WordPress Search Function: How to Improve Site Discovery

Key highlights 

• The default WordPress search function has several limits in how it works and its relevance. 
• Third-party solutions like Google Custom Search or Elasticsearch can significantly improve your WordPress search function, delivering better performance and scalability for high-traffic sites.
• A WordPress search plugin like Relevanssi, SearchWP or Ivory Search can significantly improve search results and provide better filtering choices. 
• Changing the WordPress search with code gives you more options and better ways to manage how it works. 
• Quality hosting optimized for WordPress, like Bluehost, significantly improves the WordPress search function performance, database query speed and overall site responsiveness.

An effective WordPress search function is critical for any website, particularly for content-heavy platforms like blogs, eCommerce stores and news websites where users need to quickly locate specific information.

However, WordPress’s default search is limited, often returning less relevant results. When users struggle to find what they need, they may leave your site, leading to higher bounce rates and reduced engagement. 

Thankfully, there are many ways to improve WordPress search functionality. You can use a special WordPress search plugin; you can change how search works with codes. Furthermore, you can upgrade to better hosting. 

In this guide, we will look closely at these methods. We will help you improve your WordPress search function.  

Let’s dive in! 

Understanding the default WordPress search function 

WordPress comes with a built-in search feature, but it lacks many essential features that modern users expect.  

By default, WordPress search function works by scanning post titles and content for keyword matches, but it does not consider content relevance, metadata or custom fields. 

Some of the major drawbacks of the default WordPress search function include: 

• Limited relevance ranking: Search results are displayed in reverse chronological order instead of prioritizing the most relevant content. 
• No support for custom fields or taxonomies: Many WordPress websites use custom post types and fields, but the default search ignores them. 
• Lack of filtering options: Users cannot refine their search by categories, tags or other criteria. 
• Slow performance on large sites: The default search can be inefficient and resource-intensive, especially for websites with thousands of posts.

Because of these limitations, most website owners look for alternative solutions to improve their WordPress search functionality.  

Fortunately, there are multiple proven methods to enhance your WordPress search function, and we’ll explore the top solutions and plugins available to optimize your site’s search capabilities.

Why a better WordPress search function increases engagement and conversions?

Improving the WordPress search function directly impacts outcomes that matter most to your website’s success. When visitors can quickly find relevant content, they stay longer, engage more deeply and are far more likely to convert, whether that means making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter or booking your services. Poor search functionality leads to frustrated users who abandon your site, driving up bounce rates and diminishing the value of your content investment.

The need for better search becomes critical in specific scenarios. Content-heavy blogs and resource libraries depend on search to help readers navigate hundreds or thousands of articles efficiently. Documentation sites must deliver precise answers instantly or risk losing users to support tickets. Portfolio websites need intuitive search to showcase work effectively to potential clients. For WooCommerce stores, robust product search directly influences sales, customers who can’t find what they’re looking for simply buy elsewhere.

Beyond individual user experiences, improved search functionality strengthens your site’s overall engagement metrics and can positively influence SEO performance by reducing bounce rates and increasing time on site. Fortunately, you don’t have to settle for WordPress’s limited default search. Multiple solutions exist to transform how visitors discover your content, from specialized plugins to custom code implementations and third-party integrations.

How WordPress search works behind the scenes?

When you use the WordPress search function, WordPress takes your search term and runs a basic SQL query against your site’s database. By default, it searches only post titles and content, excluding custom fields, categories, tags and most custom post types. The query looks for exact keyword matches and returns results in reverse chronological order rather than by relevance, which is why newer posts appear first even if older posts are better matches.

For developers, this process happens through WP_Query, WordPress’s core class for retrieving content. The default search parameters are limited, which is why many sites experience poor search relevance. Understanding this limitation helps you decide whether you need a custom search function plugin, one of the best WordPress search plugins like Relevanssi or SearchWP or if learning how to improve search functionality through code modifications makes sense for your specific needs.

Implementing WordPress search function: Simple built-in methods

Adding search functionality to your WordPress site doesn’t require technical expertise. If visitors can’t quickly find what they need, they’ll leave. Fortunately, WordPress offers simple, built-in methods to add a search bar that helps users navigate your content effortlessly.

The easiest approach is using the WordPress search widget. Navigate to Appearance > Widgets in your dashboard, then drag the Search widget to your sidebar or footer. This instantly adds a functional search bar where visitors typically expect to find it. For more control, use the Search block in the WordPress block editor. Simply click the “+” button while editing any page, post or template, search for “Search,” and insert the block wherever you need it. This method works perfectly for custom layouts and landing pages.

Placement matters significantly for user experience. Your search bar should be visible and accessible, ideally in your header, main navigation or sidebar. Avoid burying it in the footer where users might miss it. The goal is to make search discoverable without cluttering your design.

Quick placement checklist:

• Place search prominently in header or navigation
• Consider sidebar placement for blog-heavy sites
• Ensure the search bar is visible on mobile devices
• Avoid hiding search functionality in dropdowns

Add search with a WordPress widget

If you want a quick upgrade to your WordPress search function, add the built-in Search widget (or Search block) where visitors look first, header/navigation for most sites, or the sidebar for blog-heavy layouts.

1. Go to Appearance → Widgets, find Search and add it to your Header/Sidebar area, then save.
2. If you use a block theme, open Appearance → Editor (Site Editor), edit the Header template part, insert the Search block and save.
3. Confirm it shows across templates by previewing key pages (home, a post, a page) and the search results screen; if it’s missing, add it to the shared Header template part.

• Use a clear label (visible text or aria label) and ensure strong contrast.
• Keep the field and button large enough for easy tapping on mobile.
• Test with keyboard tabbing to verify focus is obvious.

Add search to the main content of your site with WordPress tools

For high-intent pages, it often makes sense to place a search box directly in the main content, such as a resource hub, documentation index, WooCommerce category page or a long-form blog archive, so visitors can narrow results without scrolling back to the header. Use the Search block in the editor (or in a template) and label it clearly so it feels like part of the page’s navigation, not an afterthought.

To learn how to improve search functionality without clutter, pair search with lightweight on-page navigation: a short category/tag list, a “popular topics” row and 3–5 featured resources. Keep filters above the fold, avoid duplicate search boxes and reserve advanced options for a custom search function plugin if your content library is large. Strengthen findability with descriptive internal links (for example, WordPress widgets guide), not “click here.”

What are the best ways to improve the WordPress search function? 

Using a WordPress search plugin 

A simple and effective way to make search better is to use a WordPress search plugin. 

Here are three great WordPress search plugins you may want to look at: 

1. Relevanssi 
2. SearchWP 
3. Ivory Search

These plugins are better than the regular search feature. They make search results more useful. They also provide options to sort and help with different types of content. 

Below, we dive into each WordPress search function plugin to help you enhance your site’s search capabilities:

Relevanssi Plugin: Powerful WordPress Search Function Enhancement Tool

Among the best WordPress search plugins, Relevanssi stands out as a popular and powerful solution that enhances your site’s search functionality.

It completely changes the usual WordPress search feature. It uses a better system for indexing that gives helpful search results. 

Some key features of Relevanssi include: 

• Full-text search indexing: Relevanssi looks at post content, titles, previews, custom fields and taxonomies. This makes searches more thorough. 
• Fuzzy matching for WordPress search function: Delivers relevant results even when users make spelling errors or typos in their search queries.
• Customizable weighting: You can choose how different parts of the content (title, tags, custom fields) influence search rankings. 
• Search PDFs and attachments with WordPress search function: Essential for websites offering downloadable documents and file resources to visitors.

Relevanssi offers both a free version and a paid version. The paid version has extra features. These include search filtering based on user roles and support for several sites. 

SearchWP: Customizable WordPress search function plugin for enhanced site search

SearchWP is a leading search plugin for WordPress. It improves the way you can customize your search, making it among the best WordPress search plugins on our list.

You can make your search algorithm better. You can choose what gets indexed and how the results are ranked. 

Key features of SearchWP:  

• Indexing custom fields and eCommerce data: This is useful for WooCommerce stores that want better product search options. 
• Keyword stemming and synonym support: It helps people find results even if they use different versions of a word. 
• Page builder compatibility for WordPress search function: Seamlessly integrates with Elementor, Divi and other popular WordPress page builders to enhance your site’s search capabilities.
• Live search insights: This helps website owners see what users want. They can adjust their content to fit these needs.

SearchWP is a good choice for people who want more say in how the search feature on their website works. 

3. Ivory Search: WordPress Search Function Plugin with Advanced Filtering and AJAX Features

Ivory Search is a simple WordPress search plugin loaded with features. It offers smart search forms, many filter options and immediate search that uses AJAX. 

Key features of Ivory Search include:  

• Different search forms: Create various search forms with unique settings for different sections of your site. 
• Leave out certain content: Choose which posts, pages and categories appear in search results. 
• Live AJAX search: Provides fast search suggestions while users type. 
• WooCommerce support: A good choice for online shops that want to improve product search.

Among the best WordPress search plugins available today, Ivory Search delivers a powerful yet user-friendly solution designed specifically to improve WordPress search functionality for both beginners and experienced developers looking to enhance their website’s search capabilities.

Read more: 7 Best Multi Currency WordPress Plugins

Customizing WordPress search with code 

For developers or advanced users, modifying WordPress search with custom code provides greater control over search results. Using WordPress hooks like pre_get_posts, you can:

• Exclude unnecessary content such as outdated posts or certain categories. 
• Prioritize key post types like WooCommerce products or portfolio items. 
• Implement keyword weighting for improved relevance by giving more importance to titles over body text. 

For example, the following snippet prioritizes WooCommerce products and blog posts while excluding outdated content: 

function customize_search_query($query) { if ($query->is_search && !is_admin()) { $query->set('post_type', array('post', 'page', 'product')); } return $query; } add_filter('pre_get_posts', 'customize_search_query'); 

This ensures that only posts, pages and WooCommerce products appear in search results. 

Enhancing WordPress search function with third-party solutions

If your website has a lot of content or needs strong search features, you can use third-party search engines like Google Custom Search and Elasticsearch. They offer good solutions. 

These WordPress search function enhancement platforms offer:

• Lightning-fast indexing and search speeds.  
• Advanced relevance algorithms.  
• Scalable infrastructure supporting high-traffic WordPress search functionality.

Read more: How to Add Google Search to Your WordPress Website in 3 Easy Steps

Why quality hosting is essential for WordPress search function performance?

Even the best WordPress search plugin or custom search changes cannot make up for poor hosting. It can slow down how well the WordPress search function works. 

A good hosting setup makes sure that search queries run fast. This helps make the user’s experience better and keeps them engaged with the site. 

Bluehost WordPress hosting is designed to improve how well websites perform. It makes sure that sites work well, even when there is a lot of traffic and tough searches. 

Bluehost is officially recommended by WordPress as a hosting provider. They have fast servers, great caching and database optimization. This helps to provide super quick search results. 

Whether you have a blog, a business site or an online store, Bluehost makes sure that searches give good results fast.  

How Bluehost improves WordPress search performance: 

• Faster database searches: Bluehost uses MySQL to make sure that search results show up fast. 
• Built-in caching and CDN integration: Accelerates WordPress search function performance by reducing load times and improving site speed for content-heavy websites.
• Scalability: Manages more visitors without slowing down search speed. 
• Enhanced WordPress security: Automatic updates, SSL certificates and malware protection keep your WordPress search function and entire site secure and performing optimally.
• Expert support anytime: WordPress experts are ready to help fix any performance problems. 
• WooCommerce optimization: Improves product search by using better indexing and filtering choices.

Choosing Bluehost for WordPress hosting gives you a fast, safe and dependable search feature. This helps keep users interested and boosts how well your website performs. 

How to optimize your WordPress search function for better results?

Once you’ve implemented your WordPress search function, whether through a plugin, custom code, third-party service or upgraded hosting, the next step is optimization. A functional search bar is just the starting point. Knowing how to improve search functionality means focusing on four critical areas: search speed, result relevance, user experience and content coverage.

Search optimization ensures visitors find what they need quickly and accurately, which directly impacts engagement and conversions. This means fine-tuning how results are ranked, what content gets indexed, how fast queries execute and how clearly results are presented to users. Even the best WordPress search plugins benefit from targeted optimization to match your specific site structure and audience behavior.

The following two optimization tips address the most impactful areas for measurable improvement. First, we’ll cover how to enhance the search results page itself, making it more useful and conversion-focused. Then, we’ll explore proven methods to speed up your WordPress search function without sacrificing the quality of results.

Improve the way WordPress search results are displayed

Improving how search results are displayed enhances user experience significantly. Once your WordPress search function returns relevant results, the results page itself should make information easy to scan and act upon.

Essential improvements for your search results page:

• Show clear result titles with excerpts that highlight matched search terms
• Display relevant metadata: post categories, dates or product prices for eCommerce sites
• Add sorting and filtering options (by relevance, date or category) to help users refine results
• Create a helpful “no results” page with search tips, popular content links or category suggestions
• Ensure fast loading and maintain site navigation consistency

These improvements are typically available through your theme options or any WordPress search plugin settings—no coding required for most implementations.

Speed up WordPress search

Improving the WordPress search function requires attention to both quick performance wins and structural improvements. Speed directly affects user satisfaction and engagement, so optimizing search latency should be a priority.

Quick wins:

• Limit indexed content by excluding outdated posts, draft content and unnecessary post types from search queries.
• Keep WordPress core, themes and plugins updated to ensure compatibility and performance.
• Optimize images and assets to reduce page load times that affect perceived search speed.
• Enable caching for search results pages to reduce repeated database queries.

Bigger fixes:

• Configure database indexing to improve query performance on large sites.
• Upgrade hosting resources when WordPress search performance and database query times consistently exceed acceptable limits.

When search performance issues persist despite optimization, hosting infrastructure often becomes the bottleneck. Bluehost WordPress hosting provides optimized database configurations and server resources designed to handle search-intensive operations efficiently.

Selecting the right WordPress search function plugin for your site

The best WordPress search plugin depends on your specific needs. All three plugins improve search relevance significantly, but each excels in different scenarios.

Plugin	Best For	Key Strength
Relevanssi	Content sites with PDFs	Full-text indexing, document search
SearchWP	WooCommerce stores, large sites	Custom field indexing, analytics
Ivory Search	Sites needing AJAX search	Live search, multiple forms

Choose Relevanssi if you need to search PDF attachments or have extensive custom fields. Pick SearchWP for WooCommerce stores or when you need detailed search analytics and insights. Select Ivory Search if you want instant AJAX search results or need different search configurations for various site sections.

Extend the WordPress search function beyond standard content types

By default, WordPress search only indexes post titles and content, ignoring custom post types, taxonomies and media that visitors need to find. For sites with products, portfolios, downloadable resources or custom content structures, this limitation significantly reduces findability and user experience.

Expanding search coverage matters most for eCommerce sites, portfolios, documentation hubs and content-heavy blogs where visitors search for specific products, case studies or resources stored in custom fields and taxonomies. When search can’t find these assets, users leave frustrated.

What to include in WordPress search:

• Custom post types (products, portfolios, testimonials, case studies)
• Custom fields and WordPress search metadata
• Categories, tags and custom taxonomies
• PDFs, documents and media files within WordPress search
• WooCommerce product data (SKUs, descriptions, attributes)

Most WordPress search plugins, including Relevanssi, SearchWP and Ivory Search, handle this expansion through settings panels, making broader coverage accessible without custom code.

7 techniques for improving site search

Use these UX-focused techniques to strengthen your WordPress search function and show visitors you understand their intent.

1. Enable autosuggest/live results so you reduce typing and guide users to the right pages faster.
2. Build a synonyms and stemming map so “pricing,” “cost,” and “prices” return consistent matches.
3. Add spelling tolerance so typos still surface relevant content instead of dead ends.
4. Offer faceted filters (type, topic, product attributes) that mirror your information architecture, not random tags.
5. Review search analytics to spot content gaps and create pages for what people actually search.
6. Strengthen “no results” paths with top categories, popular links and a contact option to keep users moving.
7. Keep search placement and labeling consistent across templates so users always know where to search.

What if WordPress search isn’t working as intended?

Before changing settings, take a quick backup. If your WordPress search function returns no results for obvious terms, confirm content is published, not private/password-protected and you’re searching the right site language; rebuild the index in your custom search function plugin (see the plugin section). For irrelevant results, adjust weighting/synonyms and exclude thin pages or attachments.

If products/pages/custom post types are missing, enable those post types, taxonomies and custom fields in indexing (and verify WooCommerce data settings). If search/results pages are slow, purge caches, limit indexed content and run basic database cleanup; if it persists, revisit the performance/hosting section. If the search box won’t appear, re-add the Search block/widget and check header/template parts. For redirects/404s, refresh permalinks and confirm search.php exists. For plugin conflicts/caching issues, temporarily disable plugins one-by-one (and switch to a default theme) to isolate, then re-enable and clear cache.

Final thoughts 

A well-optimized WordPress search function makes the user experience better. It helps keep people interested and allows visitors to find content that fits their needs faster. 

The standard search feature in WordPress has limits. However, if you use a WordPress search plugin, change the search settings or add third-party solutions, you can make your search results faster and more precise. 

However, even the best search tools won’t work well if your hosting isn’t set up for good performance. If you want a faster WordPress search function, it’s important to switch to a reliable hosting provider. 

Bluehost WordPress hosting is made for good performance. It gives you fast speed, strong security and scalability. This helps your website give the best search experience. 

Get started with Bluehost WordPress hosting! 

FAQs

How do I add search bar to my WordPress website?

You can add a search bar to your WordPress site using the built-in WordPress search bar widget. Go to Appearance > Widgets and drag the search widget to your sidebar or footer. If you prefer a block editor approach, you can insert a search block anywhere on your page using the WordPress block editor.

How do you customize the WordPress search function through template modification?

To create a custom search page, you can modify the search page template in your WordPress theme. Most themes have a search.php file that controls how search results appear. You can edit this file or create a new one to enhance search functionality add filtering options, or improve search relevance.

How does Google Custom Search replace the WordPress search function?

Yes, you can replace the basic WordPress search with Google Search by integrating Google Custom Search. This improves search accuracy and provides more relevant results. Simply create a custom search engine using Google’s tools and embed the search bar on your website.

How do you add the WordPress search function block to a custom page using the block editor?

If you want to include a search block on a particular search page or any custom page, use the WordPress block editor. Navigate to the desired page, click on the “+” button and add the search widget. This allows visitors to easily find content from anywhere on your website.

How to optimize WordPress search function speed and performance

A slow site search is often caused by poor hosting, unoptimized queries or an inefficient WordPress theme. You can improve search speed by using a fast WordPress hosting provider like Bluehost, optimizing your database and using a search plugin like SearchWP or Relevanssi. Additionally, creating a custom search page with better indexing and filtering options can enhance performance.