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Search and you shall find

Demystifying search engines so you can be found 

Searches and being found in search results is key for designers. Depending on the search engine used to look for patterns the designer needs to provide the information in different ways, this is called search engine optimisation and you probably recognise it by the abbreviation SEO.

One thing that they all have in common is that you need to try to figure out what the users are searching for. You can add all the fancy names and words you want, but if that’s not what customers are searching for, then your page/pattern won’t be found.
The search engines also work differently and take different information into account in the search. Google works in one way, but if you also sell patterns on Ravelry and LoveKnitting they both have internal search engines that you need to think about.


Ravelry

The internal search on Ravelry searches in the pattern name field, but doesn’t take the pattern description into account. The filters enables the user to narrow down the search based on the attributes of the pattern, as long as the designer has given the correct attributes.
If the person uploading the pattern to Ravelry uses too many or too few attributes it will be harder to find the pattern, but if you know the name of the pattern it’s really easy.
Ravelry had a very good post on the front page on March 9 2018 about the search box versus filters and this extract summarises the post:

For most of the searches you want to do on Ravelry, using the filters to the side of the search is going to give you more targeted results than using the search box. Why? For patterns, the search box looks at pattern title, designer name, source name, and then the notes from linked projects. To search by the information that a designer has entered to describe their pattern you need to use the filters.

LoveKnitting and LoveCrochet

The internal search takes title, designer name and description into account, so using a title like “Blue lacy baby blanket knitting pattern” isn’t very useful, put that in the description instead and name your pattern something interesting, easy to remember and spell. The search will pick it up as long as the words are in the description.
The filters can help narrow down the search, but there are only including filters and no exclusions, so the net is cast wide.

Google

Searches on Google takes all indexed information into account. So if you’re selling your patterns on a marketplace which doesn’t index every pattern page to Google, they won’t appear in a google search. If the platform you’re using index the pattern pages, then you need to hit those keywords to appear in the search. Put important keywords higher up on the page, that way the keyword counts as more important.
Put yourself in the customer’s shoes. What are the search terms or filters you’re using to find what you’re looking for? Are you looking for a baby blanket in general, or a specific baby blanket. If the name of the pattern is ‘Baby blanket’ it will show up in searches for baby blankets, but it will be one of many. Make sure you have all the keywords covered to make sure your pattern appears in the search results.
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