Which online pursuit attracts the most attention? Have you got any ideas? You are right, of course, and it looks around. It’s common knowledge that search engines are where most Internet users get their information. But people don’t just use search engines to conduct searches. Because modern websites often contain thousands of pages, integrated search is necessary. But how does one implement built-in search functionality in WordPress? The solution is obvious: a search plugin for WordPress.
Imagine a website without a search feature. Visitors need to manually browse pages and posts to find what they’re looking for, which could be time-consuming and frustrating. That’s why having a WordPress search plugin on your website can be a game-changer.
A well-designed and straightforward website navigation can improve user engagement and satisfaction. The search functionality of your WordPress site can be greatly improved by installing one of the many available search plugins.
A site’s search functionality is essential for its users to locate specific content quickly and easily. This is especially true for WordPress sites, which frequently feature extensive content and numerous pages. Search engines built on WordPress index your site’s content and make it searchable to users. When a website visitor types a search term into your site’s search box, the search engine looks for relevant content and displays a results list.
Why Use a WordPress Search Plugin?
Embedding a search form is simple with WordPress’s built-in search feature, but there are few options for personalization and setup. As a result, providing reliable outcomes becomes more challenging.
- Design search bars: WordPress search plugins expand the search capabilities of your site or allow you to design unique search bars. Each plugin may offer an amazing set of capabilities. In general, the best WordPress search plugins will have the following features:
- Real-time indexing with AJAX: The website instantly returns relevant results as users type their search terms in real time. Statistics on searches. Search analytics reveal what users want on your site, whether through Google Analytics or a built-in tool.
- Search forms: The plugin facilitates the development of search forms for locating and narrowing down relevant products on WooCommerce stores.
- Search tuning: Most search plugins for WordPress allow you to specify which types of content should be indexed and which should not. The benefits of using a WordPress search plugin go beyond producing better-quality results.
- Simpler menu structures: Site visitors can easily sift through your extensive content with a search bar.
- Easier to understand the material: By allowing for searches to extend into custom fields and post types, search plugins increase your content’s discoverability.
- Increase conversion rate: Plugin search tools make locating the desired content or service easier for site visitors. This raises the possibility that they will eventually become paying customers.
Top WordPress Search Plugins
1. Ivory Search
Downloads: 80,000+
Rating: 4.9/5
Price: freemium (begins from $19.99/year)
Ivory Search is a WordPress search plugin that gives you complete control over the look and feel of each search form you make. The searchable content and exclusion criteria can be adjusted independently for each form. After you’ve customized it to place it anywhere on your site, the plugin will give you a shortcode for the search form. The plugin still uses the WordPress Customizer. The plugin will incorporate the Customizer’s navigation even into a block-based WordPress theme, allowing for the modification of search forms. Integration with Google Analytics is available in Ivory Search. If you turn on this feature, you can monitor searches as events in Google Analytics’s category, action, and label dimensions. The number of threads shown and their presentation in ascending or descending order are adjustable. The $19.99 annual subscription fee unlocks the ability to filter search results by author, post status, and comment count. For example, bbPress and WooCommerce are just two of the many WordPress plugins that play nicely with Ivory Search. To search WooCommerce products by SKU, you must upgrade to the Pro Plus plan, which costs $49.99 annually.
Pros:
- Ability to make as many search bars as you like
- Connect to Google Analytics to monitor how people use your site
- Use WooCommerce to make specialized search bars for your products
Cons
- It still needs the WordPress Customizer to change the search form.
2. AJAX Search Lite
Downloads: 70,000+
Rating: 4.7/5
Pricing: freemium ($24 for a lifetime license)
With this WordPress search plugin, you can easily replace your theme’s default search bar with an AJAX-powered one. The WordPress searchform.php code must be included in the design for this feature to work. Alternatively, you may utilize the provided shortcode to incorporate search functionality into any page of your site.
It’s highly customizable and packed with features like post/page search, eight skins out of the box, filtering options, and content exclusion.
The suggested search terms can be changed as well. If you want to change the way the plugin looks, head to the settings menu, and you’ll see the options there. By default, Google Search does not offer autocomplete, but users can enable this feature from the plugin’s options page. When no results are returned from a search using the parameters you supplied, Google will display “search keyword suggestions” to help you narrow your search.
If you want to make your search results more visually appealing, you can do so at your discretion. Size and origin settings are available for all images displayed in search results, including the main image, article content, and post snippet.
WooCommerce events, products, and portfolios may all be searched with the free edition.
Pros:
- Replacing the normal WordPress search form with a toggle button
- Integrating Google Analytics and making use of Google’s autocomplete and suggested keywords
- It provides services like JavaScript minification and an optimized script loading technique to preserve your site’s performance
Cons:
- There is a limitation to adding extra search forms
- The WordPress search plugin’s admin user interface can be confusing
3. Relevanssi
Downloads: 100,000+
Rating: 4.8/5
Price: freemium (paid plans begin from $99/year)
Relevanssi is a plugin for WordPress that enhances the built-in search by providing granular control over search results using several customizable filters.
Minimal configuration is needed for this WordPress search plugin. Since it is intended to replace the default WordPress search widget, inserting it via a shortcode or other WordPress block is unnecessary. Use the regular WordPress search widget like normal, and Relevanssi will enhance its functionality.
However, you must first index your website. Click Relevanssi > Settings > Indexing to access the indexing settings. Select ‘Build the Index’ to generate the site’s index. By default, the plugin uses relevancy to determine the order of search results, but you can switch to the posting date. Search phrases are highlighted in the results, and “Did you mean?” suggestions are provided to help users further refine their queries.
All content types in WordPress can be searched, from categories and custom fields to from comments and tags, for the convenience of site visitors. However, you are limited to simply displaying data from certain types.
You may also perform a text-based picture search with Relevanssi. This is helpful for blogs, portfolios, and other sites that provide a lot of visual content.
More advanced capabilities are available in the premium version, which may be purchased for $99 per year or $349 for a lifetime license.
In addition, Relevanssi offers a detailed wiki for its plugin’s usage and maintenance.
Pros:
- Searches based on user intent
- Image search
- Using Relevanssi on the WordPress dashboard thanks to the built-in admin search option
- Extensive help resources
Cons
- AJAX search must be enabled via a separate plugin.
4. FiboSearch – AJAX Search for WooCommerce
Downloads: 100,000+
Rating: 4.9/5
Price: freemium (paid plans begin at $49/year)
FiboSearch for WooCommerce is a version of the popular WordPress search plugin made for WooCommerce stores. It improves WooCommerce’s live search functionality by displaying search suggestions as customers type. They can be shown a list of product names, or they can be shown pictures, pricing, and descriptions as well.
In order to improve your site’s search capabilities, the plugin may scan product titles, descriptions, and SKUs for relevant keywords. You can alter the search box’s style and the output template under WooCommerce -> FiboSearch.
The settings for the search bar and the button below it can be modified here. From the Autocomplete section, you may modify the default number of search results shown, as well as the visibility of product images, prices, description panels, and product identification numbers.
In this convenient options panel, you can preview the search field and its associated results.
The control panel for the FiboSearch plugin displays the previewed search form under the autocomplete tab. This WordPress search plugin is available as a search widget and a shortcode to embed. Fuzzy search, a fast search engine, synonyms, and the ability to search for custom fields and attributes are all part of the premium edition, which starts at $49 per year.
Pros:
- Simple settings menu that displays a sneak peek of the search bar and results
- Display choices in search results for product images, prices, detail panels, and product identification numbers
Cons
- The premium version can access advanced search options like synonyms, custom field search, and fuzzy search
5. Advanced Woo Search
Downloads: 70,000+
Rating: 4.8/5
Price: freemium (paid plans start from $59)
In addition to the standard WooCommerce search plugin, Advanced Woo Search adds support for AJAX-powered search forms and results pages. Even in its free form, it’s intuitive and flexible. The search form can be added to a WordPress site using the plugin’s shortcode or widget.
Advanced Woo Search will replace WordPress’s built-in search engine if you enable this feature. Be sure to test this feature before releasing it on the live site, as some themes may not support it.
The options page can add stop words to a search engine’s exclusion list. You can also include synonyms and a list of related words to extend your search results.
There are three predefined styles for the search bar. You can also hide the AJAX search button, show the clear button, and make the mobile version of the form full-screen.
You may filter your search results and add items to your shopping basket without leaving the page with the premium version, which starts at $59.
Pros:
- Add-to-cart button on the search results
- Listing stop words and synonyms helps in defining the search results
- Intuitive plugin admin panel
Cons
- The integration feature doesn’t always work with all WordPress themes
6. WOOF Products Filter for WooCommerce
Downloads: 60,000+
Rating: 4.6/5
Price: freemium ($26 for a lifetime license)
WOOF Products Filter enhances the performance and effectiveness of your WooCommerce store’s search features. Visitors can refine search results by category, color, or tag, and the plugin returns relevant results.
When configuring this WordPress search plugin, go to WooCommerce -> Settings and then to the Products Filter tab. This is because the plugin’s settings page is connected with WooCommerce. Modifying the plugin’s HTML, CSS, and Javascript is a breeze with this simple interface.
This plugin continues offering its original widget with the website’s product filter. It’s compatible with non-block WordPress themes and may be accessed via the widget editor. The plugin has shifted its emphasis to shortcodes to accommodate block-based WordPress themes better.
Though, learning to use shortcodes can be challenging at first. The plugin’s backend lacks a manual, but the shortcodes docs are really helpful.
Thanks to the plugin’s AJAX-powered product search function, users can refine their search without reloading the WooCommerce product page. Because users may now search and filter results, the shopping experience has been greatly enhanced. Most WordPress themes include this function, but you should still test it in a staging area to be safe.
Pros:
- Quicker product filtering with no page reloads thanks to AJAX search
- Numerous possibilities for personalization and embedding with shortcodes
- The search and product filter is sped up in Turbo mode since fewer large MySQL queries are generated
Cons:
- You must first access the documentation page to view the full list of available shortcodes
7. SearchWP Live AJAX Search
Downloads: 60,000+
Rating: 4.9/5
Price: Free (paid plans begin at $99/year)
SearchWP Live AJAX Search is a free plugin for WordPress that enhances the built-in search feature with AJAX support. The integration is straightforward. When you activate the plugin, the AJAX capability will be added to WordPress’s built-in search tool. This WordPress search plugin requires no additional configuration on your part.
Use the original SearchWP Live AJAX Search in the widget builder for a blockless WordPress theme. The search bar can be placed in any available widget location.
The premium SearchWP plugin is recommended for use with this one. When both plugins are active, the live AJAX feature can be modified and implemented on a per-search-form basis rather than site-wide.
Pros:
- Integrates nicely with WordPress’s built-in search
- The quickest and simplest approach to developing a fully functional AJAX-driven search form
Cons:
- The premium SearchWP plugin is necessary for advanced configuration.
8. WP Extended Search
Downloads: 20,000+
Rating: 4.9/5
Price: free
WP Extended Search is a free and lightweight plugin for WordPress that expands your site’s search functionality. When activated, this WordPress search plugin will apply a global configuration that mimics WordPress’s pre-installed search.
Click Add New Settings Name under Extended Search -> Settings Names to make a new, personalized search option. After giving your search form a name and hitting “Publish,” you’ll be presented with the embed code and the chance to tweak the search parameters. You can select to search only in the title, only in the content, only in the excerpt, or in all three using the advanced search settings. You can fine-tune the plugin to search product SKUs, characteristics, and custom fields if you have WooCommerce installed and running.
The plugin also allows filtering out content from a given time frame. Doing so can avoid having older, less relevant threads appear in search results.
Pros:
- Built-in WooCommerce support
- Option to exclude older posts
- Easy to configure and beginner-friendly
Cons
- Lacks advanced features like the AJAX live search
9. AJAX Search Pro
Downloads: 18,000+
Rating: 4.8/5
Price: $24
AJAX Search Pro is an upgraded version of AJAX Search lite with 65+ skin options. This plugin provides four different layouts, giving you countless options for how you want your search form to look.
This WordPress search plugin employs an OR logic by default to return as many results as feasible. However, the plugin’s options page allows you to switch to AND logic or turn on a secondary logic. To modify the search logic, go to AJAX Search Pro -> General Options -> Logic and Behaviour.
There’s a caching function in the plugin that remembers frequently used terms. If the identical search query is used, the cache will be queried rather than the database. This means faster search results and a better overall experience for popular websites.
This plugin works seamlessly with Google Analytics so that you can learn more about your audience’s actions. The WordPress dashboard includes an in-built analytics feature that instantly displays the most popular terms.
When compared to the free version, this plugin is a vast improvement. You can get a ton of premium features for only $24. It is compatible with the majority of WordPress page builders like WPBakery, Divi, and Elementor.
Pros:
- With over sixty-five pre-installed themes and four different layouts, you can choose from a wide variety of search form layouts
- Modular search algorithm
- The search engine is optimized for high-traffic sites with a built-in cache.
Cons:
- The learning curve for the administration panel could be high.
- Unlike the free edition, no search form design preview is available in the backend administration.
10. Jetpack Search
Downloads: 20+
Price: freemium (Paid plans begin from $2.50/month)
With more than sixty-five pre-installed themes and four different layouts to choose from, allow you to choose from a wide variety of search form layouts. It has a modular search algorithm.
Elasticsearch, a hosted WordPress search service, is used instead of WordPress’s built-in search feature, thanks to this WordPress search plugin. Using Elasticsearch will result in a better search experience for you as a user.
The plugin’s search index is updated in real time whenever new information is published, or existing content is modified, making it a powerful tool. It also features fuzzy matching, ranked results depending on site traffic, and spelling corrections.
Jetpack Search has monthly memberships that vary in price depending on how many results you want to see. You may find information about your WordPress site’s posts, pages, and custom post kinds here. For up to 100 entries, the cheapest monthly subscription costs $2.50 per month.
Pros:
- With a real-time search index, you can stop worrying about the site’s index and focus on making great content.
- Improved search precision thanks to auto-correct spelling, fuzzy matching, and ranked results
Cons:
- If your website has a lot of content, this is probably not the best option
Elevate Your Website with WordPress Search
If you oversee a substantial WordPress website packed with valuable content, making that content accessible to visitors can be a challenge. While having a well-organized site structure and effective navigation can help, sometimes more intervention is necessary. This is where the WordPress search function proves invaluable.
Implementing a WordPress search bar on your site is a straightforward task, as it can be seamlessly integrated into various locations. The Search block offers access to the default search functionality. However, for certain websites, this basic feature might fall short, as it may not thoroughly scan certain page elements such as widgets, comments, categories, and more. To ensure that your users can access search results at lightning speed, you have the option to upgrade to Jetpack Search. This tool also unlocks advanced features like powerful filters to help people find what they’re looking for more easily.
FAQs
What are the advantages of an in-site search engine?
An internal search is a valuable tool for just about any website, especially for massive, content-heavy sites. For instance, a search function is necessary for blogs that maintain huge archives. The same applies to online shops that include various products and might use a search function, such as a WooCommerce product search plugin. If not, your site visitors can get annoyed trying to discover certain information and give up altogether.
The WordPress search plugin improves UX and helps you achieve your business goals, yet intuitive navigation menus are still necessary for larger websites.
WordPress’s search function improves UX and helps you achieve your business goals, even if your site has a powerful and user-friendly navigation menu.
How can I improve WordPress’s search performance?
The default WordPress search capability is helpful in several ways, but if your site has a lot of content, users may have to wait too long for results if you need to optimize it. Installing and configuring a plugin like Jetpack Search that optimizes search in WordPress can significantly increase its speed. You must also consider using some caching mechanism. In addition, a caching system may be valuable to set up.
Can I change how WordPress searches?
The answer is yes. You can alter WordPress’s stock search configurations to your liking. The look of the search bar can be customized in many ways. However, a WordPress search plugin upgrade is necessary for extensive customization.
However, a premium WordPress search plugin is required for additional customization possibilities.
What characteristics should a good WordPress search plugin have?
Improved search results, personalized filters, search analytics, and plugin and theme compatibility are just some of the features to look for when selecting a WordPress search plugin.
Can you tell me how to set up a WordPress search plugin?
The search plugin you use for WordPress will determine how you set it up. Options like search filters, search result weighting, and search analytics tracking can typically be found on the plugin’s settings page.
How many search plugins may I use on my WordPress site?
Although it is technically feasible to employ numerous WordPress search plugins on a single website, doing so is typically frowned upon. Your site’s performance may suffer, and you may experience plugin incompatibilities.
My WordPress search plugin isn’t working; how can I fix it?
If you’re having problems with a WordPress search plugin, the first place to look is the plugin’s documentation or help forums. If the problem persists, contact a WordPress developer or the plugin’s support team for assistance.
