You can create a list of synonyms to tell the search that multiple words or phrases have the same meaning. This allows you to standardize your content to use a single term while having your search fluidly handle different words or phrases your readers might enter.
You define a "base word" (the word you use in your content) and one or more "synonyms" (the alternate words or phrases that should return search results containing the base word).
Synonyms can be a single word or a phrase (multiple words).
When your content is indexed, we will detect any version of a synonym and add the rest of the matching terms to the index.
So if someone searches for one of those synonyms, they'll get search results for articles which have your main term.
For example, we define "knowledge base" as a base word in this Support knowledge base, and then include "kbase", "knowledge base" and "k base" as synonyms.
So if someone searches for "kbase", they'll get articles that contain "knowledge base" in them. (Don't believe us? Go search for kbase now. 😉)
Synonyms can be viewed and edited in Library > Synonyms.
Authors with the default Editor role can update synonyms. If you're using a custom role, you'll need to have the Admin Permission to Update search settings, synonyms, and reindex search.
Synonyms are fantastic for things like:
- Variations of the official term you use for something
- Acronyms or abbreviations your readers might search for that correspond to official terms--this way you don't necessarily have to include both the fully-written-out term and the acronym in every article
To create a new synonym:
- Go to Library > Snippets.
- Click the + Add New Synonym button.
- In the Add Synonyms screen, add the Original Word you want to define synonyms for. This should be the official or base word that you're using in your content.
- Then add one or more Synonyms for that word. (You can click the plus icon to the right of the Synonym box to add multiple synonyms.)
- Once you're done adding Synonyms, click the Save Synonyms button.
- Once you've added a synonym, you'll be prompted to Run a search reindex in your knowledge base. We recommend running that reindex after-hours if your knowledge base is actively used. After you've run the reindex, your new synonym will be live!
To edit a synonym:
- Go to Library > Snippets.
- Find the synonym you'd like to edit. Click the gear cog icon next that base word/synonym:
- You can click the red X next to an Existing Synonym to remove it.
- Or you can use the Add Synonym text box to add new synonyms.
- If you need to add multiple new synonyms, click the plus sign next to the Add Synonym text box to add more than one.
- Once you're done making your changes, click Save Synonyms to save your changes.
- At this point, you'll be prompted to reindex your knowledge base. The edits to synonyms you made will not take effect until that reindex is complete.
There are two ways to delete a synonym:
- Delete an individual synonym but leave the base word and other synonyms in place
- Delete a base word and all of its synonyms
See below for instructions on each type of deletion.
Delete an individual synonym
To delete a synonym but leave the base word and other synonyms for that base word in place:
- Go to Library > Snippets.
- Find the base word/synonym combination you'd like to edit. Click the gear cog icon to the right of it:
- Find the synonym you'd like to remove in the Existing Synonym list.
- Click the red X next to it to remove it.
- Repeat for any additional synonyms you'd like to remove.
- Once you've finished removing Existing Synonyms, click the Save Synonyms button to save your changes.
- At this point, you'll be prompted to reindex your knowledge base. The deletions to synonyms you made will not take effect until that reindex is complete.
Delete a base word and all its synonyms
- Go to Library > Snippets.
- Find the synonym you'd like to delete. Click the trash can icon next that base word/synonym:
- A confirmation pop-up will appear asking you to confirm the deletion. Click OK to complete the deletion.
- At this point, you'll be prompted to reindex your knowledge base. The synonyms/base word you removed will not take effect until that reindex is complete.
