Your website needs many unique elements in order to be a functional and aesthetically pleasing experience for your readers, subscribers and fans. The necessity of these two elements combined is the primary reason that so many people now use WordPress for their content management needs. In fact, more than one-quarter of all the websites in the world run on this individual platform. Having a proper search function on your website for both internal and external search is a vital necessity in today’s world of information requests. Below, we’ll discuss three of the best WordPress search plugins available for your website and will explain the benefits behind using them.

SearchWP

The most expensive plugin on our list of best WordPress search utilities, SearchWP is available for download for just $29. What do you get with this particular plugin? For starters, it has the ability to use an unlimited number of search engines, which includes the internal/default WordPress search utility, as well as Google, Bing and many others. If you have a desire to integrate search results across multiple sites into one search function, then SearchWP allows for you to do just that. If you are constantly trying to keep track of what users are searching for, then you’ll love SearchWP’s search statistics that show who is finding what they need and who is not. Last but not least, this professional plugin has an uber-fast response time and can fetch thousands of results in less than one-half of a second.

Swiftype Search

A completely free plugin, Swiftype Search helps optimize the existing and default WordPress search function in a number of ways. Like with SearchWP, this search utility also provides insight into what your search users are looking for and what they are finding (or not finding) with each conducted search. It uses an algorithm that is based off of search industry practices and ensures that people are receiving results in a similar format to how your pages are pinging for SEO. If you are using mobile apps in conjunction with your traditional website, then the mobile options embedded in this app allow you to integrate mobile search options into them effortlessly. After you’ve created a Swiftype account, you’ll be able to modify any and all elements of the plugin from anywhere in the world in real time.

WooCommerce Predictive Search

Still in its early stages but very promising, WooCommerce has released its newest Predictive Search plugin for use in e-commerce stores on WordPress. While users are typing their results, a variety of relevant products will appear in the predictive search dropdown menu below the search bar. These results include custom, formatted text and images of the product in question, which help to boost conversions and purchases. You’ll be able to add search elements to any part of your e-commerce site, determine how much text you want to show about each product in the predictive search popup and more. Perfect for those who are already pinging for SEO, a few simple optimizations will be all that is needed to get this plugin up and running as intended.