From Strings to Intent Rules
Every durable search pattern needs an inclusion rule: the tokens, entities, and exclusions that qualify a query. Vague buckets like “navigation” invite disagreement the first time ranking work begins.
Write the rule as if another analyst must rebuild it without you. Name the sample queries, the lookback, and the edge cases—bots, internal staff, incomplete sessions.
Once the rule is stable, attach one primary outcome the pattern is meant to improve. That pairing turns search behavior into insight instead of decoration.