A more flexible WordPress search experience
Better Search Pro is an enhanced search engine for WordPress sites. It replaces the default WordPress search experience with tools for controlling relevance, searching additional content, and presenting results in a way that fits the site. The plugin is designed to work without editing code or creating custom search templates.
Search results can be ordered by relevance or date, while different weights can be assigned to titles and content. This gives site owners more control over which matches appear first and how searches are interpreted.
Pro search capabilities
- Efficient content storage and indexing: Better Search Pro adds MySQL FULLTEXT indices to the wp_posts table for post content, post titles, and combined title and content searches.
- Multisite search: On multisite installations, the required indices are added to each blog when the plugin is activated.
- Fuzzy matches: Support searches that can account for more than exact wording.
- Relevance threshold: Set a threshold for the relevance of results returned by search.
- Advanced relevance weighting: Adjust how different content areas contribute to result ranking.
- Post slug searches: Include post slugs in the search process.
- REST API integration: Connect the search functionality with the WordPress REST API.
- LIKE fallback search: Use a LIKE-based fallback search option.
Useful site search workflows
On a content site, relevance controls can help prioritise titles and main content over less important matches. Searching across fields such as excerpts, meta fields, authors, tags, taxonomies, and comments can make it easier for visitors to find information distributed throughout a site.
Better Search also includes AJAX Live Search, allowing results to appear as users type in a search form. Popular searches can be displayed as a heatmap through a widget or shortcode, helping visitors discover commonly requested topics.
The results presentation can be adapted with a custom template file and CSS styles. This makes it possible to align the search output with the surrounding theme without building a search template from scratch. A profanity filter can remove selected words from search queries, and translation-ready features support use in different languages.
Performance and compatibility
The plugin includes its own caching system and works with WP Super Cache and W3 Total Cache. The MySQL FULLTEXT indices support the relevance-based search and are required for its full functionality.
Installation
Install Better Search Pro on the WordPress site and activate it. On a multisite installation, activation adds the relevant FULLTEXT indices to each blog. After activation, review the search settings, relevance controls, fields, templates, styles, and optional features such as AJAX Live Search or the profanity filter.
