Utilize search logs to solve "My manual is not being viewed often"

"I've created and published manuals, but people aren't really using them..."

This is one of the most common concerns we hear from our customers.

It's disappointing when manuals you've worked hard on aren't being viewed... But you can say goodbye to that disappointment.

Analyzing search logs provides insight into what manuals are needed　　　　

There are various reasons why "manuals aren't being viewed."

One of the most common issues is

"The necessary information isn't available (users can't find what they're looking for)"

For example, users might experience something like this:

I had a question and tried to look at the manuals.
But there was no manual related to what I wanted to know...
I tried hard to search but couldn't find the information I needed, and felt disappointed.
Unable to solve my problem, I looked up to the sky and vowed never to return here again...

While this may be a bit dramatic, it's entirely plausible.

(As a side note, we often hear that some manuals contain information that users already know and don't need to see.
However, these manuals are valuable assets that exist to be viewed by the right people at the right time,
such as new employees performing tasks for the first time or experienced staff doing tasks they haven't done in a while.)

To avoid such situations, it's extremely important to "prepare manuals that are actually needed."

This is where Teachme Biz's "search logs" feature comes in handy.

By understanding user pain points through "search logs," you can determine what kinds of manuals are needed.

This helps you identify which manuals to create next and makes it easier to take action.

What are search logs?

When searching for information online, you enter "words" into Google or Yahoo! JAPAN, right?

Similarly, Teachme Biz has a feature for searching manuals.

The "search log" allows you to see a report (list) of the "search keywords" used in those searches.

Where to check search logs (who can check them and for what time period)

First, log in to the Web browser version of Teachme Biz. You can check the search logs from the "Report" menu located at the bottom of the left menu.

You can check either:

1. Search data for the entire group
2. Search data for specific folders

The data can be viewed by:

1. For the entire group's search data: group administrators and sub-administrators
2. For specific folder search data: folder administrators and sub-administrators

The data goes back up to one month, so it's good to check regularly, such as at the beginning or end of each month.

You can export the data as a CSV file, which is recommended for detailed analysis.

What information is available?

First, you can see the "search keywords" - the actual words entered into the search box.

Second, you can see the "type". This classifies searches into three categories based on whether manuals containing the "search keywords" exist and whether they were viewed:

Additionally, you can see information about the "device" used (device type or application used for searching), "manual ID" (7-digit number assigned to each manual), manual title, folder name, access time (yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm:ss), and number of hits.

What can be interpreted from data analysis

From "search keywords," you can infer users' pain points (what they wanted to know).

From "type," you can see whether manuals exist for those search keywords and whether they were viewed or not.

By classifying and counting this data, you can understand:

1. Trends in users' pain points
2. Whether necessary manuals addressing these pain points exist

These two facts become apparent through analysis.

Example of search log data analysis flow

For example, you might analyze the data as follows:

Looking at the "search keywords," if you notice multiple keywords related to "folders," you can deduce that there were issues related to "folders."

Also, from the "access time," you can see that similar searches were performed consecutively.

This suggests that the same person was having trouble with folders and searching for help.

Looking at the "type" for these searches, you see many instances of "No hits in search" or "Search hits & no views".

Following the timeline, searches like "folder cannot see" or "cannot view folder" resulted in "No hits in search," leading the user to try several different keywords.

At some point, there was a search hit, but the manual wasn't viewed.

Most likely, the user couldn't find the desired manual, or because there were 19 hits (a large number), they added more keywords to narrow down the search.

More specific searches like "guest folder cannot see" resulted in "No hits in search," but eventually, a search for "guest folder" resulted in a "Search hit," and we can see that they viewed a manual titled "Adding and removing members and guests to a folder."

This means the user's problem was solved.

"All's well that ends well!"

But we can't just stop there. The analysis would be meaningless if we did.

It's important to take improvement actions after analyzing the data.

Improvement actions after data analysis

Perspective ①: No hits in search

This means no manuals containing the search keywords were found.

Two problems could be occurring:

1. No appropriate manual exists for the issue
2. An appropriate manual exists, but it doesn't contain the search keywords

If "no appropriate manual exists for the issue," the improvement action would be to create a manual.

On the other hand, as seen in the "folder" search example above, there might be cases where an appropriate manual exists, but it doesn't contain the search keywords, resulting in no hits.

In such cases, it's recommended to make the manual searchable by:

• Including the search keywords in the title
• Including them in the description
• Adding them as search tags

Using search tags is especially effective for predictable searches like "guest folder cannot see" or "folder cannot see".

Perspective ②: Search hits & no views

This means manuals containing the search keywords exist, but they weren't viewed.

It's likely that manuals appeared in search results, but based on their titles or descriptions, users determined they wouldn't solve their problems.

Three possible issues could be occurring:

1. An appropriate manual exists, but users couldn't determine this from the title
   (the manual actually appeared in search results)
2. An appropriate manual exists, but it doesn't contain the search keywords (the manual didn't actually appear in search results)
3. No appropriate manual exists for the issue

You can often determine which of these issues is occurring by considering the business processes related to the "search keywords."

For example, if the search keyword is "folder cannot see," it suggests the user is having trouble seeing a folder that should be visible, so you know what type of manual is needed.

If you can't infer from the "search keywords," talk to users and get their feedback.

Key feedback questions include:

• Was the information they wanted related to the search keywords available?
• Was the title easy to find?
• Was the manual content easy to understand?
• Did it actually solve their problem (is it reproducible)?

Based on data and feedback, take actions such as:

• Creating new manuals
• Making existing manual steps clearer
• Modifying existing manual titles
• Adding search tags

Perspective ③: Search hits

This means manuals containing the search keywords exist and were viewed.

At minimum, this tells us that manuals that seemed like they might solve the problem appeared in search results and were actually viewed.

However, the reports don't tell us whether the manuals actually solved the problem.

If, based on the "search keywords," you suspect the viewed manual might not have solved the problem, consider gathering feedback from users, as in perspective ②.

You can also enable Teachme Biz's "Manual Rating Feature" or "Comment Feature" to get feedback directly within Teachme Biz about whether manuals were helpful.

The experience of "Teachme Biz helped me when I was stuck" leads to continued usage

When users can't find manuals related to what they want to know, it causes stress - they searched but couldn't find a solution. This can lead to feeling that Teachme Biz isn't valuable.

If this continues, when users encounter problems, they might think, "Looking in Teachme Biz won't solve it, so I'll just ask someone..." which hinders tool adoption.

To prevent this, it's necessary to understand user needs based on data and diligently create and improve related manuals.

As is often said, manuals aren't finished when they're created - continuous improvement and revision is extremely important.

Repeating the following improvement cycle helps drive user adoption:

1. Understand specific pain points through data, interviews, and surveys
2. Request creation or revision from relevant departments
3. Actively communicate when new or revised content is available

This article introduced part 1 of the improvement cycle. I hope you found it helpful!

If you're responsible for creating manuals, consider incorporating this improvement cycle into your regular work.