WordPress default search is boring. Visitors can only search Page titles, Page content, and Single-image titles and images.
Other than that, nothing appears; improving search results can boost user engagement and reduce bounce rate.
Understand and improve the built-in WordPress search to assist users in finding what they are looking for. This can help you increase conversions while also retaining visitors on your site for longer.
In this post, we’ll look at how the default WordPress search works and offer suggestions on how to improve it.
What is a WordPress search?
Before we can explore how to use WordPress search on your website, you should have a fundamental idea of what this tool is and how it works. Of course, you’ve undoubtedly used several search engines previously, including Google.
This sort of search engine uses complex algorithms and enormous databases to find specified material anywhere on the internet.
WordPress search allows you to do the same sort of search, but only on a single website.
The search tool is often symbolized by the famous magnifying glass symbol, which may be seen in the sidebar or website header. But it’s vital to realize that you can place a search bar nearly anywhere on your WordPress site.
What are the Restrictions on WordPress Search?
While the default WordPress search function is really useful, it does have some drawbacks. First and foremost, it can only scan text from “the titles and bodies of your posts and pages.” This includes:
- Page titles
- Media titles include photographs, videos, GIFs, etc.
- Alternative text (alt text).
- File names
- Single picture captions
- Paragraph text
This may appear to be a lot, especially since some aspects are not accessible to most people (such as alt text and file names). However, this search still leaves out a lot of critical information, such as the following page and post elements:
Widgets include comments, categories, gallery captions, and tags.
As you can see, when you use the default functionality, a section of your site is completely disregarded. This implies that if you run an ecommerce site, certain information on product pages may be missing entirely.
Furthermore, if your website includes a large amount of material, search results may take longer to show. This might result in a bad user experience (UX) for the searcher.
Fortunately, you have several options for customizing and improving the WordPress search tool.
Tip to Make WordPress Search Better
Expanding your WordPress search beyond just pages and posts can be achieved through plugins.
One such plugin is WP Extended Search, which enhances the basic search functionality by allowing it to search through additional types of content and metadata on your website.
With WP Extended Search, your visitors can search for:
- Posts
- Pages
- Media files
- Categories
- Tags
- Excerpts
- Metadata, such as author names
This plugin is lightweight, simple to configure, and ideal for improving search capabilities on smaller business websites and blogs.
Consider Using Plugins to Enhance Your Search Engine
Plugins offer a convenient way to revamp your search engine without much hassle. They are compatible with most themes and website setups, often requiring minimal configuration and taking effect immediately upon installation.
Several plugins are designed to enhance the default WordPress search, providing additional options and improving speed and efficiency. While these plugins don’t completely replace the search engine, they enhance its functionality:
- Advanced Woo Search: Specifically tailored for WooCommerce products, this plugin enhances search capabilities within WooCommerce. It allows searching in metadata like ID, SKU, or product excerpt. The premium version delivers additional features such as custom fields and taxonomy search.
- Ivory Search: Ivory Search empowers you to create and configure advanced search forms on your website. It enables searching in a wide range of categories, excluding specific ones if needed. Additionally, it incorporates analytics and optionally implements AJAX search for improved user experience.
- Search & Filter: This plugin focuses on adding a functional filtering system to your site. It enables searching by specific categories and offers options like checkboxes, radio buttons, or dropdowns for refining searches.
- ACF: Better Search: Designed to address slow search results and lack of support for Advanced Custom Fields, this plugin offers a fast and efficient search solution. With no setup required, simply install it to improve search performance.
Add Google Custom Search
If you’ve come across a website that uses the search field to send you to a Google page, it’s most likely powered by the Programmable Search Engine (PSE), commonly known as Google Custom Search. This method replaces your site’s own search feature by routing searches through Google servers.
There are benefits and drawbacks of using PSE. On the one hand, it minimizes the workload on your server. However, unless tailored to match your site’s look, redirecting to a Google page might interrupt the user experience. Additionally, it is only free if you allow Adsense adverts on the search results page.
If you think PSE is the right solution for your site, you can either manually integrate it or use a plugin.
In either case, you’ll need to visit the PSE website, input your URL, and configure the search engine to meet your requirements.
We recently covered a whole guide on how to implement custom Google search in a WordPress website; you can check out here – How to Add Google Search in a WordPress Site [2024 Edition]
Use Ajax in Search Result
Ajax is a web technology that allows a user to dynamically refresh with new content without requiring a complete page reload.
Simply put, Ajax search allows search results to be presented instantaneously without refreshing the entire page frequently as the user writes their query.
Creating an Ajax search engine manually might be difficult, but several plugins make it simple. One such example is Ajax Search Lite, a popular plugin that includes filtering, Google autocomplete, and search recommendations. It also accepts custom fields and post types.
Ajax Search Lite has a pro version with greater capabilities. This plugin adds search capabilities to BuddyPress forums and WooCommerce products, as well as caching for faster performance.
Another alternative is SearchWP Live Ajax Search, which interacts with the premium SearchWP plugin (but can also work separately). This plugin provides significant customization possibilities while staying lightweight and easy to set up, needing minimum maintenance.
Final Say
While WordPress search has improved significantly, the default solutions for some websites may leave much to be desired. Because it does not always work well with custom fields and post kinds, and it can be sluggish as your database increases in size, you may need to look for another alternative.
Fortunately, there are themes, plugins, and complete search engine overhauls that can improve or replace WordPress search. Getting them set up normally only takes a few clicks, so it’s simply a matter of selecting the one with the characteristics you want.
Installing a plugin is typically the simplest approach, but it may not address all of your issues. Switching to a bespoke search engine, such as Relevanssi or Elasticsearch, Even while Ajax is more expensive and complicated to set up, maybe far more successful than just replacing the default search with it.
FAQs on WordPress Search
How do I connect Google Analytics to track WordPress searches?
To track WordPress searches in Google Analytics, first enable search tracking in your account. The activity > Site Search area allows you to evaluate search statistics, such as popular search phrases, user activity, and conversion rates.
What are some factors to consider while utilizing Google Custom Search (PSE) for WordPress?
Google Custom Search, commonly known as the Programmable Search Engine (PSE), can reduce server load by routing search queries through Google servers. However, if it is not tailored to match the theme of your website, it may interrupt the user experience. Additionally, it may be necessary to display AdSense advertising on the search results page for free use.
How do I improve WordPress search for an ecommerce website?
To optimize WordPress search for an ecommerce website, try utilizing WooCommerce-specific plugins like Advanced Woo Search. These plugins enable searching inside product information, such as SKUs and product snippets, which improves the consumer search experience.
What are the best techniques for setting WordPress search?
Some best practices for setting WordPress search include activating search monitoring in Google Analytics, using Ajax search for real-time results, and making sure search plugins work with your theme and other plugins. Regularly examining search data might also help you find areas for development.
