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 linked document is no longer present in the current search index. This can happen after content is removed, URLs change, or indexing falls behind.
   • Solution: Confirm the item still exists in the index. If it doesn't, replace the linked item or remove it from the promotion. You can still save a draft or publish while the warning is present, but you should review the promotion before users see outdated results.
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.