Have you been searching for the best WordPress search plugins that improves your site search results?
There are several WordPress search plugins that can help you improve the default search experience.
In this article, we will show you the best WordPress search plugins to improve your site search.
There are several WordPress search plugins that can help you improve the default search experience.
In this article, we will show you the best WordPress search plugins to improve your site search.
Comparing the best WordPress search plugins.
What Is A Search Plugin?
A search plugin provides you with the ability to access a search engine from a web browser, without having to go to the engine's website first. Technically, a search plugin is a small text file that tells the browser what information to send to a search engine and how the results are to be retrieved.
Why Use a WordPress Search Plugin?/importance of search plugin
WordPress comes with a built-in search feature, which is quite limited and not very good in finding the However, as you add more content, you would want to help users easily find articles or products. A lot of folks rely mainly on SEO best practices, hoping that users will find things through search engines.
Adding a site search helps users who are already on your website. For instance, they may be looking for an older article that they didn’t bookmark or a particular product on your BigCommerce store.
Site search helps users stay on your website, boosts engagement, and ultimately leads to higher conversions and sales.
The good news is that there are several WordPress search plugins that can help you do that. Some of these plugins are built for specific purposes like BigCommerce product search and some improve search experience across your website.
Now, let’s take a look at some of the best WordPress search plugins that you can try.
1. ElasticPress
ElasticPress
ElasticPress is a hosted WordPress search service built on ElasticSearch.
Instead of running on your WordPress site, it runs the search queries on the cloud and shows results at a lightening speed. It is extremely easy to use and integrate on any WordPress site and works with all top WordPress hosting providers.
It has built-in Ajax search which shows instant results as users start typing. It also works well with WooCommerce and shows users the products they are looking for much quicker.
It is a hosted service and a lot more expensive than any other search solutions on this list.
Pricing: $79 per month
2. SearchWP
SearchWP
SearchWP is one of the best custom search plugin for WordPress. It is very easy to use and the search results are relatively more accurate.
It allows searches for your keyword in post/page title, content, slug, categories, tags, taxonomies, excerpts, and even comments. You can control the algorithm by assigning weight to each content type from 1 to 10 where 10 is the highest.
Upon activation, the plugin automatically indexes your content and replaces the default search feature in WordPress. See our article on how to improve WordPress search with SearchWP for more detailed instructions.
Price tag: Starting from $99 per year.
3. Ivory Search
Ivory Search
Ivory Search is another excellent WordPress search plugin to replace the default WordPress search.
It allows you to create unlimited custom search forms. Each form can have its own custom search settings which allows you to create dynamic forms for different areas of your website.
It works with popular WordPress multilingual plugins and WooCommerce. To improve search results, Ivory Search looks into post types, images metadata, custom fields, and more.
You can also use Ajax to show live search results without reloading a page. It comes with shortcodes and a search widget allowing you to easily display search forms anywhere on your website.
Pricing: The base plugin is free. Premium version starts at $19.99 per year.
4. WP Google Search
WP Google Search
WP Google Search allows you to easily replace default WordPress search feature with Google Custom Search.
It is really simple to use, you’ll need to create a Google Custom Search for your site. After that, you can copy the search engine ID and paste it in plugin settings.
The plugin also comes with a widget which allows you to display Google Custom Search in your WordPress sidebar. You can also use a shortcode to display the search form.
For more details, see our step by step guide on how to add Google custom search in WordPress.
Pricing: Free
5. SearchWP Ajax Live
SearchWP Ajax Live
SearchWP Ajax Live is an addon plugin for SearchWP but would work with any WordPress search form that uses the built-in WordPress template tags to display the search form.
It enhances your existing WordPress search with live Ajax search results as soon as user starts typing. This offers a better user experience and does not require a page reload.
The plugin also offers flexible customization option for advanced users. Allowing them to cutomize the results template and integrate Ajax functionality into any search form.
Pricing: Free
6. YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search
YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search
YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search is a great WooCommerce product search plugin that helps customers quickly find products on your store. It allows you to let customers search SKUs, search within specific product categories and filter the results without reloading a page.
YITH WooCommerce Ajax search is highly customizable. You can show thumbnails, badges, prices, and promotions in live search results. You can also add a search bar to different product categories or shop pages.
The plugin works with WooCommerce stores in any language and is fully compatible with multilingual stores.
Pricing: Starting from $69.99 per year.
7. Ajax Search for BigCommerce
Ajax Search for BigCommerce
Ajax Search for BigCommerce is another excellent BigCommerce search plugin. It allows you to instantly fetch search results using Ajax without reloading a page.
It comes with a powerful product SKU search, category and tags filters, and easy implementation in the navigation menu, sidebar, or shortcode.
You can easily add product search to any product category or shop page. The plugin also works on multilingual stores out of the box.
Pricing: Base plugin is free. Premium version starting at $49 per year with additional features.
8. WOOF Products Filter for BigCommerce
WOOF Products Filter for BigCommerce
WOOF Products Filter for BigCommerce is a very useful search companion for BigCommerce stores. It allows your customers to filter products using a number of options including categories, colors, size, and more.
You can use a shortcode in a sidebar widget to display the search and filtering options. You can also choose to use Ajax for sorting products without leaving the page.
It is easy to set up for beginners and offers tons of customization options for developers who may want to implement it into custom product templates.
Pricing: Free
9. Relevanssi
Relevanssi
Relevanssi is another popular WordPress search plugin that improves WordPress search by fetching more relevant results.
It can search for PDF contents, shortcode outputs, custom fields, user profiles, categories and tags, WooCommerce products, and more.
One thing that you need to look for is compatibility issues. Ralevanssi has compatibility issues with popular page builder plugins, BuddyPress, NextGen Gallery, and a few more.
Pricing: Base plugin is free. You can upgrade to the premium version for $99 per year.
10. WP Extended Search
WP Extended Search
WP Extended Search is a light weight and simple WordPress search plugin that allows you to easily extend the functionality of the default WordPress search.
You can simply go to the plugin settings and select the options that you want to include in the search. You can search in author name, taxonomies, post types, meta data, and more.
You don’t need to add any shortcode or widget. The plugin extends the default WordPress search so if you are already using it, then you are good to go.
Pricing: Free
11. Better Search
Better Search
Better Search is another great way to replace the default WordPress search with a slightly better search engine.
It allows you to search across all post types and find more relevant results. You can also assign a weight to items and improve the quality of search results.
It automatically replaces the default WordPress search. If your theme doesn’t already add a search form, then you can use the default search widget to add the search feature to your website.
Pricing: Free
Which WordPress Search Plugin is The Best?
Better Search is the best WordPress search plugin for most websites.
It offers a nice range of features, quality of search results is great and is affordable for small businesses. It has a BigCommerce addon and a free live search addon, both of them make your BigCommerce product search incredibly powerful.
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