It can be frustrating when your high-quality content gets lost in a jumble on your WordPress site’s search results.
We’ve observed this issue frequently on various WordPress sites. For instance, when a visitor searches for ’email marketing,’ they receive mixed results from different categories, including web design tips, SEO tutorials, and social media strategies.
Instead of locating the information they seek, visitors may become confused and leave the site.
Allowing visitors to search within specific categories enables them to find what they need more quickly, encouraging them to stay on your site longer. On content-rich sites like blogs or online stores, this can significantly enhance conversion rates by directing users to the information they want.
In this guide, we will demonstrate the most effective way to implement category-based search on your WordPress site. Don’t worry – it’s simpler than you might expect! 🙌
Why Implement Category-Based Search on WordPress?
Categories provide a straightforward method for organizing content on your WordPress website, making it easier for visitors to discover engaging posts.
For instance, many websites display their categories in a dropdown menu or a sidebar.
If your blog features a large number of posts, you can enhance user experience by adding a category search feature to your site. This will help visitors easily find the content they are looking for, even among a vast collection of blog entries.
If you operate a WooCommerce store, you can create a product category search feature to boost your sales.
For those managing a WordPress membership site, implementing category-based search can assist users in locating specific members, groups, forums, online courses, and more.
Now, let’s explore how to integrate a category-based search feature into your WordPress site. You can use the quick links below to navigate this tutorial:
- Step 1: Install and Configure SearchWP
- Step 2: Tailor Your WordPress Search Algorithm
- Step 3: Develop a Category Search Form
- Step 4: Integrate the Category Search Form into WordPress
- Bonus Tip: Incorporate an Ajax Taxonomies Filter in WordPress Search
- FAQs: How to Implement Category Search in WordPress
- Additional Resources: More Guides on WordPress Search
Step 1: Install and Configure SearchWP
The simplest method to add a category-specific search to WordPress is by using SearchWP. This top-rated search plugin enhances the default WordPress search functionality.
With SearchWP, you can search through content that WordPress typically overlooks, including custom post types, PDF files, WooCommerce products, and categories.
For a comprehensive understanding of the plugin, check out our in-depth SearchWP review.
Begin by creating a SearchWP account by clicking the ‘Get SearchWP Now’ button on their official website. Follow the registration steps to complete the process.
After logging in, download the SearchWP zip file. You can also copy your license key or keep the tab open for easy reference.
Next, install and activate the SearchWP plugin. For detailed instructions, refer to our step-by-step guide on installing a WordPress plugin.
Once activated, navigate toSearchWP » Settingsand click on the ‘General’ tab.
In this section, enter your license key in the ‘License Key’ box. You can locate this information in your account on the SearchWP website.
After entering the key, be sure to click the ‘Verify Key’ button.
Step 2: Personalize Your WordPress Search Algorithm
Once the plugin is activated, you can adjust how SearchWP indexes, searches, and presents your content. Think of this as developing a tailored search algorithm similar to Google, specifically for your WordPress blog or website.
To begin, go toSearchWP» Algorithm.
This section displays the various content types that SearchWP searches by default, including pages, posts, and media files.
Each content type comes with its own Application Attribute Relevance sliders, enabling you to adjust how SearchWP prioritizes content on your website.
For instance, setting the ‘Title’ slider to the middle and the ‘Content’ slider to the right means that the content will be weighted more heavily than the title.
You also have the option to exclude specific pages, authors, and more from the WordPress search results.
Another option is to expand the search results by clicking the ‘Sources & Settings’ button.
You can check the box next to various content types. For example, you might want to make blog comments searchable or enable PDF indexing and searching in WordPress.
Once you are satisfied with your adjustments, click the ‘Done’ button.
This will create a new section for each added content type, allowing you to modify the attribute relevance using the sliders.
When you are content with your search configuration, scroll to the top of the screen and click the ‘Save’ button.
SearchWP will automatically rebuild the index. The duration of this process may vary depending on your Internet connection speed and WordPress hosting provider.
When you see ‘Index Status 100%,’ it indicates that SearchWP has successfully indexed all of your content and settings.
Step 3: Create a Category-Based Search Form
At this point, you’re set to create a category-based search form, enabling visitors to select their desired category for searching. For detailed guidance, refer to our article on creating a custom search form in WordPress.
First, navigate to SearchWP»Search Forms. Then, click on ‘Add New.’
Next, assign a name to your new search form for easy identification later. This will be useful if you plan to create multiple search forms for your website.
Then, select a layout theme for the search form. Since we are creating a category-based search form, choose the ‘Category Search’ option.
As you scroll down, you’ll notice that the ‘Category Search’ option is enabled. You can also turn on Quick Search (which provides search term suggestions) and Advanced Search (which allows users to search with advanced filters).
For the Engine setting, simply select ‘Default’ as that is what we configured earlier in Step 2.
On the Results Page, you can opt for the default WordPress search results page or create a custom one using SearchWP. If you’re interested in the latter, check out our guide on customizing the search results page in WordPress.
Next, under ‘Type of Search,’ you can specify the types of content users can discover through the search engine. If you want the category-based search form to display only blog post results, simply add ‘Posts.’
If you wish to include pages and media files as well, feel free to enter ‘Pages’ and ‘Media.’
In the ‘Select Category’ field, you can choose to include or exclude any blog post categories available in the dropdown menu of the search form.
Below that, you can customize the placeholder text in the field label and enable or disable the Search Button as needed.
Further down, you can adjust the search form’s border, border color, and font, along with the button’s shape, label, background color, and font.
Feel free to tailor the design to better fit your WordPress theme.
Once you are satisfied with the search form settings, scroll back up the page.
Then, click ‘Save.’
Step 4: Embed the Category-Based Search Form in WordPress
After creating a category-based search form, it’s time to integrate it into your WordPress website. SearchWP provides a user-friendly search form block that can be added using the Gutenberg editor, Full Site Editor, or the block-based widget editor.
Let’s add the search form to a WordPress page. Open the block editor for either a new or existing page, and click the ‘+ Add Block’ button.
Next, choose the ‘Search Form’ block (be careful not to confuse it with the ‘Search’ block, which is a default WordPress feature and not part of SearchWP).
In the ‘Block’ tab on the sidebar, select the search form you created from the dropdown menu. Your new category-based search form will then be displayed.
You can enhance the page by adding additional elements such as brief instructions or images. Once you’re satisfied, click the ‘Publish’ or ‘Update’ button.
Now, preview your WordPress page to see how the search form appears on the front end.
Here’s a preview of our category-based search form:
Bonus Tip: Incorporate an Ajax Taxonomies Filter into Your WordPress Search
When your WordPress site contains a vast amount of content, it can be challenging for visitors to locate exactly what they are looking for. A general search may yield too many results, leading to frustration and potentially causing them to abandon the site.
One effective solution is to implement Ajax-powered taxonomy filters, such as categories, tags, or custom taxonomies, adjacent to your search bar. These filters enable users to refine their search results in real time without the need to refresh the page.
For instance, a user searching for ’email templates’ can quickly narrow down their options by selecting topics like ‘Marketing’ or ‘Tutorials‘ to find exactly what they need.
This simple enhancement can significantly improve user experience, deliver quicker results, and increase visitor satisfaction, encouraging them to stay and explore your website further. It is particularly beneficial for:
- WordPress blogsthat cover various topics or feature multiple authors
- Online course librarieswhere learners can filter courses by subject, difficulty level, instructor, or format (such as video or text)
- Directory ormembership siteswhere members can be filtered based on role, expertise, industry, or location
- Car dealership websiteswhere users need to search by make, model, year, fuel type, or specific features
- Real estate websiteswhere visitors want to filter listings by location, property type, or price range
To begin, you can refer to our guide on how to add an Ajax taxonomy filter to WordPress search.
FAQs: How to Implement Category-Based Search in WordPress
Do you have questions about using category-based search on your WordPress website? Here are some frequently asked questions to help you maximize the benefits of SearchWP.
Is SearchWP compatible with any WordPress theme?
Absolutely! SearchWP is compatible with all WordPress themes, enhancing your site’s search capabilities without requiring any specific adjustments to your theme.
Can I modify the design of the category search form?
Definitely. SearchWP allows you to customize the category search form’s appearance to seamlessly integrate with your website’s design. You can adjust the search bar’s label, placeholder text, font, and border style.
Can I prevent certain content from appearing in SearchWP results?
Yes, you can easily exclude specific pages, authors, or content types from search results directly in the SearchWP settings, without any coding required.
Additional Resources: More Guides on WordPress Search
We hope this article has assisted you in implementing category-based search in WordPress. For further information on creating a custom search engine for WordPress, explore these additional guides:
- How to Integrate a Search Bar into Your WordPress Menu
- How to Implement Live Ajax Search on Your WordPress Site
- Adding Multilingual Search Functionality to Your WordPress Site
- Making Custom Fields Searchable in WordPress
- Including Custom Post Types in WordPress Search Results
- Creating an Intelligent Product Search for WooCommerce
- Customizing the WooCommerce Product Search Results Page
- Enhancing WordPress Search with SearchWP: A Quick and Easy Guide
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