Query Ranking management tool in the Empathy Platform Playboard allows you to boost and bury products or product attribute values to modify product position after the search query is entered on both the search engine results page (SERP) and product category pages (PCP). This tool also allows you to hide products and to pin products to a certain position on the SERP.

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Products' position can be boosted or buried, increasing or decreasing their final score by giving more points to a certain product attribute value (soft boosting or burying) or the product itself to place it on the first or last position on the SERP (hard boosting or burying). Refer to Attribute Ranking or Product Ranking respectively to find more details.

Getting started with Query Ranking management tool

When you access the Query Ranking management tool, you view a list of all existing query ranking configurations for the instance. If you have not created any configurations, the list contains no rows.

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

The list table displays the details of the query ranking configurations (C):

• Name: the identifying name for the configuration.
• Queries: the initial query or queries that shoppers must use to display product results.
• Language: the language set up for your implementation.
• Modified: the attribute ranking, hidden attributes, product ranking, pinned product, and hidden products settings established for the query ranking configuration. Settings 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 configuration is turned on or off.

Use the filters and search box (A) of the configuration list view to find the query ranking configuration you need. 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 configuration 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 a query ranking configuration

To add a new configuration from the list screen, click the + NEW button.

Edit view of the Query Ranking management tool - (A) Details pane, (B) Filters, (C) Query Ranking settings, and (D) Preview.

The details (A) area is used to set up whether the configuration is turned on and running for the queries, filters, and settings you're establishing. Also, you define a name and you enter the query or queries your configuration relates to. When you create a new configuration, an ID field is automatically filled. You can copy it for A/B testing in your preferred testing tool.

The filters (B) area is used 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 Query Ranking settings (C) is where you can boost, bury, and hide product attribute values and products, and pin products to a certain position. Configurations established for product attribute values, and products are also listed in this area.

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 define the boosting, burying, and hiding of products and product attribute values, and the pinning of products. The preview displays a thumbnail of the product and the product name. When hovering over, you see the complete name, the product ID, and the Boost, Bury, Pin, and Hide buttons. The preview section provides several tools for a smooth configuration experience. If you've set multiple queries, you can use the query dropdown menu to switch between them and view their related results. The search bar allows you to search for products and product IDs. Since configurations can be scheduled, you can narrow the results by setting a date range.

To create a query ranking configuration:

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

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

2. Enter a name and define the query or queries (A) your configuration relates to.

3. Select the filters (B) to customize the scenario for your configuration (for example, language: English). Filters are determined by your implementation.

4. In the Settings section (C), you can create different configurations depending on the purpose you want to achieve:

   • Attribute Ranking (soft ranking): Boost or bury attribute values to softly modify the product positioning on the SERP based on your business strategy preferences.

     • Click the + (plus) icon. The Attribute ranking pop-up window appears. You can cancel the action by clicking outside the window or using the X icon.
     • Set your configuration to be always active or schedule it for a determined period. Go to the Scheduling a configuration section to learn how to schedule attribute ranking configurations.
     • Select a product attribute and a value for it. You can search for the attributes and values to find the desired ones. If an attribute doesn't have any value available, you cannot create a configuration for it.
     • Click the Boost or Bury button to add your configuration to the list.

   • Hidden Attributes: Hide an attribute that a group of products have in common to prevent these products from being shown on the SERP. For example, the apple value for the brand attribute hides all the iPhones when looking for a smartphone.

     • Click the + (plus) icon. The Hidden attribute pop-up window appears. You can cancel the action by clicking outside the window or using the X icon.
     • Set your configuration to be always active or schedule it for a determined period. Go to the Scheduling a configuration section to learn how to schedule hidden attribute configurations.
     • Select a product attribute and a value for it. You can search for the attributes and values to find the desired ones. If an attribute doesn't have any value available, you cannot create a configuration for it.
     • Click the Hide button to add your configuration to the list.

   • Product Ranking (hard ranking): Boost or bury products to hardly modify their positioning and send them to the first or last position of the SERP.

     • Click the + (plus) icon. The Product ranking pop-up window appears. You can cancel the action by clicking outside the window or using the X icon.

     • Set your configuration to be always active or schedule it for a determined period. Go to the Scheduling a configuration section to learn how to schedule product ranking configurations.

     • Type a product ID and press Enter. To enter more than one product ID at a time—former Quick Boosting functionality—, use a semicolon (;) or a comma (,) as a separator. For example, enter “3397;3398;3399” to boost products with IDs 3397, 3398, and 3399.

     • Click the Boost or Bury buttons to add your configuration to the list. Note that you can boost or bury products directly in the Preview section (D) by hovering over a product's thumbnail in the results list and clicking the Boost or Bury buttons. The product is added to the list in the Product Ranking settings section and sent to its corresponding position on the SERP preview.

       Considerations to boost or bury more than one product

       • Make sure you enter valid product IDs. Product IDs are not checked against the product catalog. If you enter an invalid product ID, it will be ignored. All other valid product IDs are added to the product list.
       • When several products are boosted or buried at the same time, the order they follow on the SERP is the order they have in the configuration list.
       • Products with conflicts are highlighted in red. A conflict may occur due to an existing product boost or bury. For example:
         • A product may have been boosted with an always-active schedule, and you try to create a new boost or bury for the same product ID, duplicating the product boost.
         • A product may have been buried with a schedule, and you try to create a new buried product with an always-active schedule. You cannot boost or bury products with conflicts. In these cases, you should remove the product from the Product ID field to save the configuration for the remaining products, and revise the existing configuration for the product ID in the product list.
       • If you want to change the schedule applied to the products or remove the boost or bury after you create it, you must edit or delete each product individually in the product list.

   • Pinned Products: Pin a product in a specific position within the first page of the SERP. This way, the organically assigned position for this product is modified and replaced by the configured one. For example, a product organically placed in position 35 can appear in position seven if you pin it to be there.

     • Click the + (plus) icon. The Pin product pop-up window appears. You can cancel the action by clicking outside the window or using the X icon.
     • Set your configuration to be always active or schedule it for a determined period. Go to the Scheduling a configuration section to schedule pinned products.
     • Enter the product ID and indicate the position you want the product pinned. Alternatively, pin a product directly in the Preview section (D) by hovering over a product's thumbnail in the results list and clicking the Pin button. The Pin product window pops up for you to set the configuration. Then, the product is added to the list in the Pinned Products settings section and moved to the configured position.
     • Click the Pin button to add your configuration to the list.

   • Hidden Products: Hide a product on the SERP.

     • Click the + (plus) icon. The Hide product pop-up window appears. You can cancel the action by clicking outside the window or using the X icon.
     • Set your configuration to be always active or schedule it for a determined period. Go to the Scheduling a configuration section to schedule hidden products.
     • Type a product ID and press Enter. To hide more than one product ID at a time, use a semicolon (;) or a comma (,) as a separator. For example, enter "758,928,4568" to hide products with IDs 758, 928, and 4568.
     • Click the Hide button to add your configuration to the list. Note that you can hide products directly in the Preview section (D) by hovering over a product's thumbnail in the results list and clicking the Hide button. The product is added to the list in the Hidden Products settings section.

5. Select a query in the Preview section (D) and add a keyword in the search box to narrow down the results, if desired. You can also select a date to preview the results and check the position of the products in the results list in real time based on the settings you configured. Results are updated automatically when you modify your configuration.

6. Once finished, click Save.

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You cannot boost, bury, or hide products that have already been pinned in a certain position or place two products in the same position. However, you can modify, schedule, or preview your pinned products as you do when boosting, burying, or hiding them.

Fine-tuning settings

In every configuration list of the Settings section, you find a Pencil icon to edit the setups. The Edit panel appears for editing the configuration details or adding a specific schedule. If you add a new schedule, a Calendar icon is shown in the list. Hover over the Calendar icon to check the schedule details affecting the product.

You can reorder the settings configured for attributes or products to determine how a boosted or buried setting affects the product ranking. To reorder your settings, drag and drop the configuration to the desired position on the list. The higher the setting is on the list, the more points are added to or subtracted from the product scoring.

Scheduling a configuration

Query Ranking lets you set a date and range for which the boost, bury, pin, or hide configuration is applied. There are three types of schedules:

• Start date and end date: The configuration is active for the period selected. After the period has passed, products are ranked according to the organic query relevancy.
  For example, you may want to boost soft drinks during the summer season but want these products to return to the standard ranking after this period.
• Start date only: The configuration is active from the date selected.
  For example, you may want to set up an “always active” product boost to be applied at a future date.
• End date only: The configuration is active until the date selected. For example, you may want to promote sales of a specific brand for the next two weeks by listing it at the top of the results for the query.

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You can select the Always active option to make the configuration active for an indefinite period. For example, you may want to display a specific product always at the top of the results page for merchandising reasons.

To add a schedule to a boost, bury, pin, or hide configuration:

1. Click the Pencil icon in the corresponding settings list or add the schedule directly while initially setting the configuration.
2. Select the Scheduled option.
3. Use the date picker to choose a start date and time in the Active from field and an end date and time in the Active to (if required).
4. Click Boost, Bury, Pin, or Hide depending on the configuration you're setting.

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Attribute values or products cannot have conflicting schedules for the same query. For example, if you set up a product to be always hidden, you cannot boost the same product for the date range “01/03/2022 – 04/04/2022”.

Previewing the results

The Preview (D) section displays the results for the query selected, including those products you have boosted, buried, pinned, or hidden. The configurations you've established cause some products to be highlighted on the SERP as follows:

• Boosted attributes: products surrounded by a green square.
• Buried attributes: products surrounded by a red square.
• Boosted products: products with a green footer and up arrow icon.
• Buried products: products with a red footer and down arrow icon.
• Pinned products: products with a yellow footer and a tack icon.
• Hidden products: products with a grey footer and a crossed-out eye icon.

The preview is updated when you finish your configuration settings. If you have applied a schedule, you can select a date to preview how the products are ordered on that date.

Boosting products for no-result queries

Sometimes shoppers face situations when a query they're looking for return low results or no results at all. To avoid shoppers' frustration, you can create Query Ranking configurations that show products you have previously boosted in the SERP.

To boost products when a query returns no or low results:

1. Follow the steps 1 to 3 from the Creating a query ranking configuration section and define the low or no-result query or queries (A) you want to boost products for.
2. Click the + (plus) icon in the Product Ranking settings (C).
3. Determine the schedule to apply for the boost, if required. For example, you add a schedule “02/05/2023 12:00 AM to 05/06/2023 12:00 AM”. Otherwise, select the Always active option.
4. Enter the product IDs for all the products to be boosted. To enter more than one product ID at a time—former Quick Boosting functionality—, use a semicolon (;) or a comma (,) as a separator. For example, enter “3397;3398;3399” to boost products with IDs 3397, 3398, and 3399.
5. Click Boost to place the products first in the results list.
6. Check that all products appear in the Product Ranking settings list and click Save to keep the configuration.