How to improve knowledge search relevancy

[pavanvattumilli]

We are finding gaps in how knowledge search results are displaying based on Key Words and Incident Short Description. I Known it depends on how user provide Key Words and does search, but from system end if there way to improve. We are seeing different results when different users give same key words.

Also can I get documentation how search functionality works in service now

[Nia McCash]

Here's an article on the search functionality, tweeted by SN Support twitter account recently: SN Pro Tips — Powerful Scripted Text Search in ServiceNow

[annh]

We are seeing the same issue. We have found that the Knowledge search results are different when searching from within an Incident record versus searching directly from the Knowledge Base.   We have had users test entering the exact same search terms in the Short description field of an Incident and in the search field in the Knowledge Base, and the results are different.   We have good metadata in our articles, and even when the user searches the exact search phrase as listed in the Meta field, the search results are inconsistent.

Can anyone offer some insight on why this is true and how to combat it?   Our Service Desk team and other Knowledge users are frustrated and losing faith in the usefulness of the system.

[Rich A]

I have found out writing articles for my team/department in Service Now the search also bases on the weight of a word in the meta tag area. If you have an article and you want to show at the top since there is a big change happening, in the meta tag area you would put the key words multiple times. 

ie. If the issue is dealing with citrix upgrade in the meta data for the KB article you would put something like this...

citrix upgrade, citrix upgrade, citrix upgrade, citrix upgrade, citrix upgrade, citrix upgrade, citrix upgrade, citrix upgrade

From our understanding since this is listed more than just one time like a normal article would be it will show at the top of search results. What my issue that I run into now is that after time there will be multiple articles written that will be in the same category and will then compete to be at to the top for relevancy.