Troubleshooting Promotions

SearchStax Site Search solution offers these suggestions when troubleshooting Promotions.

Common Issues and Solutions

1.  Promotions Not Appearing as Expected
   • Check Publication: Confirm that the promotion is published, not saved as a draft.
   • Check Indexing: Make sure internal content is indexed and available. If the content isn’t in the pool, try reindexing or use an external promotion instead
   • Check Search Fields: Confirm the item you’re promoting is indexed in fields in your Search Fields configuration. If those fields aren’t searchable, the promotion might not trigger.
   • Check Data Filters: Confirm active Data Filters aren’t filtering out the promoted item. Temporarily loosen or disable filters to confirm it appears, then reapply your intended filter logic.
   • Verify Keyword Matching: Check that your trigger phrases match user queries precisely.
2. Indexed Promotion Shows a Missing-Item Warning
   • Symptom: The Promotion Details view shows a warning banner for a linked indexed item that is missing from the search index.
   • Cause: The promotion references an indexed document that is no longer present. This can happen when a page is removed and re-added to the index or when its indexed URL changes. For example, a URL change involving a trailing slash can cause the newly indexed page to have a different reference even though the page itself still exists.
   • Solution: Search for the current indexed item, replace the missing item in the promotion, and publish the change. If you can’t find the current item, confirm that the page is present in the index before re-adding it.
3. Bulk Publishing Confusion
   • Users have reported confusion about bulk publishing.
     Solution:
     • Make sure promotions are saved as drafts first, then select multiple promotions and click Publish All to activate them together.
4. Issues with Advanced Search Syntax
   • Error-Prone Syntax: Users have encountered challenges using Solr's field syntax correctly. Double-check your search query for typos and verify that fields (e.g., url, id) are correct.
5. Conflicts with Spell Check
   • Users have reported conflicts where spell check interferes with promotion visibility​
     Solution: Temporarily disable spell check so promoted items appear, or adjust trigger phrases to align with corrected terms.
6. External Promotion URL Errors
   • Duplicate URLs: Users experienced issues with duplicate external promotion URLs.
     Solution: Make sure each URL is unique across external promotions.
7. Confusion Regarding Seasonal Promotions
   • Enable/Disable Functionality: Users found it unclear how to reuse seasonal promotions.
     Clarification: Use the checkbox at the top of the promotion setup to temporarily disable the promotion. Re-enable it when needed for future campaigns.

Questions?

Do not hesitate to contact the SearchStax Support Desk.