--- sourceDocument: Brazil ServiceNow AI Platform Administration sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/platform-administration Release : - brazil ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Brazil ServiceNow AI Platform Administration ft:clusterId : - platadm bundleId : - platadm workflow : - Platform --- # Result improvement rules # Result improvement rules {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Brazil Updated September 10, 2026 ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 3 minutes to read Summarize ![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) Summarized using AI This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete. ## Summary of Result Improvement Rules Result improvement rules in ServiceNow AI Search allow you to customize search results by defining conditions that trigger actions to boost, block, or promote specific search results. These rules enable you to tailor search outcomes based on user context elements (such as country, device type, or OS) and specific query characteristics, overriding the default AI Search relevancy rankings. This capability helps you deliver more relevant and controlled search experiences. Show full answer Show less ## Rule Structure and Conditions A result improvement rule consists of: * **Activation conditions:** These include a specified date range, language matching the search query, and optional trigger conditions based on keywords, full queries, or user context attributes like department or browser version. All trigger conditions must be met for the rule to activate. * **Actions:** When activated, the rule performs actions of a single type---boost, block, or promote---on search results. Multiple actions of the same type can be included within a rule. ## Action Types * **Boost:** Increases relevancy scores for results from indexed sources, with options to boost all results, those matching dynamic user context values, specified static strings, or synonyms from your dictionaries. * **Block:** Excludes specific results from appearing in search outcomes or Genius Results. Block actions take precedence over other actions. * **Promote:** Ensures specific results appear at the top of the search results list. ## Language Dependence Each rule is language-specific and activates only when the search query matches the rule's language. ServiceNow supports rules for all languages enabled in your instance. ## Interaction with Search Features * **Lemma and Unicode normalization:** Terms added through these processes can trigger rules if they match query conditions. * **Stop words:** Rules are evaluated before stop words are removed from queries. * **Synonyms:** Synonym expansions can trigger rules unless the "Expand Synonyms For Query Conditions" option is disabled. * **Typo handling:** Auto-corrected terms can activate rules based on matching conditions. ## Practical Applications for ServiceNow Customers * **Create rules to boost:** Enhance relevancy for targeted results based on user context or query content. * **Block undesired results:** Prevent specific documents from appearing, including in Genius Results. * **Promote key results:** Prioritize important records to appear first in search results. * **Share rules across profiles:** Maintain consistency in search behavior by mirroring rules between different search profiles. By leveraging result improvement rules, ServiceNow customers can precisely control search relevancy and visibility, leading to more efficient and relevant search experiences tailored to organizational needs. Define rules with configurable trigger conditions to boost, block, or promote search results for specific searches. You can also boost search results for documents matching elements of the user context, such as a user's country, OS, or device type. Result improvement rules with boost actions override the default search result order produced by the AI Search machine learning relevancy feature. Rules with block or promote actions override the default result set for a search query. ## Rule structure {#result-improvement-rules-ais__section_st4_gyq_gnb} A result improvement rule consists of these parts: * A set of conditions that determine when the rule activates. * A set of boost, block, or promote actions that determine how the rule modifies the search query's results when activated. The rule can only include actions of a single type, but can include multiple actions of that type. {#result-improvement-rules-ais__ul_ybq_hyq_gnb} Rule conditions include the following: * A date range bounded by start and end dates. The rule can only activate during the specified date range. * A language. The rule can only activate if this language matches the search query's language. * Optionally, a set of one or more trigger conditions. Triggers can operate on individual search query keywords, the full search query, or elements of the search user's context such as their department, language, or browser version. The rule can only activate if all of its trigger conditions are met. {#result-improvement-rules-ais__ul_hrk_tyq_gnb} Rule actions include the following types: * Boost: Increase the relevancy scores for search results from an indexed source that satisfy your specified conditions. You can select any of the following options: * Boost relevancy for all search results from the indexed source. * Boost relevancy for search results from the indexed source that include field values matching a dynamically populated value from the user context. * Boost relevancy for search results from the indexed source that include field values matching a static string value that you specify. * Boost relevancy for search results from the indexed source that include field values matching synonyms from one of your synonym dictionaries. {#result-improvement-rules-ais__ul_fdn_jcn_mnb} * Block: Exclude specific results from the search query's results list. * Promote: Display specific results at the start of the search query's results list. {#result-improvement-rules-ais__ul_hck_dzq_gnb}Each result improvement rule can only perform actions of a single type when activated. You can define multiple actions of the same type for a rule. Block actions take precedence over other actions. For example, if two result improvement rules block and promote the same search result, AI Search excludes the search result from the search query's results list. ## Language dependence {#result-improvement-rules-ais__section_dvg_gxq_gnb} Result improvement rule activation is language-dependent. You specify a language for each result improvement rule. AI Search supports result improvement rules for all languages activated in your instance. For the list of languages you can activate, see [Activate a language](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/4LuVYMAK0tE6YOrBMx0nvw "By default, the language supported by the platform is American English. You can activate plugins for other supported languages if you have the admin role."). ## Interaction with other search features {#result-improvement-rules-ais__section_p3f_wsy_2nb} The following table describes interactions between result improvement rules with Query triggers and other search features. {#result-improvement-rules-ais__table_vdr_yd5_fnb__entry__2} | Feature | Interaction with result improvement rules | |-|-| | [Lemma and Unicode normalization](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/LOW9Xpl0UfLGcvCmVtwG6Q "AI Search normalizes inflected words and Unicode glyphs during indexing and at search query time. Normalization improves search recall and enables users to find content with variant forms of their search query terms.") | A search query term added by lemma or Unicode normalization can trigger a result improvement rule if it matches the rule's Query trigger. | | [Stop words](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/EmWPPGCynK2PjF75HM82dg "Stop words remove search query terms that don't produce meaningful results. Improve search precision and relevancy by configuring stop word dictionaries and defining stop words.") | If a search query term that matches a result improvement rule's Query trigger is defined as a stop word, AI Search evaluates the rule trigger before removing the stop word from the search query. | | [Synonyms](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/Hi1R~ppcP6sC6ADHMFNQXg "Synonyms expand search queries to include additional terms with equivalent meaning or usage. Improve search recall by configuring synonym dictionaries and defining synonyms.") | By default, a synonym expansion term can activate a result improvement rule if it matches the rule's Query trigger. You can prevent synonym expansion terms from activating a rule with a Query trigger by clearing the Expand Synonyms For Query Conditions option that appears when you define the Query trigger. | | [Typo handling](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/bN1P~SHrD_KVicEigvXZWQ "AI Search replaces misspelled search query terms with auto-correction terms derived from indexed content. Configure typo handling dictionary settings to control derivation of auto-correction terms.") | An auto-corrected search query term can trigger a result improvement rule if it matches the rule's Query trigger. | [ ] {#result-improvement-rules-ais__table_vdr_yd5_fnb} * **[Create a result improvement rule](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/2eloN8~4PdLswFa3_CSLOw)** Create a rule to boost, block, or promote search results or to block Genius Results. Specify the conditions that activate your rule and choose the action it performs when activated. * **[Boost search results using a result improvement rule](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/Tsd2OqY_jwjxF4guFCDVZQ#boost-results-ais)** Increase the relevancy scores for search results that satisfy a custom set of conditions. * **[Block search results and Genius Results using a result improvement rule](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/y1aodpedbCr75H8uuT2Wtg)** Configure a result improvement rule to prevent specific documents from appearing as Genius Results or search results. * **[Promote search results using a result improvement rule](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/8d4Nm5eV7EkXLJaqpPzUcg)** Configure a result improvement rule to make specific records appear first in results for a search. * **[Share result improvement rules between search profiles](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/~UPH6xEvUxCq7cM7mCn9NQ)** Make your search experiences more consistent by configuring a search profile to mirror result improvement rules from other search profiles.