ Are they getting results… or nothing?
Now for the part that’s really powerful.
Add Search Results Count into the mix.
Try filtering where:
Search Results Count = 0
Zero-result searches are gold. Truly.
If a bunch of members are searching “SSO setup” and getting nothing back, that’s not a search issue — that’s a content opportunity.
Other things to look for:
- High search volume + very few results
- Searches returning results, but not the right type (e.g., lots of discussions but no clear documentation)
- Repeated searches for the same phrase week after week
This is how you build a content roadmap based on actual demand — not guesses.
🖱️ 3️⃣ What are they clicking after they search?
Search doesn’t stop at the query.
You can also see what happens next.
Search result clicks automatically include tracking via UTMs, which means you can use the Page Views data source to see:
- Traffic coming from Search
- Which content gets the most clicks from Search
- How Search-driven engagement compares to other sources
You can take it a step deeper and see what URLs they land on from the search results they clicked:
If you group by UTM fields in Page Views, you can isolate Search traffic and analyze:
- Which articles perform best when surfaced in results
- Whether improving tagging increases click-through
- If certain topics are searched often but rarely clicked
This is where intent meets engagement.
📊 The Full Picture
Between:
🔎 Search data source (what they typed + how many results)
📈 Page Views data source (what they clicked after)
You get a really clear story:
What they want → What they see → What they engage with
That’s incredibly powerful for:
- Content planning
- Knowledge Base improvements
- Onboarding optimization
- Even reporting impact to leadership
💬 Curious…
Have you looked at your zero-result searches lately?
Are you seeing repeat queries that surprised you?
Has Search data ever changed what content you prioritized?
I’d love to hear what patterns you’re noticing in your own communities 💛
