Boost rules for search

This is for:

Merchandiser

In the Search manager of the Coveo Merchandising Hub (CMH), merchandisers can define Boost ranking rules to make products that match specific criteria appear higher in the search results.

These criteria are based on product attributes available in the indexed metadata, such as brand, category, or price.

Boost ranking rules can apply to all queries or to specific queries only. They can also be scheduled to apply at specific times, allowing merchandisers to plan and execute their strategies more effectively.

Boost rules | Coveo

Use case examples

Boost ranking rules can be used to address a variety of use cases. Here are a few examples:

  • Boost promoted products: Enhance the ranking of products that are part of a specific promotion.

  • Feature specific brands: Boost the ranking of products from specific brands when the brand is searched for.

  • Feature high-margin products: Enhance the ranking of products with higher profit margins.

  • Highlight new arrivals: Increase the visibility of newly added products to the inventory.

  • Boost high stock products: Promote products that have a high inventory to encourage sales.

Prerequisites

To create rules, merchandisers must ensure they have properly configured their query pipeline and chosen the correct tracking ID to ensure that their changes impact the intended queries.

Create a boost rule

To create a rule:

  1. In the CMH, access the Search manager.

  2. From the navigation tabs, select Ranking rules.

  3. Click Create ranking rule, and then, depending on whether you want to apply the boost rule to a specific query or to all queries, select the appropriate option.

  4. Select the Locale for which the boost rule will apply, and then click Done. By default, a rule applies to all available locales.

  5. Select the Query to which the boost rule will apply, and then click Done. Note that if you selected to apply the boost rule to all queries, you won’t be able to select a query.

  6. Under Choose an action, select Boost.

  7. Under Attribute, select the attribute on which you want to apply the boost rule. For example, if you want to affect ranking of search results based on the color attribute, select color.

  8. Under Operator, select the operator that you want to use.

  9. Under Value, select the attribute value on which you want to apply the boost rule. For example, if you want to affect ranking of search results based on the color attribute, enter the color value that you want to use, such as red. Note that you can select multiple values for the attribute.

  10. Under Boost strength, select how much you want to affect the ranking of search results.

    Important

    The extent to which the search results are affected by a given strength value depends on other ranking rules that are applied to the same query.

    The more ranking rules are applied to a query, the more the strength value must be increased to have a significant impact on the search results.

  11. (Optional) If you want to add more attribute-value pairs to the boost rule, click Add attribute and repeat the process.

  12. Click Done.

    Tip
    Leading practice

    You can preview the effect of your rules by using the Preview panel on the right side of the page. You can use this panel to simulate queries and see how the rule affects the search results for a given locale.

  13. Review your rule configuration, and then click Next: Publish.

  14. Under Rule name, enter a meaningful name for your rule.

  15. Under Choose when to publish, select whether you want to:

    • Apply the rule immediately, select Publish now.

    • Set a schedule for the rule, select Set a schedule, and then select the time frame for when the rule should apply.

  16. Click Publish now.

Manage existing boost rules

To manage an existing boost rule:

  1. In the CMH, access the Search manager.

  2. From the navigation tabs, select Ranking rules.

  3. Locate the rule you want to manage.

  4. Click Modify. You now have to option to modify the rule configuration, modify the publish settings, or delete the rule:

    • To modify the rule configuration, click Rule.

    • To modify the publish settings, such as the rule name or rule schedule, click Publish settings.

    • To delete the rule, click Delete.