3-Minute Site Search Self-Check for B2B Distributors

Site search is the most frequently used feature on distributor eCommerce sites. This quick 12-question self-check helps you see whether your search is driving conversions or quietly costing sales.

For each question, select the choice that best represents how your search performs today. Each response is scored 0, 1, or 2 to help you see how your search measures up.

1. Do the top results for your most common search terms show relevant, in-stock products first?

Rarely: Top results are often irrelevant or out of stock. (0)

Sometimes: Search delivers mixed results; relevant items appear inconsistently. (1)

Almost always: Relevant, available products consistently appear first. (2)

2. After buyers search, can they easily filter or narrow results by key attributes like brand, size, or category?

Rarely: Filters are missing, confusing, or unreliable. (0)

Sometimes: Filters exist but lack key attributes, update slowly, or there are too many. (1)

Almost always: Filters are intuitive, fast, and complete. (2)

3. Does your search recognize different ways buyers express sizing (e.g., “one and a half inch,” “1.5 in,” or “1½”)?

Rarely: Search treats these variations as separate terms and misses matches. (0)

Sometimes: Works for some formats but fails on others. (1)

Almost always: Search recognizes and normalizes multiple size expressions. (2)

4. Does your search account for variations, synonyms, and misspellings (e.g., PVC, polyvinyl, or plastic pipe)?

Rarely: Only exact matches return results. (0)

Sometimes: Common variations work, but many fail or return poor results. (1)

Almost always: Search understands synonyms, abbreviations, and spelling differences. (2)

5. Can customers quickly move from search to purchase by adding items to cart or list without re-searching or re-navigating?

Rarely: Buyers must backtrack or repeat searches to purchase. (0)

Sometimes: The path to purchase works for simple items but breaks for complex orders. (1)

Almost always: Buyers can seamlessly add items and continue shopping without losing context. (2)

6. When buyers search for a broad term, does your site provide a guided selling experience?

Rarely: Broad searches return long, unfiltered product lists with no guidance. (0)

Sometimes: Some broad searches lead to category or guided pages, but most still show general results. (1)

Almost always: Broad product searches direct buyers to clear category or guided selling pages that simplify selection. (2)

7. When a buyer doesn’t find what they’re looking for, does your site offer helpful alternatives or “Did you mean…” suggestions?

Rarely: Zero-result pages appear with no helpful guidance. (0)

Sometimes: Some fallback suggestions appear, but they’re limited or irrelevant. (1)

Almost always: Search recovers gracefully with smart alternatives or guided corrections. (2)

8. Does your site’s search understand natural language phrases, not just keywords?

Rarely: Search only works with short or exact keywords; full phrases return poor or no results. (0)

Sometimes: Some natural language phrases work, but results are inconsistent or incomplete. (1)

Almost always: Search interprets natural language effectively, returning accurate, relevant results for full phrases. (2)

9. Is your search configured to learn from buyer behavior, like boosting products that convert most often?

Rarely: Search rankings never adjust based on performance. (0)

Sometimes: Manual adjustments are made occasionally. (1)

Almost always: Search adapts automatically using conversion or engagement data. (2)

10. Does your site’s search use AI-driven similarity to recommend related or alternative products?

Rarely: Search only displays exact matches; related items must be manually configured or are not shown. (0)

Sometimes: Related or alternative items appear but are rule-based or limited in scope. (1)

Almost always: Search recommends relevant alternatives or similar products automatically using AI or behavioral data. (2)

11. Do you regularly review search metrics, like zero-result terms or top-converting searches?

Rarely: Search metrics aren’t tracked or reviewed. (0)

Sometimes: Reports are reviewed occasionally but not acted on consistently. (1)

Almost always: Search performance data is tracked, reviewed, and used to drive improvements. (2)

12. Do your eCommerce and sales teams use search data to improve other business decisions?

Rarely: Search data isn’t shared or acted upon. (0)

Sometimes: Some collaboration exists but without a clear process. (1)

Almost always: Teams regularly use search insights to guide merchandising and promotions. (2)

About Layer One’s Site Search Self-Check for B2B Distributors

The Three-Minute Site Search Self-Check was developed by Layer One’s digital commerce experts using insights gained from optimizing distributor eCommerce sites. Each question reflects real challenges faced by B2B teams, ranging from data structure and filter design to search relevance and buyer behavior. This diagnostic tool helps distributors benchmark their current site search performance and identify opportunities for measurable improvement. It’s fast, practical, and built from the same methodology behind Layer One’s Search Fitness Program.

Layer One works with B2B distributors across North America to diagnose and strengthen the most critical component of eCommerce success, site search. Our Search Fitness Program combines data-driven analysis, guided configuration, and ongoing optimization to help teams improve findability, increase conversions, and deliver a better buyer experience.

Whether you serve regional contractors or national accounts, our digital experts ensure your search technology performs consistently for every product, every query, and every customer. We support distributors using platforms like Optimizely, Unilog, Sitecore, nopCommerce, and Shopify, with their native search capabilities, as well as custom or advanced tools such as Hawksearch, Algolia, and Searchspring

Local expertise, national reach. From Milwaukee to Dallas to Toronto, Layer One partners with leading distributors to make search faster, smarter, and more profitable. If your search results aren’t driving sales, or your buyers say “search sucks”, our team can help you fix it.