Search questions that show what users can't find in your product
Ask users whether search found what they were after, how good the results are and which searches came back empty. Each question below comes with when to ask it and what the answer tells you.
What in-app search survey questions tell you
In-app search survey questions ask users whether search brought back what they wanted, how easy it is to find an old item, which filters they use and how well the results are ordered. Search logs show what people typed. These answers show whether they found it, and what they did when they didn't.
Ask right after a search, inside the product, with one or two questions, and save the wider questions for a short survey to active users. Pick four or five in total: whether search worked, the ease score, the order of results and the search that came back empty.
Written answers get a theme and a type, so a missing result is filed apart from a request to search another tool. Each card in Results compares with the period before, so a change to your ranking shows up in the next round of answers.
- Questions
- 14
- Best asked
- Right after a user runs a search
- Industry
- SaaS
- Where to find them
- From library in the Usertick survey editor, on every plan
The 14 search inside the product questions, with when to ask each
Grouped by what they tell you. Use them as they are or change the wording.
Whether search finds things
Start with these right after a search, while the user knows whether they found it.
- 01Yes / No
Did search bring back what you were after?
Asks whether search brought back what the user was after. Ask it right after a search, and select No in Results to read what those users searched for and didn't find.
- 02Customer effort
How easy is it to find an old item you created?
A customer effort score for finding an old item the user created. Low scores point to the way old items are named, filed or ranked.
- 06Ruler
How many seconds does it usually take you to find something?
Seconds to find something, on a ruler up to sixty. The median and the middle half give you a target to beat after each change to search.
- 07Text
What did you search for and not find?
An open question for a search that came back empty. The answers are the queries to test first, in the words users typed.
What users look for and how
These show what search must be best at and where users start looking.
- 03Multiple choice
What do you usually search for?
One choice for what the user usually searches for, from a person to a past response. Replace the options with the objects in your product; the donut shows what search must be best at.
- 10Dropdown
How do you usually start looking?
How users usually start looking, from the search box to asking a teammate. A large share asking a teammate shows how much weak search costs the team.
- 14Number
How many times a day do you search in the product?
Searches a day, typed as a number. The median shows whether search is a daily habit, which tells you how much a small speed gain is worth.
- 11Text
Which other tool would you want to search from here?
An open question for another tool users want to search from your product. The answers name the integrations that would make your search the place users start.
The quality of the results
Order, understanding, the grid and the match preference show how to tune your ranking.
- 05Stars
How good is the order of the search results?
Five stars for the order of search results. A low average next to a high share of Yes on the first question means the results are there but buried.
- 09Big scale
How well does search understand what you mean?
How well search understands what users mean, on a ten-step scale. Low scores point to synonyms, typos or names users expect search to know.
- 12Matrix
Rate each part of search
Rates speed, the order of results, filters and previews on one grid. The heat map shows which part of search to improve first.
- 13This or that
In search results you would rather see
One pair: fewer exact matches or more near matches. The split bar shows how strict your ranking should be by default.
Filters and saved searches
End with the tools that narrow a search, and which of them users rely on.
- 04Multiple choice
Which filters do you use most?
Lets users pick every filter they use, including none. The bars show which filters to keep visible and which to tuck away.
- 08Yes / No
Do you use saved searches?
Asks whether the user relies on saved searches. A low share of Yes may mean the feature is hard to find, so read the open answers before you remove it.
Tips for asking about search inside the product
Small choices that get honest, useful answers.
- 01
Ask right after a search
Show one question right after a search, while the user knows whether they found it. From Starter, or on 1 survey on Free, a custom event from your code can trigger it.
- 02
Collect the empty searches
Keep the open question about a search that found nothing. Each answer is a test case for your search.
- 03
Change one thing at a time
Change ranking or filters one at a time, and compare the ratings with the period before in Results.
- 04
Use your own objects
Replace the options in the search target question with what your product holds, so users recognize them.
Add these questions to a survey
From the library to the first answers.
- 1
Open the library
In the Usertick survey editor, choose From library, filter by industry and topic, and add several questions at once.
- 2
Or paste your own list
Paste questions reads up to 10 questions from any text on Free, 100 on Starter and 200 on Pro and above, keeps your wording and picks an answer type for each.
- 3
Choose where it runs
Show the survey on your website, send it by email, share its link and QR code, or switch it to a conversation.
- 4
Read the answers
Results counts every score and choice, and Usertick reads each written answer and files it by topic, on every plan.
Templates and more questions about search inside the product
Full surveys that ask about the same things, and neighboring topics in the library.
Templates
Browse all templatesFrequently asked questions
Right after a user runs a search, inside the product. From Starter, or on 1 survey on Free, a custom event from your code or an element click trigger can show the survey at that moment.
One or two after a search, and four or five in a wider survey. Start with whether search found what the user wanted and the search that came back empty.
Yes, from Starter. Targeting by user traits can show the survey to users with a trait you pass from your code, such as how often they search.
Keep it to one question in a side button or inside the page, so the user can keep working. A popup after every search is too much.
Yes. The question library comes with every plan, the free plan included, and the free plan covers 150 responses a month across your surveys.
Yes. Once a question is in your survey, reword it, change its options or its answer type, and add logic to skip it for some answers.
Yes. The library is translated into Usertick's built-in languages, and in any other language it shows in English for you to translate.
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