Notes
Search notes
Short observations about internal search systems, relevance behavior, and recurring patterns seen while diagnosing search.
Why synonym lists rarely fix search problems
Synonyms map strings to strings. They don't address why the system misunderstood the query in the first place — and they often mask deeper indexing or interpretation gaps.
Full note coming soon
Why click-through rate can mislead search evaluation
High click-through on a query doesn't mean the results were good. It may mean users clicked because nothing better was visible, or because the first result was familiar regardless of relevance.
Full note coming soon
Compound queries break more search systems than teams realize
Most search engines treat compound queries as unstructured text. "waterproof hiking jacket men size L" is a structured request — but few systems decompose it that way.
Full note coming soon
Merchandising rules often distort relevance
Boosting rules and pinned positions accumulate over time. Each change is local and reasonable. The cumulative effect is a ranking system that no longer reflects user intent.
Full note coming soon