Search and discovery service provider Algolia today announced the acquisition of SeaUrchin.IO, a real-time search insights platform, to add greater understanding of user behavior to its solution.
Algolia’s search-as-a-service product “helps developers working in ecommerce and B-to-B deliver a great user experience,” Nicolas Dessaigne, Algolia’s founder, told SD Times. “We want to improve the search experience for the end user,” he added.”To do that, we have to understand their behavior – what they’ve been searching and how they behave after the search… what they’re clicking on.” He used ecommerce as an example, discussing how Algolia customers will now be able link purchase activity back to the search.
Maxime Prades, vice president of product at Algolia, explained that prior to today’s acquisition announcement, users of the company’s software could track search performance but could not tie that information to any particular subsequent action by a user. The SeaUrchin.IO technology, she explained, “creates actionable insights for businesses. They can see trends, like ‘how many people are making typos in queries,’ and that how they search for a particular thing might be different from what the company expected.”
With 58 data centers around the world, Dessaigne said Algolia’s goal is to make sure the service is never down, and that the search yields instant results. “We want an engaging experience,” he said.
Algolia’s service includes new analytics and click analytics APIs, which – with the SeaUrchin.IO technology baked in – helps companies track not only what is being clicked on via search, but conversions and engagement performance as well, Prades said.
“Our customers are sitting on a wealth of data – every search query, every click contains valuable insights about their users are ultimately looking for,” Dessaigne said in a statement announcing the acquisition. “Our mission is to give developers the building blocks to create intuitive and rewarding user experiences.”
