How do AI Search and Full-text Search differ?
AI Search goes beyond exact keywords used in a question to understand intent, delivering accurate answers even when questions are phrased differently. In contrast, traditional full-text search relies on literal matches of keywords or phrases, often missing the mark when wording varies.
What is Full-text Search?
When a question like the one below is added to a traditional FAQ, users have two options. They can manually browse the FAQ page to find it. Or, if available, they can use full-text search.
Question: Does McDonald’s use Freshly Cracked Eggs?
Answer: We use a freshly cracked, Grade A egg for our famous Egg McMuffin® sandwich. It gets its iconic round shape when we cook it on the grill with an ‘egg ring.’ And that’s just the start of your favorite morning sandwich! Next, we add extra lean Canadian bacon, a slice of melted American cheese, and serve it all on a toasted English muffin with real butter.
Full-text search helps users find questions by matching keywords or phrases in both the questions and answers.
Thus, whenever a user searches using phrases like
- “Egg McMuffin,”
- “Cracked Eggs,” or
- “Canadian bacon,”
the system will display FAQ questions and answers that contain those exact terms.
- How do I reset my password?
- Where can I see my purchase history?
- What is the return policy?
- How do I contact suppot?
- How do I change my email address?
What is AI Search?
AskYourFAQ’s AI Search Bar provides an effective and powerful alternative to the limitations of traditional full-text search. Users seeking answers to frequently asked questions might phrase their questions in various other ways while seeking the answer above. Some examples of such question variations are given below. If a user asked any of these questions using a traditional Full-text Search, it likely wouldn’t return this answer, because the keywords or phrases don’t directly match those in the existing question or answer.
AI Search however, works differently. It uses natural language understanding to identify the user’s intent. Then, it shows the most relevant answer—not based on matching keywords or phrases, but by interpreting what the user truly wants to know. Thus all the question variations below, if asked via an AI Search Bar, would map to the same answer.
- How do I reset my password?
- Where can I see my purchase history?
- What is the return policy?
- How do I contact suppot?
- How do I change my email address?
AI Search – Intent Match for all Question Variations
Question Variations
- Does McDonald’s use real eggs in their breakfast sandwiches?
- Are McDonald’s Egg McMuffins made with fresh eggs?
- What kind of eggs does McDonald’s use for Egg McMuffins?
- Does McDonald’s crack eggs fresh in-store?
- Are McDonald’s breakfast eggs pre-cooked or freshly cracked?
- How does McDonald’s cook the eggs in Egg McMuffins?
- Is the egg in a McDonald’s Egg McMuffins real or powdered?
- Are McDonald’s eggs cooked with an egg ring?
- Do McDonald’s eggs come from a carton or are they fresh?
- What makes the round shape of the Egg McMuffin egg?
- Does McDonald’s grill their eggs fresh for breakfast?
- Are the eggs at McDonald’s Grade A?
- What type of egg is used in McDonald’s breakfast menu?
- Are McDonald’s Egg McMuffin eggs made to order?
Answer
We use freshly cracked, Grade A egg for our famous Egg McMuffin sandwich. It gets its iconic round shape when we cook it on the grill with an ‘egg ring’.
And that’s just the start of your favorite morning sandwich!
Next, we add extra lean Canadian bacon, a slice of melted American cheese, and serve it all on a toasted English muffin with real butter.
Traditional full-text search would likely miss this answer – despite it being correct for all these questions – because the keywords or phrases don’t exactly match.
AI Search Bar – How Ask Your FAQ works
Add Your FAQs
Easily create, organize, and manage your own FAQ database directly from your dashboard. You can even jumpstart the process by copying and pasting content from your existing FAQ. You don’t need to anticipate every possible user question—just start with a small set of 5 to 10 clear, distinct Q&As to lay the foundation.
Publish Your AI Search Bar
Once your FAQ content is set up, the system automatically generates a fully functional AI-powered Search Bar for you. This intelligent search interface can be easily embedded into any webpage using a simple embed script provided by the AskYourFAQ platform. If embedding isn’t ideal for your setup, you also have the option to link to the AI Search Bar from any of your digital properties—such as your website, help center, or mobile app—using a standard hyperlink.
Answer User Questions Instantly
With the AI Search Bar, users can ask questions in plain, natural language—just like they would in a conversation—and receive accurate, context-aware answers drawn exclusively from your approved FAQ content. Unlike generic AI tools that may generate misleading or best guess responses, the AI Search Bar is grounded in your own FAQ Database, ensuring that it only provides answers you’ve explicitly authored.
It’s also context-aware: if a user first asks, ‘What is the address of your San Jose store?’ and then follows up with, ‘Is it open tomorrow?’, the system understands the reference to ‘it’ and continues the conversation in the correct context—delivering relevant and precise answers without confusion.
Fill Knowledge Gaps and Keep Improving.
When a user asks a question that doesn’t match any existing answers in your FAQ Database, the AI Search Bar doesn’t just stop—it takes proactive steps to help you close the gap. The system immediately alerts the Author via email, sharing the exact question the user asked. This allows you to quickly add a relevant answer to your FAQ, enhancing your FAQ Database over time.
If the user provided an email address with their question, the platform goes a step further: once you publish the new answer, the system automatically notifies the user with a personalized email containing the response—no manual follow-up required. From that point on, any future user asking a similar question will receive an instant, accurate answer from the AI Search Bar.
Analytics for Performance Tracking and Optimization
Askyourfaq.com provides powerful analytics to help you understand how users interact with your AI-powered FAQ assistant and where improvements are needed. Key reports and metrics include:
- Search Trends & Query Volume
- Gain insights into what users are searching for most frequently. Identify spikes in specific queries and seasonal trends to better align your FAQ content with your audience requirements.
- Unanswered & Mismatched Queries
- Quickly identify questions that failed to generate relevant responses. These missed interactions reveal content gaps in your FAQ database that, if unresolved, can negatively impact customer satisfaction (CSAT).
- Engagement Metrics
- Track click-through rates, average session durations, and follow-up question rates to measure how well your FAQ assistant retains attention and resolves inquiries.
- Feedback & Ratings
- Analyze user feedback on answers, including thumbs up/down and comments, to prioritize content quality improvements.
- Content Performance
- Assess which answers are driving the most engagement or confusion. Quickly update underperforming content with precision.
With these insights, your team can continuously refine your FAQ Database, optimize user experience, and maximize the value of your AI Search.
Evolve into an FAQ Genius
With every user interaction, your AI Search Bar:
- Interprets questions and intelligently searches an ever-evolving FAQ database to deliver the most accurate responses.
- Collects valuable user feedback
- Collaborates with the content author (when needed) to enrich the FAQ database
As it learns over time, it becomes quicker at answering, sharper at interpreting intent, and increasingly more comprehensive—ultimately evolving into an FAQ Genius that outperforms human accuracy and capacity.