Search Results - Files
OfflineHi,
I am looking for ideas on how other digital workplaces are managing files if using wikis for a knowledge base within the platform. I would like to streamline the initial search results for our users and ideally remove the independent file as a search result.
Background:
- We have 2 separate pages within our knowledge base; one for policies and one for procedures.
- A wiki index is available for each, with color coded channels and an alphabetical list of content.
- To maintain this consistency, our policies (that are often PDF) are embedded into a wiki so the page layout is the same as procedures using wikis.
The issue is when using the Search Everywhere function, there are duplicate results; the file and the wiki. This occurs regardless if the file is attached to the wiki, then embedded, or the file is uploaded to a separate file folder, then embedded.
What I have tried:
- Hiding the file folder
- Hiding the file folder still allows the content to appear in search.
- Adding recommended search terms
- The file still appears as a top item due to relevancy weighting.
- Attachment vs folder upload
- Results appear the same when using Search Everywhere.
Yes, users can customize their search results, however, most will not. I would like to streamline the search results page for my users, directing users to the wiki as the source of truth, and remove the independent file as a primary search result.
Thanks for any feedback!
9 Replies
Hi Sara, great discussion to start! Have you thought about using recommended search? I'm also wondering what Anitra Schmucker Rohrer is doing with this?
Hi Jonna Pedersen
Yes, I have used recommended search results. The file relevancy seems to be outweighing the recommended search result of the wiki or because both were added to the site at the same time, there is the same weight on both and both are appearing together.
Sara Ellington did a best of testing with Ryan Stevens (thanks Ryan!) and we discovered if you embed the file, then archive the file; the wiki only returns in search (plus shows no indication of the file being archived). Let us know if you need more help on this :)
Hi Jonna Pedersen
Interesting idea. For archive, was that moved to another location? For adding versions, would the item need to be unarchived, replaced, then archived again?
Thanks!
Sara Ellington it's not moved to another location, but any version or updates would require you to unarchive, update and rearchive.
I had a small use case with this issue. We solved it by attaching the file to the wiki, then embedding the attached file it in the body of the wiki. This resulted in only one item in search and gave users the ability to see the embed and download the attachment if necessary right from the wiki.
Hi Tammy Triplett
Thanks for sharing this. I previously explored this, however, when replacing the document in the attachment, the wiki must be saved, edited again to access the embed code, and resaved, which doubles the number of "versions" and opens the possibility of missing updating the embed code.
Sara Ellington True - It worked for our small use case, but I can see how that would be an issue for some use cases.
Thanks for the tag Jonna Pedersen!
At this point, we have not encountered this issue. However, I am in the process of adding our Team Member Handbook through the use of wikis on our site. I imagine anything could happen once we have a dedicated handbook space. This will be a great thread to reference in the future!