Pin rules for search

This is for:

Merchandiser

In the Search manager of the Coveo Merchandising Hub (CMH), merchandisers can define pin ranking rules to make specific products appear at the top of the search results for one or more specific queries.

Merchandisers can also use pin rules to enforce a specific product order in the search results for one or more queries.

Pin rule for search | Coveo

A search results page can be viewed as a grid (or list) of products in numbered positions. These numbers correspond to their ranking when they’re returned from the Coveo index.

A pin rule reserves a specific numbered position for a specific product or sponsored product, regardless of that product’s actual ranking. However, pin rules with the same target can conflict with one another, so merchandisers must not create multiple pin rules that target the same position for the same queries.

Example

The first four products returned in the search results for the query canoe are the following:

1 2 3 4

Orangecraft canoe

Bluewater canoe

Kayaker canoe

Ocarina canoe

You create a pin rule to reserve position 2 for the product Aqua Blue canoe. The first four products in the search results are now the following:

1 2 (reserved) 3 4

Orangecraft canoe

Aqua Blue canoe

Bluewater canoe

Kayaker canoe

Use case examples

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

  • Enforce a specific order: Pin products to the top of the search results to enforce a specific order when specific queries are performed.

  • Pin best sellers: Pin best-selling products to the top of the search results when specific queries are performed.

  • Pin clearance items: Pin clearance items to the top of the search results when specific queries are performed.

Pin rule conflicts

Pin rules override the content that should otherwise appear at a specific position in the search results for a particular query. This includes other product pins or sponsored product pins that target the same position, so merchandisers must not create multiple pin rules that target the same position for the same query.

Pin rule conflicts are resolved as follows:

  • If there’s a conflict between product pins, priority is given to the most recent product pin rule.

  • If there’s a conflict between a product pin and a sponsored product pin, the sponsored product pin always takes precedence. However, if there are no sponsored products to feature in the reserved position, then any product pin rules for that position apply as normal, with priority given to the most recent product pin rule.

  • If there’s a conflict between sponsored product pins, priority is given to the most recent sponsored product pin rule.

Example

On March 1, you create a rule that pins the product "Carbon Blue Kayak" at position 2 for the query kayak.

On March 10, you create another rule that pins the product "Okeanos Kayak" at position 2 for the queries kayak, sea kayak, and sports kayak.

Because both pin rules target the same position for the query kayak, only the most recent rule applies.

When a user searches for kayak, "Okeanos Kayak" is pinned at position 2 on the search results page.

Prerequisites

Before you create rules in the Coveo Merchandising Hub (CMH):

Create pin rules

To create pin rules

  1. In the CMH, access the Search manager.

  2. From the navigation tabs, select ranking rules and then click Create ranking rule.

  3. Under This rule will apply to, define the scope of the rule.

    1. Locale: Select the locale that the pin rule applies to. By default, a rule applies to all available locales.

    2. Audiences: Select the audience that the pin rule will target. You can choose between predefined audience profiles or create custom profiles. You can only select one audience profile per rule.

      Important

      The Audience option is currently in early access. Contact your Customer Success Manager (CSM) to enable this option.

      • All visitors: By default, the rule applies to all visitors.

      • Device & technology: Target visitors visiting a storefront using a specific device type. The device type is determined by the information sent by the visitor's browser, not by the device’s screen size. Available options are:

        • Desktop: Encompasses desktop computers and laptops.

        • Mobile: Encompasses all mobile phones.

        • Tablet: Encompasses all tablets.

      • Visitor type: Target the visitors who are logged into the storefront or those who aren’t.

      • Your audiences: Create a custom audience profile that you can reuse in other rules sharing the same property. After a custom audience profile is created, it can’t be changed once the rule is published. If all rules containing a custom audience profile are deleted, the custom audience profile will no longer be available as an option when creating new rules.

        • Visitor URL: Target visitors based on the URL of the storefront page they’re on.

        • Referrer URL: Target visitors based on the URL they came from before landing on the storefront.

    3. query: pin rules are only available when the rule is scoped to specific queries. If you choose All queries, the pin option is hidden.

      To scope the rule to specific queries:

      1. Select Specific queries.

      2. Select an Operator.

        • Is: This operator identifies queries that exactly match the specified value. For example, you can use it to create a rule that only targets the query accessories.

        • Contains: This operator identifies queries where the specified value is found within the full value of the query. For example, you can use it to create a rule that targets all queries containing the term accessories, including Surf accessories and Parts & accessories.

      3. Select one or more queries that the pin rule applies to.

      4. Click Done.

  4. Under Choose an action, select Pin.

  5. To pin a product, you can either search for the product or use the preview to select the products to pin.

    • To search for a product:

      1. Under Product ID or name, select the product to pin.

      2. Under Position number, enter the number of the position where the product will appear in the search results.

      3. (Optional) To pin more than one product, click Pin another product and repeat the previous steps.

    • When using the preview, drag a product and drop it at a position to pin it there.

  6. Click Next: Review and publish.

  7. Review your rule configuration.

    Tip
    Leading practices

    Use the panel on the right to preview how the rule affects the search results for a given locale.

    The preview is an approximate simulation that won’t cover every scenario encountered in a live environment.

  8. Click Next: Publish.

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

  10. Under Choose when to publish, select one of the following:

    • To apply the rule immediately, select Publish now.

    • To set a schedule for the rule, select Set a schedule, and then select the time frame in which the rule should apply.

  11. Click Publish now.

The rule now applies or will apply as scheduled.

Modify pin rules

To modify pin rules

  1. In the CMH, access the Search manager.

  2. From the navigation tabs, select ranking rules.

  3. Locate the rule that you want to modify.

  4. Click dots, and then click Modify.

  5. You can modify the rule’s scope (Locale, Audiences, or query) or its configuration by clicking Edit on the relevant card. These are the same settings covered in the rule creation section.

    Important

    The Audience option is currently in early access. Contact your Customer Success Manager (CSM) to enable this option.

  6. When you’ve finished editing the rule, or to modify its publishing settings, click Next: Publish.

  7. Update the publishing settings, if applicable, and then click Publish now.

The modified rule now applies, or will apply as scheduled.

Copy pin rules

To copy pin rules

  1. In the CMH, access the Search manager.

  2. From the navigation tabs, select ranking rules.

  3. Locate the rule that you want to copy.

  4. Click dots, and then click Copy to…​.

  5. In the Copy rule modal that opens, you can choose whether to copy the rule to other properties or queries.

    • To copy the rule to other properties:

      1. Select Property and click Next.

      2. Use the dropdown menu to select one or more properties.

        Important

        If any of the queries that the rule is scoped to don’t exist in the target property, you’ll see an error message and be unable to proceed with the copy.

        The error message will list the queries that are missing from the destination property.

      3. Click Confirm copy.

    • To copy the rule to other queries (if applicable):

      1. Select query and click Next.

      2. Use the dropdown menu to select one or more queries.

      3. Click Confirm copy.

The rule is copied to the target properties or queries.

Delete pin rules

To delete pin rules

  1. In the CMH, access the Search manager.

  2. From the navigation tabs, select ranking rules.

  3. Locate the rule that you want to delete.

  4. Click dots, and then click Delete.

  5. Click Delete again to confirm.

The rule is deleted.