July 7, 2025
The Cost of Zero Results
In eCommerce, on-site search is the fastest path from intent to conversion. When customers search, they are declaring what they want in their own words. But what happens when that journey ends in a dead end?
Shoppers are moving away from keyword-based queries. Instead of typing “running shoes men size 10,” users now search in natural language: “lightweight shoes for summer trail runs.” Traditional search engines fail to understand these queries unless explicitly configured.
Semantic search systems interpret meaning, not just words. They recognize synonyms, intent, and context. This approach significantly improves product discovery, especially for large catalogs.
Why it matters:
Retailers using semantic search report an average 20-30% uplift in search-driven conversion rates, according to a 2024 study by SearchNode.
Search engines are increasingly crawling internal search pages. Google’s 2024 updates introduced new signals for ranking dynamic content, including the performance of internal search result pages.
This means your on-site search quality affects your organic visibility. High bounce rates, irrelevant results, or zero-result pages can reduce your crawl efficiency and ranking potential.
Why it matters:
eCommerce sites with optimized internal search see 15% more organic entrances to product pages, according to Semrush data from late 2024.
By 2025, personalization in on-site search is no longer a competitive edge — it is an expectation. Users want relevant results based on previous behavior, context, and preferences. Static ranking models are no longer sufficient.
Personalization drives not only engagement but also cross-sell and upsell opportunities.
Why it matters:
According to Dynamic Yield’s 2024 benchmark, personalized search can increase average order value (AOV) by up to 12%.
Many eCommerce stores still return zero results for 10-20% of searches. In most cases, these queries are valid but phrased differently, misspelled, or slightly outside the catalog structure.
Modern search UX should handle ambiguity, typos, and intent shifts gracefully. A zero-result page is not neutral, it is a conversion killer.
Why it matters:
Retailers that reduce their zero-result rate below 2% report up to 8% more revenue from search sessions, based on internal Nibelung.ai case data.
Search data is only valuable if it leads to action. The traditional approach — tracking KPIs in dashboards and manually tweaking search settings is too slow and resource-intensive.
In 2025, the focus shifts to automation: systems that detect issues, test fixes, and self-optimize.
Why it matters:
Teams spend an average of 20 hours per month analyzing and tuning search performance, according to a 2024 Forrester report. Automated systems free that time for higher-impact work.
On-site search is no longer a backend feature. It is a direct driver of SEO, revenue, and retention. The trends for 2024–2025 make clear: search must be intelligent, personalized, and self-optimizing.
With Nibelung.ai, your team doesn’t need to manage relevance rules, analyze failed queries, or guess what users want. Our AI agents and semantic engine work continuously to improve every aspect of search and product discovery automatically.
Powerful, self-serve product and growth analytics to help you convert, engage.
Explore a rich tapestry of articles, tutorials, and insights that unravel.
