Faceted Search
Search interface that lets users refine results using multiple filters or facets like category, price, brand, and attributes.
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Start Free TrialView PricingImagine walking into a physical store and asking “I’m looking for running shoes.” The sales assistant doesn’t just point you to all shoes, they ask follow-up questions: “What size? What’s your budget? Any preferred brands? What color?” Each question helps narrow down to exactly what you want.
Faceted search works the same way, but digitally. It’s the system of filters you see on webshops: checkboxes for brands, sliders for price, options for size and color. Instead of typing a more specific search query, you click a few filters and instantly see only products that match all your criteria.
This might seem simple, but faceted search is one of the most powerful tools for helping customers find exactly what they want without frustration.
Why faceted search matters
Let’s say a customer searches for “laptop” in your electronics store. You have 500 laptops. Showing all 500 at once is overwhelming, the customer would need to scroll endlessly, comparing options manually. This is where they often give up and leave.
With faceted search, they see filters: Brand (Apple, Dell, HP…), Price Range ($300-$500, $500-$1000…), Screen Size (13”, 15”, 17”…), Memory (8GB, 16GB, 32GB…). They click “Apple”, “$1000-$1500”, and “13 inch”. Instantly, the 500 options narrow to maybe 8 laptops that match all three criteria. Now they can actually evaluate their options and make a decision.
This transformation, from overwhelming choice to manageable options, is why faceted search typically increases conversion rates by 25-30%. Customers find what they want faster, with less effort and frustration.
How customers actually use facets
Here’s what happens in a typical shopping session with faceted search:
A customer searches for “winter jacket”. They get hundreds of results. They immediately look at the filters to narrow things down. They click “Men’s” because they’re shopping for themselves. Now maybe 200 jackets. They set a price range, “$100-$200”. Down to 80 jackets. They select “Waterproof” and “Size L”. Suddenly they’re looking at just 12 jackets that meet all their requirements.
Each click refines the results, progressively narrowing from broad to specific. This process feels intuitive and empowering, customers feel in control, methodically eliminating options that don’t fit their needs.
The alternative, typing increasingly specific queries like “men’s waterproof winter jacket size L under $200”, is tedious and requires knowing exactly how to phrase everything. Faceted search lets customers think visually and click, which is much easier.
What makes good facets
Not all facets are equally useful. Good faceted search presents the right filters in the right way. Let me explain what this means:
First, facets should be relevant to the product category. When someone searches for clothing, showing facets for Size, Color, Brand, and Price makes sense. Showing Warranty Period or Technical Specifications doesn’t. When someone searches electronics, the opposite is true. Context matters.
Second, facets should be ordered by usefulness. The most important filters appear at the top. For fashion, Size and Color usually come first. For electronics, Brand and Price Range might be most important. Less critical filters can be collapsed or placed lower.
Third, facets should show what’s actually available. This is called “dynamic faceting”. If someone filters by “Women’s Shoes”, the Size facet should update to show women’s shoe sizes, not men’s sizes. If they select “Red”, the available sizes should only show sizes that exist in red shoes. This prevents the frustrating experience of selecting filters that lead to zero results.
Fourth, facet values should show counts. Next to each option, show how many products match. “Nike (47)” tells the customer that clicking Nike will show 47 products. “Size 9 (3)” shows only 3 products in size 9 exist. These counts help customers make informed decisions about which filters to apply.
Common facet types
Different types of filters work for different kinds of information:
Checkboxes work well for attributes where multiple selections make sense. Brand is a great example, customers might want to see both Nike and Adidas products. Color too, maybe they’re open to both blue and black. Multiple checkboxes let them see all options that match any of their selections.
Radio buttons work for mutually exclusive options. Condition (New vs. Used) makes sense here, a product can’t be both. Customer Rating might use radio buttons too, you’re selecting a minimum threshold, not multiple specific ratings.
Range sliders work perfectly for continuous values like price. Customers can drag to set their budget range. Some sites use sliders for other ranges too, like screen size or weight. Sliders feel natural and let customers quickly adjust without typing.
Color swatches are visual representations of color options. Instead of text saying “Red” or “Blue”, customers see actual color squares. This is much more intuitive for color selection, customers can see exactly what “burgundy” or “navy” looks like.
Dropdowns work for facets with many values that won’t all fit on screen. Country lists or detailed product specifications might use dropdowns to save space. However, dropdowns hide options, so they’re less discovery-friendly than visible checkboxes.
The zero-results problem
Here’s a frustration many webshops create: you select filters, thinking they’ll narrow down to what you want, but instead you get “0 results found”. You selected filters that can’t be satisfied together, maybe size 10 in a color that doesn’t exist in size 10.
This happens with “static” facets that show all possible options regardless of what’s actually available given your other selections. It’s technically simpler to build, but creates terrible user experience.
“Dynamic” facets solve this by updating options as you filter. Select “Women’s Category” and suddenly the Size facet only shows women’s sizes that actually exist in the current results. Select “Red” and only sizes available in red shoes remain clickable. You physically can’t select a combination that leads to zero results.
Dynamic facets require more sophisticated technology, the search needs to recalculate available options with each filter change. But the payoff in user experience is enormous. Customers never hit dead ends, they always make progress toward findable products.
Mobile faceted search
Faceted search gets tricky on mobile devices where screen space is limited. Desktop can show filters in a permanent sidebar, but mobile needs a different approach.
Most successful mobile implementations use a sliding panel or modal overlay. Customers tap a “Filters” button, and the facets slide in from the side or appear as a full-screen overlay. They select their filters, tap “Apply” or “Show Results”, and the overlay closes, showing filtered results.
Mobile facets also need to be touch-friendly, larger tap targets, clearer labels, easier to scroll through options. The desktop approach of cramming many small checkboxes doesn’t work on small screens.
Some sites use a simpler mobile approach: show only the 3-4 most important facets prominently, with others available in a “More Filters” section. This reduces cognitive load while still enabling refinement.
What this means for your webshop
Faceted search transforms how customers shop. Instead of relying on perfect search queries or endless scrolling, they can methodically narrow down to exactly what they want through simple clicks.
The impact is measurable: faceted search typically reduces time-to-purchase, increases conversion rates, and improves customer satisfaction. Customers who use filters are showing high intent, they’re refining because they’re seriously shopping, not just browsing.
Modern search solutions like TextAtlas include intelligent faceted search that automatically generates relevant facets based on your product catalog, updates dynamically as customers filter, and adapts to different devices. The system figures out which facets matter most for each product category and presents them in the most useful order.
From your perspective, it means customers can find products even when they don’t know exactly how to search for them. They can explore, refine, and discover products visually and intuitively, turning browsers into buyers.
Contents
Ready to improve your store's search?
Get started with TextAtlas in minutes. No credit card required.
Start Free TrialView PricingFrequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between facets and filters?
How many facets should I show?
Should facets update as filters are applied?
How do you handle facets with many values?
Related Terms
Instant Search
Search that displays results immediately as you type, without needing to press enter or click a search button.
Semantic Search
Search technology that understands the meaning and context behind queries, rather than just matching keywords.
Search Relevance
How well search results match the intent and expectations of a user's query.
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