How do you handle query variations and synonyms in your search system?

1 Analyze query logs

One of the best sources of information for understanding query variations and synonyms is your own query logs. By analyzing the frequency, patterns, and performance of queries, you can identify common and uncommon variations, synonyms, misspellings, typos, abbreviations, and other query features. You can also use query logs to measure the impact of your search system changes and improvements.

2 Use query normalization

Query normalization is the process of transforming queries into a standard or canonical form that is easier to process and match. For example, you can use query normalization to remove punctuation, capitalization, accents, stop words, or other irrelevant characters from queries. You can also use query normalization to convert queries into a common language, format, or domain. Query normalization can help reduce the complexity and ambiguity of queries and improve the recall and precision of your search system.

3 Apply query expansion

Query expansion is the process of adding terms or phrases to queries that are semantically related or equivalent to the original query. For example, you can use query expansion to add synonyms, antonyms, hyponyms, hypernyms, or other related words to queries. You can also use query expansion to add spelling corrections, stemming, lemmatization, or other linguistic variations to queries. Query expansion can help increase the coverage and diversity of your search results and improve the relevance and satisfaction of your users.

4 Implement query rewriting

Query rewriting is the process of modifying queries based on the context, intent, or feedback of users. For example, you can use query rewriting to change the order, weight, or operator of query terms based on the query type, domain, or user profile. You can also use query rewriting to suggest alternative or refined queries based on the user behavior, click-through data, or query logs. Query rewriting can help optimize the performance and accuracy of your search system and improve the user experience and engagement.

5 Leverage external resources

External resources are any sources of information or knowledge that are not part of your search system but can help you handle query variations and synonyms. For example, you can leverage external resources such as dictionaries, thesauri, ontologies, taxonomies, or other knowledge bases to enrich your query understanding and expansion. You can also leverage external resources such as web data, social media, user-generated content, or other corpora to learn from the real-world usage and trends of queries and synonyms.

6 Evaluate and iterate

The last but not least tip for handling query variations and synonyms in your search system is to evaluate and iterate. Evaluation is the process of measuring the quality and effectiveness of your search system using various metrics and methods. For example, you can evaluate your search system using offline metrics such as recall, precision, F1-score, or NDCG. You can also evaluate your search system using online metrics such as click-through rate, dwell time, bounce rate, or satisfaction score. Iteration is the process of improving your search system based on the evaluation results and feedback. For example, you can iterate your search system by adding, removing, or modifying query normalization, expansion, rewriting, or external resource rules or algorithms.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?