Search checklist for Black Friday: 14 things to check before 20 November

• 1. Zero-result queries from the last 90 days reviewed, and the top ones fixed or deliberately left.
• 2. Synonym groups added for the words shoppers use and you do not (and a note kept of every rule).
• 3. Misspellings of your top ten product names tried on the live store.
• 4. Redirects set for generic phrases such as “sale”, “gifts” and “deals” to the collections that answer them.
• 5. Gift phrases tested: a person, an occasion and a budget in one sentence, such as “a present for my dad under 50”. Note what comes back, and add descriptions where it is empty.

• 6. Out-of-stock products: decide whether they show, show as sold out or hide, and check what a search for them returns.
• 7. Sale collection order checked: best-selling and in-stock items first, not sold-out items.
• 8. Sale prices and compare-at prices consistent between the product page, the collection and search results.

• 9. Search tried on a real phone on mobile data, not only on a desktop with a wide window.
• 10. Search results page and predictive search load without visible delay; check again after your Black Friday banners and apps are in place.

• 11. Fallback if a search or chat app fails: you know how to switch it off (theme editor or app embed toggle) and who does it on the day.
• 12. Plain Shopify search still works with every app disabled, tested in a theme preview.
• 13. Support: someone named answers “I can’t find…” messages during the sale, with a list of the usual answers pinned.
• 14. A date for the last change: no new apps, theme edits or imports after it, and a day of testing before the sale starts.

None of these items requires an app. If you also want shoppers who describe a need in a sentence to get one product and a reason, OneSite Assistant does that from your catalogue; it needs descriptions that say what products are for, which is item 5. Delivery times are yours: publish your cut-off dates and tell gift shoppers to order early before Christmas.

Run the free zero-results check on your store domain. It lists shopper phrases your search is likely to return nothing for. The result says “likely”; it is not a measurement of your real traffic.

Install OneSite Assistant from the Shopify App Store. In the Shopify app you approve the plan right after install and start with a free trial. See the pricing and the questions worth asking before you install.

• Shopify store search got worse: what to check
• Board game gift guide for store owners
• Book gift guide for store owners
• Perfume gift guide for store owners