Equalize is the Empathy Platform Playboard tool that allows you to modify the order in which your search results appear on the search engine results page (SERP) by changing the weighting of your product catalogue attributes. You can determine the relevance and importance of the searchable fields of your product catalogue with different scoring criteria such as textual match, semantic match, global business rules, and function score.

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Still not clear on how your product catalogue attributes are weighted? See Equalize overview.

With Equalize, you have granular control and visibility over how product results are ranked in your commerce store and the ability to adapt them quickly. So, you meet your business intentions and give shoppers the most relevant results.

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Use Equalize to reshape the overall importance of the product attribute in calculating the product scoring. Use Query Ranking tool to rank products and product groups based on specific attribute values on the SERP and on the product category pages (PCP).

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See Understand search relevancy to better understand what, why, and how affect to your commerce store search results with the Playboard's Explain tool.

Getting started with the Equalize management tool

When accessing the Equalize management tool, within the Play section of the Playboard menu, you see a list with the existing configurations for the instance. You can create, edit, delete, or even turn on or off an equalize configuration without having to delete it.

If you have created no configurations yet, the configuration list shows only the EQ Default configuration that is a starting point to begin with the weighting of your product catalogue attributes.

Where to start?

EQ Default configuration is set up through the Instance Management during implementation and it cannot be turned off nor modified via the Equalize management tool. This default setup affects the results scoring when there isn’t another equalize configuration for the same context. Read more about the EQ Default configuration. Contact your Key Account Manager if any changes must be made.

List view of the Equalize - (A) Filters and search, (B) Action tools, (C) Equalize configuration list, (D) Row selector, and (E) Page navigation options.

The Equalize configurations list (C) displays the details of the equalize configurations:

• Name: the identifying name for the configuration. You can sort the results by name.
• ID: the identifier automatically assigned to the configuration created. You can use the ID for A/B test different equalize configurations with your preferred A/B testing tool. Click the ID or hover over it and click the copy icon to copy it to clipboard.
• Language: the language set up for your implementation.
• Filters: the values selected for one or several segments based on your implementation to customize different scenarios, if applicable.
• Modified: the scoring criteria set up for the equalize configuration—textual match, semantic match, global business rules, and function score. Criteria are highlighted in bold when used.
• Updated on/by: the date and time when the last changes were made to the configuration and the person who performed these changes. You can sort the results by date with the Updated on field.
• Status: the status of the configuration. It shows whether the equalize configuration is on or off.

Use the filters and search box (A) of the configuration list view to find the equalize configuration you need. You can search by configuration name or update date. When using the search box, you can search for strict matching results to get results that match exactly the query you entered. You can choose to have non-strict matching results, including either the configurations whose name matches exactly or partially your query terms.

You can select the number of configurations to be displayed in the list with the row selector (D) and navigate to other pages in the configuration list using the page navigation options (E).

To add a new configuration from the list screen, select the + NEW button. To edit an existing configuration, click its row to open the edition screen. To edit or clone one configuration, or delete, turn on or off several configurations, select the checkbox next to the corresponding configurations and use the action tools (B) or the options displayed on the three-dot icon on the left.

Creating an Equalize configuration

You create an equalize configuration from the Equalize list screen. Select the + NEW button.

Edit view of the Equalize functionality - (A) Details, (B) Filters, (C) Equalize settings, and (D) Preview.

The details (A) pane is used to set up whether the configuration is turned on and running for the filters and settings you are establishing. As well, you define a name for your equalize configuration, and add notes relative to the settings or changes made, if desired. After setting up the configuration, you find its ID also included in this section, previous to the notes.

The filters (B) allow you to set the specific context for your configuration. Depending on your implementation, you have different segments to filter by such as language, country, store, device, etc.

The Equalize settings (C) pane is where you can weight the product catalogue attributes using one, two, three or the four scoring criteria to affect the position of product results list: textual match, semantic match, global business rules, and function score.

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You can use one, two, three, or the four scoring criteria combining them depending on your needs, considering that the textual match criterion is the only one that can be used alone. As the scoring criteria are set up through the Instance Management tool during implementation, contact your Key Account Manager to make the necessary changes.

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Find more information about the scoring criteria in the Equalize overview.

The preview (D) area presents a visualization of the product results that are returned by the search engine once you enter a query, allowing you to check instantly the outcome while you fine-tune one or more of the scoring criteria. The history of queries is displayed too. The preview displays a thumbnail of the product, the product name, and, when hovering over, the product ID. You can use preview filters to check how shoppers see the products in the results grid with those filters applied.

To create an equalize configuration:

1. Decide whether the configuration is turned on or off (A). Switch the toggle button if you want the equalize configuration to be off for now.

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   If you turn off the configuration, you can turn it on later using the action tools in the equalize list screen.

2. Enter a name (A) for your configuration. As this field is mandatory, filters and settings are inactive until you fill it in. Add your comments in the notes text box if needed, for example, to differentiate similar configurations or to describe its purpose.

3. Select the filters (B) to customize the scenario for your equalize configuration (for example, desktop or mobile devices, specific divisions only, language, etc.). Filters are determined by your implementation.

4. Define the equalize options in the Settings section (C). Expand and modify any of the four scoring criteria—textual match, semantic match, global business rules, and function score— based on your business strategy preferences.

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   When you create a new configuration, the EQ Default configuration is inherited for the four scoring criteria. However, you can modify their values to affect the products’ results ranking on the SERP. You can go back to the inherited default configuration by clicking the so-called button.

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   To go deeper into the different controls you can apply, check the Equalize overview.

5. Type a query in the Preview section (D) and check in real time the position of the products in the results list based on the criteria you configured. You can adjust the weights of product attributes to fine-tune their relevancy; results are reordered accordingly.

6. Click Save.

Turning off an Equalize configuration

You can configure an equalize configuration and turn it off temporarily, without having to delete it. This way, you can reuse it on future occasions, for example, during sales season.

To turn off an existing configuration:

1. Select the checkbox of the configuration you want to turn off in the Equalize configuration list screen.
2. Select the Turn off option in the actions tool menu to deactivate the selected configuration. A confirmation message appears at the button of the sreen.

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You can turn off an existing equalize configuration using the toggle button on the Edit equalize screen. Use the pencil icon on the Equalize list screen to start editing the configuration. You can directly create a turned off configuration. See the Creating an Equalize configuration section.