As an experienced webmaster, I know how crucial a good site search is. If customers can‘t easily find products on your WooCommerce store, you‘ll miss out on sales.
The default WooCommerce search leaves a lot to be desired. But implementing a smart search plugin can increase conversion rates by 25% or more.
In this post, I‘ll show you how to improve WooCommerce product search in a few easy steps. You‘ll also learn some pro tips to further enhance the customer experience.
Contents
Why the Default Search Hurts Your Store
Out of the box, WooCommerce only searches product titles and descriptions. This means shoppers will get frustrating "No results found" pages when:
- They use synonyms/different words than your titles
- They make typos
- Search terms match other product data like tags, categories, attributes
According to SearchWP, 3 out of 4 search queries turn up empty on average sites. Just imagine how many sales you are losing!
Limitations of Default WooCommerce Search
| SearchWP | Default WooCommerce |
|---|---|
| Searches titles, content, attributes, tags, reviews | Only titles and description |
| Typo tolerance and autocorrect | None |
| Custom weighting for attributes | No control |
| Fast indexed search | Slow database queries |
With such limited capabilities, it‘s no wonder conversion rates suffer.
Implementing a smarter search like SearchWP helps you match what customers are looking for to your products.
How to Install SearchWP for WooCommerce
Let‘s look at how easy SearchWP is to set up:
- Install SearchWP plugin
- Activate WooCommerce extension
- Create custom search engine
- Rebuild index
- Enjoy smarter search!
See, only takes 5 steps to get started. Now let‘s look at each part in more detail.
Install and Activate SearchWP
First, install SearchWP like any WordPress plugin:
- Go to Plugins > Add New
- Search for "SearchWP"
- Install and activate the plugin
After activation, you‘ll see SearchWP on the admin menu.
Enable the WooCommerce Extension
The WooCommerce extension connects SearchWP to your products.
To set it up:
- Go to SearchWP > Extensions
- Locate WooCommerce extension
- Click Install to add it
- Activate the extension
Create a Custom Search Engine
Now we‘ll customize the search engine specifically for products.
From the SearchWP menu, go to Algorithm > Sources & Settings:
- Check the box for Products
- Click Add/Remove Attributes
- Select the attributes, tags, etc you want to search
- Adjust Relevancy Sliders as needed
- Click Done to save engine
Here‘s an example configuration:
Now SearchWP will search all the relevant product data you selected.
Rebuild the Search Index
With your algorithm saved, SearchWP will reindex your products. This may take a few minutes depending on site size.
You‘ll know it‘s done when the progress bar shows 100% complete.
Smarter WooCommerce Search
That‘s it! Your existing search form will now have enhanced smart search capabilities powered by SearchWP.
Some additional tips for further optimizing search:
- Add search bar to header if theme doesn‘t have one
- Customize results page with filters, facets
- Redirect no results to related category/tag
- Track conversion metrics with Google Analytics
The benefits of smarter search include:
- Increased conversions and sales
- Reduced bounce rate
- Improved customer satisfaction
Give your WooCommerce product search a boost with SearchWP! Let me know if you have any other questions.
