Smerdoff
Smerdoff Technologies / Weaviate

Weaviate Consulting for Semantic Search & RAG

Weaviate's built-in hybrid search — combining vector similarity with keyword (BM25) scoring — is what makes it a strong fit for teams that don't want to choose between semantic and exact-match results. We design the schema, modules, and query logic that make hybrid search actually outperform either approach alone.

WeaviateHybrid SearchRAGSemantic SearchSelf-Hosted
10–30%
of a full build is what a lean first version costs on a modern stack — validate before you scale
MVP cost research
~3×
higher conversion for a 1-second site vs a 5-second one — the stack you build on decides this
Web design research

Why bring in Weaviate specialists

Hybrid search only pays off when it's tuned to your data.

Hybrid search tuning

Balancing vector and keyword scoring (alpha weighting) against real queries instead of shipping default settings that under- or over-weight either signal.

Schema & class design

Data modeling that reflects how your content is actually structured and queried, not a flat collection of embeddings.

Self-hosted or managed cloud

Deployed however fits your infra constraints — Docker/Kubernetes self-hosted, or Weaviate Cloud when you'd rather not operate it.

RAG pipelines that ship

Retrieval, generative modules, and re-ranking wired into your LLM application and tested against real queries, not just a demo dataset.

What a Weaviate engagement typically includes

Scoped to your data and deployment model.

Schema & class design

Structuring classes and properties around your actual data relationships and filtering needs.

Hybrid search configuration

Tuning vector/keyword weighting and re-ranking so results match what users actually expect.

Self-hosted deployment

Docker or Kubernetes deployment, scaling, and operations for teams that need full control over infrastructure.

RAG integration

Connecting Weaviate to your LLM stack for retrieval-augmented generation and semantic Q&A.

FAQ

If you need built-in hybrid search or want the option to self-host, Weaviate has the edge. If you'd rather have zero infrastructure to manage and don't need hybrid scoring out of the box, Pinecone is simpler. We look at your query patterns and ops capacity before recommending either.

It depends on deployment model and how much of your pipeline already exists — a managed cloud integration costs less upfront than a self-hosted deployment with custom modules. We give a fixed estimate after a short scoping call.

Semantic and hybrid search, RAG-based chat and knowledge base Q&A, product recommendation, and any case where exact keyword matches still matter alongside semantic similarity.

Related

Get a free consultation for your Weaviate project

Tell us what you're building and what's in your current pipeline — we'll scope an approach and a fixed estimate.