Search Tool Revamp NationalGeographic.com

The Opportunity

The Nat Geo search functionality was a persistent pain point for both users and stakeholders, primarily due to a confusing algorithm that surfaced outdated, irrelevant content, the lack of filtering or sorting options, and an outdated search page flow. Given the vast breadth of Nat Geo’s content library, an effective internal search experience is critical to help users find relevant content quickly and easily.

My Role

While initially not on the roadmap, I identified the need to improve Nat Geo’s search tool during interviews for the global navigation redesign. I proposed a two-phase approach:

Phase 1: Implement quick, low-resource improvements—revamped algorithm, sorting/filtering, and search suggestions—while continuing work on the larger navigation project.
Phase 2: Introduce inline search as part of the global nav redesign, making search more accessible and intuitive.

As lead product manager, I secured stakeholder buy-in, partnered with design, led algorithm updates, wrote requirements, and championed the rollout across the organization.

The Outcome

Attempted searches increased by 15% across mobile and desktop.

8% increased click-through rate from the search results page across platforms.

Desktop

Mobile

Key Features

Inline search from the global navigation
Three (3) new filtering and sorting dropdowns on the NatGeo.com search page:
- Sort by: best match (default), most recent
- Refine by: Publication date (last week, last month, last year)
- Refine by: Categories (dynamic based on the search query)

Improved search algorithm to surface relevant and recent results higher
Type-to-search functionality to suggest search terms as the user types
Display number of search results
Improved ‘no results’ messaging
Design updates to the popular searches module & search bar