If you're switching to Algolia after previously using a search engine that's built-in to your website or integrated into your website by using a third-party extension, then you might wonder why the ordering of your results may be different after adding your records and configuring the index.
There are a few reasons why the order of the search results may be different.
We use a different relevance criteria
To order the search results, we use a ranking criteria to define relevance. For our algorithm, the search results rank based on the following criteria:
- Typo
- Geo
- Words
- Filters
- Proximity
- Attribute
- Exact
- Custom
- Attribute and proximity combinations
You can find out more about what this criteria means in our documentation: Ranking Critiera.
Searchable Attributes may not include every attribute you'd like
The Searchable Attributes list is for adding attributes you'd like the search engine to search through while retrieving results. Please check that list to ensure that all preferred attributes are included.
Rules, Dynamic Re-Ranking, and Personalization could be applied
Beyond applying the relevance criteria while ranking results, other factors could be at play due to an index's configuration. If you're using Rules, Dynamic Re-Ranking, or Personalization, then your search results' ranking could be affected. You can find out more about how these features are applied to ranking here: Effect on Relevance.
While we can't comment on how other search engines and extensions rank their results, we hope this article gives you information regarding how Algolia ranks your search results.