Learn about the core areas of search configuration in Site Search. By the end, you will know which settings control what users see, how they refine results, and how relevance is tuned.
Prerequisites
Before you start, you need:
- a Site Search account
- a Search App with data already ingested
See Understanding Apps, Languages, and Search Profiles for the conceptual hierarchy behind these settings.
Understand the Three Configuration Categories
Basic search configuration falls into three main categories:
- Results display: choose which fields the UI shows for each result, such as title, description, image, and metadata
- Navigation: add facets and sorting so users can narrow and reorder results
- Relevance setup: configure Search Fields, Ranking, Stop Words, and Spell Check so the right content appears first
You do not need to configure everything at once. Start with a minimal setup that works, then iterate after you have baseline usage data.
Developer-First Setup Sequence
- Confirm your indexed schema includes the fields you plan to use in result cards and relevance tuning.
- Configure Results Fields first so result cards are readable in Preview.
- Configure Facets, Filters, and Sorting so users can refine and reorder results.
- Configure Search Fields, Ranking, Stop Words, and Spell Check for relevance quality.
- Run a baseline query set with expected top queries and known-intent queries, then adjust.
Tip: During onboarding, start with a small configuration that works and is easy to explain. Most tuning happens after you validate real queries.
How Configuration Works with Your Data
Your configuration changes what is displayed and how it is prioritized. It does not create data that is missing from the index.
If a field is not indexed, you cannot display it, facet on it, or use it in ranking. If a result card in Preview looks empty or a field is missing, confirm the field was added during ingestion by connector, crawler, or API.
There are also more advanced options, including Data Filters, Rules, Related Searches, and multi-language configuration. See Configuring Advanced Search Features for a higher-level introduction.
What's Next
Next, configure your results display so Preview shows useful result cards before you tune relevance.