When it comes to the advanced search page, you can go wild and offer every search option your database and sorting script can handle. When it comes to the quick-search interface that will be displayed on every page of your site, you need to practice some restraint.

Rule 1 - Simple is better

Limit yourself to an *absolute maximum* of two search options on your quick-search interface: by date and/or section.₁

I very strongly recommend limiting it to one or the other. As a general rule, providing a search by section is probably the more useful option. People are more likely to know whether the information they seek will be in photos vs. classifieds vs. news vs. movies than they are to know when it ran -- and you can always allow users to re-sort results by date.

My own preference is for keyword search alone, if for no other reason than it doesn't allow users to inaccurately narrow their search from the start. Plus it's visually cleaner and search pull-downs tend to become option-heavy (because every department wants in on the fun) and weigh down code on already bloated home pages and section fronts.

If you do offer a search option (or maybe two), keep these tips in mind:
• The default choices should search all site content -- or at least display any parameters being used. If we're only searching the last 30 days under default conditions, say so.
• Make your section selections broad. While your features and news content may seem like totally different worlds to you, the line is not at all clear to most of your users.

As you plan, think of the people who are going to just type and enter. Make sure your design doesn't cause those 'in-a-hurry' users to automatically fail their task when they ignore the choices you've given them. Which brings us to ...

Rule 2 - Don't force users to choose a condition

It's one thing to offer a search option. It's another entirely to force an either-or decision.

Take the search at The Dallas Morning News for example. Do I want to search DallasNews.com or The Archives? How the heck do I know? How long before you archive? How do I know when it ran? Users are searching for information because they don't know where it is. Quite frankly, most couldn't care less about the internal boundaries of your site and where the information they seek falls into those boundaries... they just want to find it.

This method is also a nuisance for users who want results from both of the categories you're forcing them to choose between.

(The Morning News is, of course, not the only site which uses such a format. It's just the first one I came across.)

CNN takes the oops-factor up a notch. Its search forces an either-or decision between CNN.com or "The Web." If you're committed to providing a search of the Web for whatever reason, that's fine -- but don't make that the default choice! You might as well wave around a flag that reads, "Leave our site, please." Users are bound to find something about whatever they're looking for somewhere on the Web and click through to it. Buh-bye user.

I think a better choice would be to label it "Search CNN.com & the Web" and give all results as the default. And maybe I've somehow turned into a crazy business-minded woman, but I'd display the results section of my own site above the Web results.

(Note to self: Marketing/advertising considerations aside, does it make sense to provide a search of the Web on a news site? It does offer users a service, but do people actually use this feature -- and is the use purposeful -- or do they still go back to the comfort zone of Google or whatever their search engine of choice? Must investigate.)

Rule 3 - Advanced search: Have one

Yes, you absolutely need a dedicated "advanced search" page which allows users to define and refine searches. News sites have a ton of content -- rapidly changing content which often visits and revisits the same subjects -- so your users are going to need it.

You should also provide a link to the advanced search directly below or alongside the quick-search interface. If users know from the start that they'll need the advanced search, they shouldn't have to suffer through the wait for the initial search, then find and click through to the advanced search.

And I recommend that you label the link "Advanced Search." The term a) explains what it is and b) is the phrasing used by nearly every major search engine -- Google, Yahoo!, AllTheWeb, MSN Search, HotBot, Lycos, Teoma -- so most users should be accustomed to that standard.

Rule 4 - Label your search clearly and accurately

Tell your users exactly what it is they'll be searching, even if it seems painfully obvious to you. "Search xyz.com" is better than "Search." It just is. If your quick-search tool also searches the Web, say so. If it only searches the last 30 days, say so -- and put the link to the advanced search right below it. It's a simple principle to follow, really: Say what you mean, mean what you say.

Rule 5 - And don't use images

There's nothing wrong with the standard HTML-generated form submit button. People recognize it. It's one less image to load. It actually looks pretty cool on Macs.

It should be labeled either:

Search. Technically the correct value, but it really can be a bit much to have a "Search..." label, an "Advanced Search" link and a "Search" button.

Rule 6 - Give us some space

Unless your quick-search is in a narrow left-side navigation rail which strictly limits the width of the input box (a drawback of that placement option), make it wide enough that your users who aren't world-class typists can look up and see what they're about to send. Shoot for a text input size somewhere between 14 and 20... and try not to go under 10.

Next: Designing advanced search interfaces
See also: The basics of search design, Placement recommendations

May 3, 2003