Should You Have A Search Option?

I get this question sometimes from website owners.  Should our website have a search option?  Well, my answer is this, If your website has enough content to provide a search, then you should have one.  If you site only has a few pages of content, then having a search option is overkill.  That is just common sense.

However, look at the design from the eyes of the end user.  That person sitting at home on the computer trying to find out an answer to a question or needs to information quickly on a cell phone or mobile device.  When they come to your site, are they looking for the search option and did not really notice that you only have a few pages of content?  That’s an interesting concept.

If you apply the rule that you have about 15 – 20 seconds to capture the attention of that potential client, then maybe, “Yes” your website should have a search option.

I know that this post may give a conflicting answer to the question, but it does provide something for more discussion on the topic.