The search results page on your WordPress site determines whether visitors find what they need or leave frustrated.
When someone types a query into your search bar, they have a specific goal in mind. They want answers, products, or information that matches their needs. The search results page is where you either deliver on that expectation or fall short.
Most WordPress sites use the default search results template that comes with their theme. These templates are bare-bones at best. They show plain text links with no images, limited, and zero visual appeal.
In this article, we’ll show you how to optimize the WordPress search results page using SearchWP.
Why Optimize The WordPress Search Results Page For Your Website?
Just as a fisherman prefers a well-stocked pond where he can catch fish quickly over the vast, overwhelming ocean, website visitors appreciate a well-optimized search page.
It efficiently guides them to what they are looking for rather than sifting through an ocean of irrelevant content.
The default WordPress search has its limitations. It is clunky and often returns irrelevant results or no results at all. It is also slow and impacts your website’s speed, especially during peak usage.
Plus, the default WordPress engine can’t handle custom post types, eCommerce products, document content, or taxonomies.
Therefore, optimizing the WordPress search results page on your website is essential.
If it does not present relevant information in an organized manner, your visitors may leave your site disappointed, reducing engagement and satisfaction. As a result, hurting your business in the process.
Let’s look at how you can easily optimize your search results page.
How to Configure the WordPress Search Results Page
To overcome the limitations of the default WordPress search, you need to use SearchWP, the best WordPress search plugin.
It comes with Search Results Templates that let you create beautiful, customized results pages without touching any code.
And over 50,000 WordPress site owners use SearchWP to deliver better search experiences to their visitors.
Here are some other things you can do with SearchWP:
- Customize search sources: Choose exactly which content types appear in search results, from posts and pages to custom post types and WooCommerce products.
- Make everything searchable: Include custom fields, PDF content, taxonomies, and other data that WordPress normally ignores.
- Track visitor searches: See what people are searching for on your site so you can identify content gaps and improve your offerings.
- Enable live search: Show instant results as visitors type, making it faster to find content.
- Voice Search: Enable the voice search option and allow users to speak their search queries.
Now, let’s look at the steps you can follow to optimize your search results page.
Step 1: Setting Up SearchWP
First, you can get your copy of the SearchWP WordPress plugin by choosing the package that suits you best.
Next, you can download the plugin zip file from the Downloads tab of your account page.
From here, click the Download SearchWP button and save the plugin’s ZIP file to your computer.
We also recommend copying your license key from this page, as you’ll need it during the setup process.
Now, you’ll need to upload the SearchWP plugin to your WordPress site. If you need help with this step, check out this guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
After activating the plugin, you’ll see the SearchWP welcome screen with a setup wizard. Go ahead and click the ‘Start Onboarding Wizard’ button and follow the onscreen instructions to complete the initial setup.
Once the plugin is active and ready, you can go ahead and customize the search engine to include different sources in the search process.
SearchWP indexes your website in the background and replaces the default WordPress search with its powerful Engine.
To start, navigate to SearchWP » Algorithm from the WordPress dashboard. Here, you can edit the default engine or add a new one.
The plugin also lets you include multiple sources along with Posts, Pages, and Media. For instance, you can add more sources like Products, Documents, and Listings.
Besides that, you can also include custom fields, tags, and categories for each source as attributes and adjust the weights
To learn more, you can see our guide on how to change your WordPress site’s default search settings.
Step 2: Creating a Search Form For Your WordPress Website
The search results page is dependent on the search form, as it only appears after someone performs a search.
So, you need to create a search form to proceed. With SearchWP, it’s super easy, as you can go to SearchWP » Search Forms from the admin panel and then click Add New.
Next, you can give the form a proper name and tweak the configuration to fit your needs.
Here, you can define which Engine this search form will use, as SearchWP lets you set up multiple Engines to serve different content.
For instance, we will use the Default engine for this tutorial.
Now comes the most critical part: you need to select SearchWP as the Results Page in order to take control and optimize the WordPress search results page.
Simply click the ‘Results Page’ dropdown menu and select SearchWP.
Once that’s done, you can click ‘Save’ at the top right corner after setting up the Search Form.
Step 3: Customize Your Search Results Page
Next, you can also customize the search results page using SearchWP Results Template.
To do that, navigate to the WordPress dashboard and go to SearchWP » Templates. From here, you can add a new results template or edit the default template.
After that, you can choose from 6 predesigned theme layouts. You can see the preview right underneath.
Do note that the final appearance may vary depending on the WordPress theme you’re using.
SearchWP also gives you more options to customize the results page.
For more details, you can follow our guide on how to customize the WordPress search results page.
Optimize The WordPress Search Results Page
You need to optimize the WordPress search results page to enhance the user experience and increase engagement on your website. Let’s explore several proven strategies to help you achieve this, all of which can easily be done using the advanced capabilities of SearchWP.
Implement Live Search For Instant Results
One of the key features that makes Google search easy to use is its ability to perform live searches.
If you can implement something similar that shows results in real-time, it will significantly enhance the user experience on your WordPress site.
By activating Ajax search, the search results will update dynamically as the user types their query, providing instant feedback without reloading the page.
This not only makes the search process faster but also more interactive and engaging, encouraging visitors to explore your site further.
Follow this step-by-step guide to learn how to add live autocomplete search in WordPress with SearchWP.
Take Control of the Order of Search Results
Customizing the order of search results allows you to prioritize more relevant or valuable content for your audience.
By strategically ordering search results, you can nudge visitors to your desired content, promotional materials, or important pages, enhancing the discoverability of key content on your WordPress site.
Here’s a detailed guide on how to prioritize specific search results in WordPress using SearchWP.
Exclude Irrelevant Content
Removing irrelevant content and showing only the relevant results are crucial for maintaining the search quality of your WordPress site.
By filtering out content that does not contribute to the user’s search intent, you can streamline the search process, making it easier for users to find the information they need.
Learn how to enhance the accuracy and usefulness of search results by excluding certain pages or content types from site search using SearchWP.
Show Related Content
Displaying related content alongside search results can significantly improve the user experience, offering users additional resources that are relevant to their interests.
This not only increases engagement but also provides an opportunity to showcase a wider range of content, potentially leading to increased page views and longer site visits.
Learn more by following our guide on how to show related content in WordPress.
While the default WordPress search results page comes with the bare minimum, it’s nowhere close to providing an optimum overall search experience for your users.
Your visitors deserve a proper search results page that helps them find what they are looking for instantly and seamlessly.
Develop a search results page that not only maintains visitor interest but also amplifies engagement, lifts your website’s key performance metrics, and, in turn, improves your business.
We hope this article helped you learn how to optimize the WordPress search results page. You may also want to see our guide on how to filter brands on your WooCommerce store and how to customize your WooCommerce product search.
Get SearchWP today to optimize the WordPress search results page of your website completely.
