# Highlighting the Search Term in Results: A/B Test Idea

Page: https://alidemirbas.com.tr/en/lab/ab-test-library/tests/highlighting-the-search-term-in-results-ab-test-idea

## Hypothesis

If the search term is marked in result titles, visitors may see faster how each result matches their query. That could make the right product easier to pick and raise product page visit rate, though it may also make weak matches more obvious.

## When to run this test

Plan this test when you notice visitors cannot tell which result fits their query, such as a new query submitted right after results load, session recordings of a cursor moving back and forth between titles, or exits from the results page with no click. When highlighting does its job, visitors pick the matching result sooner and need fewer follow-up queries. If search logs show irrelevant results ranking near the top, ranking may be the real problem; fix search quality first, because highlighting will not make up for it.

## Primary metric

**Product page visit rate**: Compare product-page visits per eligible assigned visitor who sees the same search results; clicks alone do not prove the right product was found.

## Other metrics

- **Purchase conversion rate (CR)**: Compare purchases among all eligible assigned visitors over the same follow-up period.
- **New query rate**: Compare visitors who submit another query after seeing results, using the same results-impression denominator.
- **Search-results exit rate**: Compare exits among visitors assigned on the search-results page.

## What to check before and during the test

- **Highlight**: Use one fixed, accessible style to mark query-matching words in result titles.
- **Density**: Set how multiple matches are shown and check that titles remain readable.
- **Scope**: Highlight titles only; highlighting descriptions is a separate test.
- **Relevance**: Review weak matches without changing ranking during the test.
- **Device and query**: Check truncated mobile titles and predefined query-length groups.

## What to watch when reading the result

- An increase in product page visit rate alone does not show that visitors found the right product. If purchase conversion rate and new query rate do not move the same way, or search-results exit rate climbs, the highlight may be pulling weak matches into view.
- Make sure the highlight does not rely on color alone and that contrast and a second visual cue set it apart. Keep matching narrow enough that it does not mark most of a title; if titles become hard to scan, you are measuring that setting rather than highlighting itself.
- This comparison speaks only to the highlight style you tested, and only in titles; highlighting descriptions is a separate comparison. Do not carry a finding from single-word queries over to long ones, and read the predefined query-length groups and truncated mobile titles separately.
- With no clear overall gap, an effect in one query group may be getting lost in another. Before reading groups separately, use each group's product page visit rate as the baseline in the [sample size calculator](https://alidemirbas.com.tr/en/calculators/sample-size-calculator) and compare the sessions it requires per variant with what the group actually gets.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How should matching words be highlighted?

Use one fixed, sufficiently contrasting style for matched title words. Do not rely on color alone. Highlighting descriptions is a separate comparison. Predefine the criterion for reaching the correct result.

### Do more product clicks prove people found the right product?

No. Track purchase conversion and new-query rate from the same search-result population. Highlighting may expose weak matches and increase exits.

### Should mobile titles and long queries be checked separately?

Yes. Review truncated titles and predefined query-length groups. Do not generalize single-word findings to long queries. Overly broad highlighting can make scanning harder.