SearchWP: Why We Upgraded Our Site Search To This WordPress Plugin
If you’re still relying on the default WordPress search experience, you’re likely missing out on meaningful engagement and valuable insights. Default search functionality in WordPress is limited — it doesn’t account for custom fields, doesn’t index content-rich files like PDFs, and certainly doesn’t provide the kind of actionable analytics today’s businesses need. Visitors get frustrated, bounce rates climb, and your best content gets buried.
SearchWP
At Martech Zone, we recognized this challenge. We tested Ajax plugins, Jetpack, and even third-party search tools… but this week we made the switch to SearchWP. It’s the #1 WordPress search plugin trusted by over 50,000 site owners. Today, our readers enjoy a seamless live search experience using a modern search modal, and we gain detailed insights into their behavior. The difference is night and day.
SearchWP is more than a plugin—it’s a powerful platform for delivering relevant, real-time results across your entire site. It’s fast, flexible, and intuitive for both developers and non-technical users. And it works with nearly every content type you can imagine, from WooCommerce product details to custom post types, PDFs, and beyond.
Why SearchWP is a Game-Changer
The first thing you’ll notice after switching to SearchWP is the accuracy. Users find what they’re looking for faster, whether it’s a buried blog post or a specific author’s contribution. The plugin gives you complete control over what gets indexed and how search results are ranked. But more importantly, it provides insights into what visitors are typing into the search bar — letting you optimize your content strategy based on actual user intent.
At Martech Zone, we’re utilizing SearchWP’sLive Ajax Search to power our sleek search modal. Visitors get instant feedback as they type, and our site never needs to reload. It’s not just convenient — it’s a better user experience that keeps readers engaged longer.
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Power Intelligent Related Posts with Post-Specific Control
One of the lesser-known but incredibly powerful features of SearchWP is its ability to generate contextually relevant related posts — and even give you complete control over what shows up for each post.
Unlike traditional related post plugins that rely on vague tag or category matches, SearchWP uses its custom indexing and relevance scoring to surface related content based on actual content analysis. This means users are more likely to see recommendations that truly match their intent, rather than just what is loosely associated by taxonomy.
Even better, you can override the algorithm with post-specific settings. Within the WordPress editor, SearchWP offers the option to assign related content to any post manually. This is perfect for editorial teams who want to promote cornerstone articles, prioritize seasonal pieces, or tailor internal linking strategies for SEO or conversions.
By using SearchWP for related posts, you not only improve user engagement and dwell time — you also ensure your visitors are guided through the most meaningful and strategic paths across your content.
Additional SearchWP Features That Elevate Your Site Search
Here’s a look at the standout features that make SearchWP a superior choice for WordPress:
- Actionable Search Insights: Access powerful analytics to see what your visitors are searching for, what they’re clicking on, and where content gaps may exist.
- Advanced Search Controls: Enable keyword stemming, smart redirects, Boolean logic, and search exclusions to fine-tune behavior.
- Better E-commerce Search: Index every detail of your product listings, including variations and metadata, for WooCommerce, EDD, and BigCommerce.
- Comprehensive Site Search: Index everything—custom fields, database tables, media, PDFs, custom post types, and even author data.
- Custom Content Indexing: Fine-tune your index to include or exclude any part of your WordPress site.
- Custom Results Order: Use drag-and-drop tools to control which content appears first in search results.
- Customizable Algorithm: Adjust content weighting and allow the search engine to learn from user behavior automatically.
- Instant AJAX Search: Add real-time, dropdown search results to any search bar on your site.
- Live Ajax Instant Search: Speed up the user experience with live search suggestions.
- Optimized Search Templates: Choose from high-converting pre-made templates that match your brand and layout.
- PDF Search: Make content inside your uploaded PDFs fully searchable.
- Search Analytics: Use search behavior data to uncover what your audience wants — and deliver it.
- WordPress Multisite Search: Let your search engine span across sub-sites in a multisite network.
These features work together to deliver not just better results, but better business outcomes. Whether you’re publishing content, selling products, or powering a membership site, SearchWP helps your audience discover more of what matters.
How to Get Started with SearchWP
Getting started is simple. Install the plugin, configure your search engines using its intuitive interface, and decide what content types and metadata to include. You can create separate engines for different parts of your site, customize weighting, and even preview results in real-time. At Martech Zone, we had our live modal search up and running in under an hour.
With built-in analytics, instant indexing, and custom algorithms, SearchWP enables businesses to understand their audience and direct them to the most relevant content. Instead of guessing what your readers are after, you can respond with data-backed content decisions. That means higher conversions, more time on site, and better performance across your digital initiatives.
Don’t let poor search experiences cost you traffic and conversions. Whether you’re a content-heavy publication like Martech Zone or a growing WooCommerce store, SearchWP is an upgrade that pays for itself in engagement and insight.
Create a smarter WordPress search experience today
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