In Search Of . . . Can customers search your website--and actually find what they need? If not, you're losing dollars.

The success of Google's search technology has transformed web users, who were already a sophisticated group of consumers, into even savvier searchers who now expect a top-notch experience on every site they visit-which could be a problem for e-tailers. Many site search engines still offer too many irrelevant results, too few results or none at all.

Feeling the pressure, netpreneurs are improving the search functions they already have or adding sophisticated search technologies to their sites for the first time. "One way to distinguish yourself from your competition on the web is to give people a really painless experience finding what they want on your website," says Avi Rappoport, editor of SearchTools.com and principal consultant at Search Tools Consulting in Berkeley, California.

There are many options to choose from when it comes to upgrading site search. One approach is to simply add Google's search appliance to your site; it will deliver the same high-quality results to your site that Google delivers on the web at large. Another approach is to add faceted navigation-also called guided navigation, guided shopping, search-and-navigation or search-and-browse. This function allows visitors to narrow search results into smaller sets, based on a series of choices presented to them as results are returned. For example, if a visitor types in bags, she can see a list of choices tied to product attributes such as brand, material and price.