How to add live search in WordPress for free

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Maintaining a blog is excellent, but one of the essential enhancements you can make is to implement live search functionality in WordPress. This allows your readers to instantly find the content they’re looking for.

Given that advanced search capabilities are not typically available, we’ll demonstrate a straightforward method to integrate live search into your WordPress site for free, using only a single plugin.

What is live search, and why is it beneficial?

Ever noticed how Google offers suggestions as you type your search query? This feature is known as live search.

Live search not only accelerates the search process for your visitors but also includes an auto-complete feature that enhances the user experience and encourages deeper engagement with your content.

Here are a few reasons to consider adding this feature to your site:

1. It keeps visitors on the same page instead of having to load new pages for each search.
2. It motivates visitors to discover more of your content.
3. It enhances user experience and can improve your site rankings.

What can you search for with it?

It can be used for various types of content including:

• Posts
• Pages
• Media
• Products

Wondering if you can search for products too?

Absolutely! You can integrate WooCommerce to enable real-time searches of products, allowing visitors to view all your products without leaving their current page.

How can you implement live search in WordPress?

We’ll guide you through a detailed step-by-step process to add live search functionality to your WordPress site from start to finish. Let’s dive in!

1. Install Ivory Search

The first step is to install a free plugin named “Ivory Search“. Here’s how:

• Navigate to: Plugins » Add New
• Search for “Ivory Search”
• Install and activate the plugin.

2. Set it up

Once Ivory Search is installed, you’ll need to set it up. Follow these steps:

• Go to: Ivory Search » Add New
• Create your search form
• Select the post types you want to include in your searches (posts, pages, media)
• Decide whether to show all or specific posts, pages, or media
• Choose how you’d like to search your content (by post title, content, excerpt, etc.)

You’ll see several configuration options:

• Post Types: Choose to display results from posts, pages, or media.
• Posts, Pages, and Media: Here, specify whether to show all or particular items.
• Extras: Set preferences for searching via various criteria like category, tags, and date.

Additional features available in the pro version include:

• Post status
• Authors
• Comments

These settings will help tailor the live search to meet your site’s specific needs.

3. Activating the AJAX Live Search

Once you have configured the settings to your satisfaction, you’ll need to activate the AJAX live search:

• Navigate to AJAX settings.
• Enable AJAX search.
• Customize it according to your needs.

4. Style and Customize It

You can also enhance the appearance of the search form on the frontend:

• Access the design settings.
• Use the customizer to tailor every aspect of the frontend appearance.

What elements can you customize?

• AJAX loader image.
• Style of the search form.
• Placeholder text.
• Colors of texts, buttons, borders, and more.

For additional customization:

• Return to the Ivory Search options.
• Here, you can adjust settings like posts per search page, highlight search items, and match search terms with specific words, among others.

5. Importing the Live Search

To integrate the live search into your website:

• Go to Ivory Search and navigate to the search forms.
• Select your search form and copy the provided shortcode.

Next steps:

• Navigate to Pages, choose an existing page or create a new one.
• Insert the shortcode into the page and publish it.

And just like that, you’ve successfully integrated live search. Now, when you search for something on your site, it will function seamlessly with this feature.

Key takeaway

Integrating live search into your WordPress site is a small change that can significantly enhance your website’s functionality. This feature is particularly impactful for blogs and news websites, where users benefit from the ability to quickly navigate through a large volume of content.