Lumenare Search includes built-in analytics to help you understand what users are searching for and optimize your search configuration.
Current release: 2.2.01
Overview
Search Analytics tracks:
- Popular Queries: Most searched terms
- Zero-Result Queries: Searches with no results
- Trending Topics: Growing search terms
- Public Search Lists: Trending or latest successful searches for frontend widgets and blocks
- Click-Through Rates: Which results users click
- Search Patterns: Usage over time
- Result Impressions: Which results appeared for known queries
- Search Intelligence Actions: CTR opportunities, query promotions, synonym drafts, reviewed/reopened states, remediation outcomes, and Search ROI
Enabling Analytics
Initial Setup
Analytics are collected by Lumenare's supported search and result-tracking requests. The 2.2.00 Analytics dashboard has period and refresh controls; there is no separate Enable Search Analytics checkbox.
- Run a few representative searches on the public site.
- Go to Settings → Lumenare Search → Analytics.
- Select a time period and click Refresh.
- Use Search Intelligence for opportunities and remediation outcomes.
Tracking Options
The dashboard reports popular queries, zero-result queries, impressions and click-through activity. Query cleaning can suppress noise, and the tracked metrics depend on which search and result surfaces visitors use. The listed metrics do not have individual on/off switches in this dashboard.
Configure Minimum Searches for Trending under Search Quality, alongside the trending-ranking settings. Its default is 5: higher values require more activity before a term is considered trending.
Viewing Analytics
Popular Queries
Location: Settings → Lumenare Search → Analytics
Shows:
- Most searched terms
- Search count
- Date range
- Trends over time
Use for:
- Identifying popular topics
- Content planning
- SEO optimization
- Understanding user intent
Zero-Result Queries
Location: Analytics tab → Zero Results section
Shows:
- Searches with no results
- Search count
- Potential content gaps
Use for:
- Identifying missing content
- Content creation ideas
- Synonym configuration
- Search optimization
- Creating editable synonym drafts in Search Intelligence
Trending Topics
Location: Analytics tab → Trending section
Shows:
- Growing search terms
- Growth rate
- Recent popularity
Use for:
- Content prioritization
- Trending ranking optimization
- Content strategy
- User interest tracking
Frontend Search Trends Lists
Location: Appearance → Widgets, or the block editor
Shows:
- Trending searches from the calculated trending table
- Latest repeated successful searches
- Optional search counts and last-searched dates
- List or chip layout
Privacy-minded defaults:
- Latest searches require repeated successful queries by default
- Zero-result searches are hidden by default
- Empty messages can be configured when there is not enough public data yet
Search Intelligence
Location: Settings → Lumenare Search → Search Intelligence
Shows:
- High-impression, low-click result opportunities
- Exact-query promotions created from reviewed opportunities
- Synonym drafts from zero-result and CTR opportunity rows
- Remediation outcomes after enough post-action traffic has accumulated
- Search ROI summary metrics for improved actions, CTR lift, zero-result change, and actions still collecting data
- Source filters for native Lumenare data and imported Ajax Search Pro history
Use for:
- Improving specific bad searches before changing global ranking weights
- Tracking whether a promotion or synonym actually helped
- Separating imported migration history from live Lumenare behavior
Unanswered Questions
Ask Site questions with insufficient evidence can appear as opportunities in Search Intelligence. A no-answer response does not necessarily mean the site lacks the content: check that the relevant post is indexed, public, included in the active profile, and retrievable by its words. For AI-written answers, check text-generation credentials and approval. For meaning reranking, also check the selected embedding service and current compatible analyses.
Enable submitted search-result answers in Search & Answers → Placement if you want an answer above ordinary results. The Ask Site form has its own placement setting. Regular search results alone do not prove that either answer surface is enabled.
See Search & Answers and Ask Site opportunities.
Using Analytics Data
Content Planning
Identify Gaps:
- Review zero-result queries
- Identify common missing topics
- Create content for popular searches
- Update existing content
Optimize Existing Content:
- Review popular queries
- Ensure content matches searches
- Update titles/excerpts if needed
- Add relevant keywords
Search Optimization
Improve Relevance:
- Review popular queries
- Check if results are relevant
- Adjust weights if needed
- Add synonyms for variations
- Configure phrase boosting
- Promote already-eligible results for exact queries when Search Intelligence shows a clear CTR opportunity
Reduce Zero Results:
- Review zero-result queries
- Create missing content
- Add synonyms for variations
- Improve content discoverability
- Apply or dismiss synonym drafts so the workflow history stays clean
SEO Benefits
Keyword Research:
- Real user search terms
- Actual search volume
- Content gaps
- Trending topics
Content Strategy:
- Popular topics to cover
- Missing content to create
- Trending areas to focus on
- User intent understanding
Data Management
Clearing Analytics Data
When to clear:
- Starting fresh
- Privacy compliance
- Reducing database size
- After major changes
The 2.2.00 Analytics dashboard does not have a Clear Analytics Data button. If your retention policy requires removing records, have the site administrator manage the plugin's analytics tables with a database backup and a plan for related impression, click and opportunity records. Removing history also changes trending and Search Intelligence reporting.
Exporting Data
Currently, analytics data can be viewed in the admin interface. Export functionality may be added in future versions.
Privacy Considerations
Data Storage:
- Stored in WordPress database
- Analytics are stored locally; optional AI features have separate provider requests
- Full control over data
- Can be cleared anytime
- Imported Ajax Search Pro data is labeled by source so native and imported analytics can be reviewed separately
Search queries and questions can contain personal information. Meaning reranking sends uncached queries to the embedding provider; content analysis sends public passages; AI-written answers send the question and retrieved passages. Review the Search & Answers data-sharing notes when updating your site's privacy policy.
Privacy Policy:
- User search queries may be personal data
- Consider privacy policy updates
- There is no dashboard switch to disable all analytics; disabling trending ranking does not stop analytics collection
- Data can be cleared
- Document Search Intelligence and impression tracking in your privacy policy if your site treats search behavior as personal data
Best Practices
Regular Review
Weekly:
- Review popular queries
- Check zero-result queries
- Identify trends
Monthly:
- Analyze search patterns
- Review content gaps
- Optimize search configuration
- Plan content strategy
Action Items
From Popular Queries:
- Create content for popular topics
- Optimize existing content
- Add synonyms for variations
- Configure phrase boosting
From Zero Results:
- Create missing content
- Add synonyms
- Improve content discoverability
- Review search configuration
- Use synonym drafts and remediation outcomes to confirm whether the change lowered zero-result rates
From Trending Topics:
- Prioritize trending content
- Update existing content
- Create related content
- Optimize trending ranking
From CTR Opportunities:
- Promote a known-good result for an exact query
- Improve titles or excerpts when users keep skipping a result
- Reopen reviewed opportunities when behavior changes
Troubleshooting
Analytics Not Tracking
Check:
- Lumenare Search is enabled and the searches use its supported integration
- Tracking options are configured
- No JavaScript errors
- Database permissions
Solutions:
- Enable analytics
- Verify that search requests and result tracking reach the plugin
- Fix JavaScript errors
- Check database permissions
Missing Data
Check:
- Searches have only recently begun using Lumenare
- Data cleared recently
- Tracking options configured
- Searches actually happening
Solutions:
- Wait for data to accumulate
- Check tracking configuration
- Verify searches are happening
- Review analytics settings