Template

Test ranking changes as a controlled experiment.

Determine in advance what you change, why, for which queries and how you determine whether the change is really better.

Problem & hypothesis

First, describe which search behavior you want to improve and why the proposed change fits that.

Write down category, market, store, query segment and cases that remain consciously out of the experiment.

Record current results and measurement period before the change goes live.

Choose one main target and additional guardrail-KPIs so that a local profit does not mask wider deterioration.

Make the change as understandable as possible and avoid multiple unrelated ranking adjustments at once.

Use enough data and note season, campaigns, stock and other confounding factors.

Check important golden queries so that strong existing search routes do not deteriorate silently.

Maintain, adjust or reverse and document why, including learning points for subsequent experiments.