Feature Background
Broad/Phrase match
A broad match rule broadens the search recall set by including both exact matches for the search term as well as other relevant results that contain variations or additional keywords related to the original search term.
Example: If a broad match rule is set up for "shirts," the search results could include various types of shirts, such as "white shirts," "casual shirts," etc., even if the exact term "shirts" alone isn't present in the search query.
Issue
A phrase match rule is enabled by checking the Broad option available at the top of the Product grid page for the query rule. However, the Search recall for the specific query does not return the product in the result set, even when searching for the exact product title.
Debugging Steps & Possible Cause
- Check if the expected products have been returned for the search query.
- Check if the product was blocked at the query level or at the global level.
Check if a ranking rule has been created for the search query or for the terms of the search query. If yes, check if the Broad match option is enabled on the rule.
- Check if any attribute-based ranking rule with the Include Only or Exclude operations has been created that is suppressing the expected products.
- Check if the expected products are blocked due to a Blocklist rule created within the ranking rule.
Note: For both the above steps, the Product grid insights in the dashboard can be leveraged to validate the products returned and all the merchandising rules being applied for the search query.
"A search ranking rule with the Phrase/Broad match enabled will be applied to the search recall, even if the query term contains part of the search query."
Possible Solution/Fix
- The Broad/Phrase match rule can be adjusted to include other/additional attributes that are expected as part of the Include Only rule.
- Unblock the products if it has been blocklisted.
- Disable the Broad/Phrase match set for the rule.
Conclusion
Broad/Phrase match rule will also capture relevant results generated by supplementary keywords or variations of the original search term. This enables a more comprehensive interpretation of the search query and underlying user intent, ensuring relevant products are not missed. However, the search recall will also be impacted by a ranking rule if a rule exists for the whole search query or even matching the parts/terms of the query.