amberSearch

Try now
Contact
Try now
Contact
Try now
Contact

Optimize Confluence search – How to improve the search function in Confluence

With Confluence systems that have grown over the years, many employees struggle with the Confluence search. Find out how to do it better!
Confluence Suche

Searching in Confluence is one of the most important tools for finding relevant information quickly. However, it often leads to frustration because the required content cannot be found immediately. This is particularly the case with Confluence systems that have grown over the years. An efficient search function is crucial for productivity and working speed in the company. In this blog post, you will find out why an optimized Confluence search is important and what measures you can take to make it more effective.

Confluence offers an integrated search function that enables users to find content in wikis, documentation and internal knowledge databases. The search is based on algorithms that can be refined using filters, tags and metadata.

Nevertheless, it can be difficult to obtain the right information in a targeted manner, especially when large volumes of documents and pages are available. Another challenge for the search: poor data quality – especially in combination with information that has grown over the years. There is often far too much data to sort manually. For example, one of our customers told us that he had calculated that he would need over 5,000 person-years to sort all documents (including drives and the like). This quickly leads to duplicates and the existence of older and newer versions of documents. All these functions then come up against a search that is primarily based on a keyword search. Modern search technologies – such as an AI-based search – are not used in Confluence.

Why should the Confluence search be optimized?

Although Confluence offers a powerful search function, targeted optimization can lead to significant improvements. These include, for example:

  • Faster search results: Customized indexing and filtering can increase the speed of the search.
  • Greater relevance: With the right configuration, results are better tailored to users’ needs.
  • Improved user-friendliness: A more intuitive search process makes it easier to use and saves time.
  • More efficient access to information: Employees can find the information they need and work more productively as a result.

All of this in turn leads to greater employee satisfaction, fewer errors in day-to-day work and therefore higher quality work.

For most people, the question now arises as to which tips and tricks they can use to improve the performance of the Confluence search. These tips will help:

1. Use of labels and metadata

    One of the easiest ways to improve the Confluence search is to use labels (tags) and metadata. A uniform structure and standardized keywords allow users to filter content more quickly and find relevant pages more easily. Disadvantage: All these tags and metadata have to be entered and maintained somehow.

    2. Targeted use of search parameters and filters

    Confluence makes it possible to specify search queries using operators such as AND, OR or NOT. Filters by date, author or page type can also be used to exclude irrelevant results.

    3. Optimize content structure

    A logical and clear page structure not only helps with navigation, but also improves the search. Use hierarchies, tables of contents and clear page titles to increase findability.

    Confluence offers various macros such as the “Livesearch macro” or the “Page Tree Search macro”, which can restrict the search to specific areas or page types. These tools are particularly helpful when there is a lot of content.

    5. Carry out regular maintenance and clean-up

    Old, duplicate or outdated pages make searching more difficult. By regularly cleaning up and consolidating content, the database remains clear and efficiently searchable.

    AI-supported search in Confluence – how to do it better

    Many companies do not have the resources to permanently optimize the Confluence search. One alternative is to use AI-supported enterprise search solutions such as amberSearch. These tools offer a powerful, semantic search function that goes beyond classic keyword searches. amberSearch supports both cloud and self-hosted versions. This allows Confluence administrators to focus on structuring and managing knowledge, while AI tools such as amberSearch make the knowledge from Confluence accessible again. This is what such a solution could look like:

    • Semantic analysis instead of pure keywords: amberSearch’s AI builds its own index that semantically links all content in SharePoint. This allows documents to be found that match the content, even if the exact search terms were not used.
    • Interactive search results: Employees can interact with the search results – similar to a chat. This allows summaries or automatic responses to be generated based on internal knowledge. This function not only makes it easier to find relevant information quickly, but also supports efficient further processing of the data.
    • Integration of multiple data sources: amberSearch goes beyond a pure SharePoint search. It also includes content from other systems such as Outlook, Teams or internal drives. This creates a uniform, centralized information landscape that significantly simplifies access to company-relevant data.
    • Automated monitoring and maintenance: The AI continuously analyzes the search index and adapts it to changing data volumes and structures. This reduces the manual maintenance effort and ensures that the search results always remain up-to-date and relevant.

    Conclusion

    Optimizing the Confluence search can help companies to access relevant information faster and in a more targeted manner. However, this requires regular adjustments and maintenance, which are time-consuming. AI-supported enterprise search solutions such as amberSearch offer a modern alternative. Through semantic analysis, interactive search results and the integration of various data sources, amberSearch enables a more efficient and precise search – without a high level of manual maintenance. As a result, companies benefit from faster and more intelligent access to their knowledge and sustainably increase their productivity. Would you like to find out more? Then send us an inquiry now and we will be happy to help you: