Hey there, WordPress user! If you‘re reading this, you probably already know how powerful custom post types can be for organizing content on your WordPress site. But did you know that the default WordPress search function doesn‘t include those custom post types?
That‘s right – if you‘ve carefully crafted custom post types for things like events, products, locations, or resources, your visitors can‘t actually search them without some extra work.
The good news is it‘s absolutely possible to create advanced search forms in WordPress that are fully customized for specific post types. And that‘s exactly what we‘re going to cover in this guide!
By the end of this post, you‘ll be able to build a search form that lets users easily find what they need from your custom content. And that means more engagement, more conversions, and happier users. So let‘s dive in!
Why You Need Custom Search for Custom Post Types
First off, let‘s look at some of the key benefits of having a dedicated search for your custom post types:
Better User Experience
Imagine a user comes to your site looking for a specific piece of content. They type in a query, but get no results – even though you know you have a relevant custom post. That‘s a frustrating experience that could cause the user to leave and not come back.
Increased Engagement
Now picture that same user being able to easily search and filter to find the exact custom post they need. They find what they want quickly and stick around to view more content. Better search keeps users on your site longer.
More Conversions
Whether your conversion goal is a purchase, signup, or just a view, users need to be able to find relevant content to convert. A targeted search for key custom post types can be the difference between a bounce and a conversion.
Competitive Advantage
Most WordPress sites aren‘t taking full advantage of custom post type search. If you are, that positions you ahead of competitors. You‘re providing a superior content experience that will keep users coming back to your site first.
Still not sure if you need this for your site? Let‘s look at some use case examples and data.
Custom Post Type Search Use Cases & Examples
So what kind of sites can benefit from custom post type search? Honestly, almost any WordPress site that uses custom post types heavily. But here are some of the most common use cases:
- Ecommerce stores with products as custom posts
- Job boards with job listings as custom posts
- Recipe sites with recipes as custom posts
- Directories with listings as custom posts
- Wikis/Documentation sites with articles as custom posts
- Real estate sites with properties as custom posts
- Portfolio sites with portfolio items as custom posts
For example, on WPBeginner, we use custom post types for our Glossary terms. So we created a custom search form that allows users to search just glossary terms by letter, category, and keyword:
This provides a much better experience than just lumping glossary terms together with all our other content in a general search.
Another great example is Airbnb, which uses custom post types for its rental listings. The search form is customized with filters specific to rentals like location, date range, number of guests, amenities, and more.
This granular search is critical for helping renters find the perfect place to stay. A generic WordPress search simply wouldn‘t cut it.
WordPress Custom Search Plugins & Usage
Okay, so how do you actually implement custom post type search on your WordPress site? With a plugin!
While you could modify the default WordPress search form template directly, a plugin will give you a lot more flexibility and functionality. Here are some of the most popular options:
| Plugin | Active Installs | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| SearchWP | 30,000+ | 4.9/5 |
| Relevanssi | 100,000+ | 4.8/5 |
| FacetWP | 20,000+ | 4.8/5 |
According to WordPress.org, SearchWP is active on over 30,000 sites, Relevanssi on over 100,000, and FacetWP on over 20,000. All have stellar ratings. So you can be confident these are well-tested, reliable solutions.
For this guide, we‘ll use SearchWP as an example. But the process will be generally similar for other search plugins.
Step 1: Install and Activate SearchWP
To get started, you‘ll need to purchase and download the SearchWP plugin from their website. Then, in your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin. Choose the plugin zip file to upload.
Once it‘s uploaded, click "Activate". This will launch the SearchWP setup wizard to help configure the plugin.
Step 2: Configure SearchWP
The first time you activate the plugin, you‘ll see a welcome screen with a few options:
Click "Configure", then go through the setup wizard:
- Enter your license key to enable updates and support.
- Choose which post types to include in search. Make sure to select your custom post types here. You can also add other content types like pages, posts, and products.
- Select the fields from each post type to make searchable – e.g. title, body content, excerpt, custom fields, taxonomies, etc.
- Adjust the weight of each field to control its impact on search relevance. For example, an exact title match is usually more relevant than a body keyword match.
- Finish setup to build the initial index. This may take a few minutes.
After the initial setup, you can always go back and adjust settings by going to SearchWP > Settings. Some key areas to configure:
- Engines: Create separate search engines for different post types or combinations of post types.
- Synonyms: Define equivalent terms that should return the same results.
- Rules: Set up advanced conditions to boost or suppress certain results.
- Stopwords: Exclude small common words from search queries to improve relevance.
Step 3: Create Your Custom Search Form
Now that you have SearchWP configured, you can build your actual custom search form. You‘ll do this using the SearchWP form builder under SearchWP > Search Forms.
Click "Add New" to create a form, then:
- Enter a title for your form
- Select a starting template, e.g. "Inline Form" or "Dropdown"
- Customize the form fields:
- Change headings and button text
- Add or remove fields like dropdowns, checkboxes, and radio buttons
- Set placeholder text
- Choose the search engine to use
- Optionally add custom CSS to style the form
- Save the form and copy the shortcode or PHP function to display it
Some tips for your custom post type search form:
- Include fields for the most important filters, but don‘t overwhelm users with too many options
- Use field types that match the data, e.g. a date range picker for an event date
- Add clear labels and placeholder text to guide users
- Style the form to match your theme design
- Place the form in prominent locations like the header or custom post type archive pages
For example, for a job board site, your custom job search form might include these fields:
- Keywords
- Location
- Category
- Job type (full-time, part-time, freelance)
- Salary Range
- Company
Step 4: Implement & Test Your Form
Once you‘ve built your form, you need to actually add it to your site. You have a few options:
- Paste the form shortcode into any WordPress page or post.
- Use the SearchWP Widget to add the form to a widget area like your sidebar.
- Add the form PHP function to your theme template files – e.g. searchform.php, header.php, or archive-{custom-post-type}.php
Where exactly you place the form will depend on your specific site and post type. But in general, you want to make it easily accessible from relevant pages.
For instance, for a job board, you‘d want to put the form on the main jobs page, individual job listings, and probably in the header or sidebar site-wide. For an ecommerce store, the product search should be front and center on the homepage and product category pages.
Before launching your new search form, be sure to thoroughly test it with different queries and filters. Make sure it returns the expected results and that there are no errors.
Step 5: Monitor & Optimize
Congratulations, your custom post type search form is live! But your work isn‘t over. To really maximize its impact, you should continuously monitor and optimize your search.
First, keep an eye on your SearchWP analytics under SearchWP > Analytics. This will show you what terms users are searching for, what‘s getting clicked on, and more. Use this data to:
- Identify content gaps to fill
- Add synonyms for popular searches
- Adjust result weights based on user behavior
- Optimize low-performing queries
In addition to the SearchWP-specific data, keep an eye on your overall traffic and engagement metrics in Google Analytics. Some key things to look at:
- Search Exits: Are users leaving right after searching? This could indicate poor results.
- Time on Page: Are users spending more time on the site after finding what they need through search?
- Conversion Rate: Are more users converting (signing up, purchasing, etc.) after using the custom search?
Comparing these metrics before and after launching your custom post type search can quantify its impact. For example, Smashing Magazine saw a 443% lift in search traffic and 34% engagement increase after optimizing their custom post type search.
Source: Smashing Magazine
Finally, make sure to collect qualitative user feedback on your search experience. You can use on-site surveys, user testing, or just reach out directly to customers. Often, you‘ll uncover opportunities for improvement you‘d miss from the quantitative data alone.
Bonus: Advanced Optimization
If you really want to take your custom post type search to the next level, here are a few more advanced optimization tips:
Faceted Search
Faceted search lets users drill down into search results by applying multiple filters like category, tag, custom taxonomy, date, and more. It‘s great for really large sites with a lot of content.
To add faceted search, you can use a dedicated faceted search plugin like FacetWP or the SearchWP Facets extension. These let you easily configure filterable custom search results.
Autocomplete Search Suggestions
Another way to enhance your custom search is to display autocomplete suggestions as users type. This can help them find what they‘re looking for faster and cut down on misspelled or invalid searches.
SearchWP has built-in Live Search functionality. Or you could use a dedicated autocomplete plugin like Ajax Search Pro or AutoComplete Search Bar.
Weighted Custom Fields
If you‘re using a lot of custom fields for your post types, make sure you assign them an appropriate weight in your SearchWP engine configuration. You can give important fields like price or location a higher weight so they have more impact on result relevance.
Rich Snippets
You can spice up your custom post type search results by including rich snippets like thumbnails, ratings, labels, and more. Use the searchwp_search_results hook to customize exactly what shows up in results.
For example, for a product search result, you might show the featured image, price, star rating, and whether the item is on sale:
Voice Search Optimization
Finally, don‘t forget about voice search! Over 40% of adults use voice search daily now. Optimizing your custom search for voice queries can make your site more accessible and user-friendly.
Some tips for voice search optimization:
- Use natural, conversational language in your content
- Incorporate long-tail question keywords
- Provide clear, concise answers
- Optimize for featured snippets
- Ensure your site is mobile-friendly
Wrapping Up
Well, there you have it – everything you need to know to create an awesome advanced search experience for your WordPress custom post types! Let‘s quickly recap the key steps:
- Install and configure a WordPress search plugin like SearchWP
- Set up a search engine for your specific custom post types
- Build a custom search form with relevant filters and fields
- Implement the form in key locations on your site
- Monitor analytics and user feedback to continuously optimize
The more effort you put into your custom post type search, the more it will pay off in terms of user engagement and conversion. Don‘t let all your great custom content go undiscovered – create a killer search experience to surface it!
Have any other tips for custom post type search? Did you run into any snags implementing on your own site? Let us know in the comments!
