CrawlBot AI vs. Algolia Site Search
Algolia excels at fast keyword and faceted search. CrawlBot focuses on conversational answers grounded in your content. Here is how they differ and how to run them side by side.
Strengths of each
- Algolia: Lightning-fast keyword search, merchandising rules, synonyms, and typo tolerance for catalogs and docs navigation.
- CrawlBot: Retrieval-augmented generation with citations, adaptive thresholds, and per-embed metrics so you know when answers are grounded.
Comparison
| Dimension | CrawlBot AI | Algolia |
|---|---|---|
| Interaction | Conversational Q&A with citations | Keyword and faceted search |
| Grounding | RAG with hybrid retrieval and freshness weighting | Indexed documents with ranking rules |
| Freshness | Sitemap-first crawl, IndexNow, incremental recrawl | Push updates via API or crawler |
| Analytics | Per-embed impressions, opens, chats, messages, fallback reasons | Search queries, clicks, conversions |
| Security | Strict widget CSP, postMessage origin checks, SSO for admins | API keys and secured search keys |
| White Label | Multi-tenant embeds with branding controls | Single-brand search per index |
How to pair them
- Keep Algolia as the primary search box for browse and navigation workflows.
- Add CrawlBot on landing, pricing, and docs pages for visitors who want direct answers with citations.
- Use events to compare containment vs. click-through rates; route unanswered chat questions to a search page with prefilled queries.
- Feed high-intent chat questions into Algolia query suggestions to improve search relevance over time.
Why this works
- CrawlBot reduces bounce by answering questions immediately and citing sources.
- Algolia remains the fastest way to explore catalogs and long-form docs.
- Combined analytics show where users prefer to search vs. chat, giving you clear content gaps to prioritize.
A search box and a grounded AI assistant solve different user intents. Pairing Algolia with CrawlBot gives visitors both speed and confidence.