Should I show popular searches?
Muhammed Tüfekyapan
Founder & CEO
TL;DR - Quick Answer
Complete Expert Analysis
Should I Show Popular Searches?
Popular searches in the search bar serve as guided discovery - helping customers who haven't yet formed a specific query find high-converting terms. They're particularly valuable on sites with large catalogs or when customers know what they want but aren't sure how to search for it.
Where and How to Show Popular Searches
| Placement | Format | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Search bar focus state | "Popular: retinol serum | vitamin C | eye cream" | Guides pre-search visitors to high-converting queries |
| Empty search results | "Try searching: [popular terms]" | Recovers zero-result dead ends |
| Homepage search hero | Visual trend chips below search bar | Drives discovery of trending products |
| Search autocomplete | Suggested queries as customer types | Fastest path to results; reduces misspelling friction |
What Popular Searches to Show
High-converting searches (not just high-volume)
Show the searches that convert, not just the most-typed queries. A popular search with no matching products or high bounce rate hurts more than it helps.
Seasonal and trending terms
Update popular searches seasonally. "SPF sunscreen" in summer, "gift sets" in November/December, "vitamin C serum" if you just ran a campaign that drove interest.
Include product names
If specific products or product lines are bestsellers, include them in popular searches. Makes them easy to find for customers who heard about them via word-of-mouth.
Using Search Data for Merchandising
What customers search for reveals exactly what they want. Analyze your top searches monthly - terms with high search volume but poor results pages signal either a product gap or a merchandising opportunity. Use Growth Suite's Cart Insights in combination with your search data to identify which searched products most frequently appear in high-converting sessions, then prioritize those in your popular search suggestions and campaign targeting.
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With over a decade of experience in e-commerce optimization, Muhammed founded Growth Suite to help Shopify merchants maximize their conversion rates through intelligent behavior tracking and personalized offers. His expertise in growth strategies and conversion optimization has helped thousands of online stores increase their revenue.
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