The website pages do not load as fast as they should be — this is the most common problem for web designers. Such a flaw may cause sales to decline. It’s really concerning to marketers as buyers become less patient. This is especially true for people who use mobile devices. If consumers do not see the page loaded after a maximum of 2-3 seconds, they click “back” in the browser or close the window.
Of course, most incidents affect the effectiveness of sales. To fix such flaws, the developers suggest installing a variety of plugins that improve the attractiveness of the web resource, including on-site search tools. In addition, your site’s position in Google results also depends to some extent on loading speed. So, such a problem has to be solved somehow. We will talk about this in our article.
Best Products & Tips for Use
On sites with a lot of pages, the searching bar is becoming more important. Marketers are confident that any slowdown in loading speeds will negatively affect the customer experience and reduce the purchase likelihood. While navigation is useful, it is the search bar that will provide the user with the most viewed content. So, no developer can do without plugins and other tools. Created for different programming languages, such add-ons may differ in essence and characteristics. Here are the most popular products for those who prefer WordPress:
#1. Ajax Search
This is the best plugin that helps shoppers find products in an online store. Most consumers want to see results in 2-3 seconds. With Ajax Search, they certainly won’t be disappointed. It’s a highly customisable product — people can display thumbnails, icons, prices, and promotions with real-time results. This bar can also be added to various categories or store pages. Besides, the Ajax plugin runs on multilingual platforms.
With Ajax Search, people can find products or SKUs. This tool displays prices, images, and descriptions along with an “Add to Cart” button that pops up right into the form. Although this sometimes has the opposite effect and makes it harder to work with the platform. To keep it simple, website caching can be configured to save all pages to disk as static files for faster display. Such a method is best for hosting based on fast SSD drives.
#2. SearchWP
In these golden days, when the market is saturated with goods, and the competition is getting tougher every year, a variety of tools and techniques are very useful for online sales. SearchWP is the most common custom bar for stores based on WordPress. Installing such an add-on is definitely the right step. This tool allows all site visitors and moderators to search for a keyword in the post/page title, different content. Besides, people can customise it in categories, articles or visual content, tags, and even comments. This significantly speeds up page loading. The same goes for snippets or taxonomies.
Of course, the installation of the SearchWP is a good solution for most websites. This is confirmed by dozens of reviews from developers and aspiring entrepreneurs. Such a tool offers the best features and it is affordable for any business. SearchWP is compatible with WooCommerce that makes the promotion of all products extremely effective. Although to use the add-on correctly, people will have to tinker a little with the settings.
Developers offer to control the algorithm by using numbers from 1 to 10 (with 10 being the highest) for all types of content. Such customisation makes it easier to filter pages and monitor the activity. SearchWP is very effective for forums, crypto exchanges like ICOholder, and other platforms. Upon activation, this plugin will automatically index all content that was previously published on the web resource and replace the default engine that integrates into all WordPress web resources.
#3. ElasticPress
It’s another popular search service for WordPress that is based on ElasticSearch. Such a tool performs cloud searches through third-party platforms and shows results at lightning speed. Installing ElasticPress is the best way to increase visitor engagement. Such a plugin provides detailed information about search behaviour. This means that the store owners — by analysing the activity — will be able to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of SEO. The ElasticPress is easy to use and can be integrated into any WordPress website. Among the main advantages of the product:
- Faster, more accurate search
- Friendly interface
- Flexible customisation
- Versatility
This system instantly shows results when users start typing. So if you have hundreds of pages on your online store, this plugin will come in handy. Such functionality works well on any WooCommerce platform.
#4. Ivory Bar
The Ivory is a common WordPress plugin available for free. Providing excellent capabilities for both the managers and buyers, a universal tool helps to increase sales. This bar is installed by over 10,000 users. With such a platform, people can create new custom forms as well as integrate the bar into any part of the code.
If you want to buy it, there are two options to choose from: Pro Plan starts at $19.99 annually or as a lifetime license for $99.99. With an easy-to-use search builder, people can customise content to suit specific requirements. This tool offers pages grouping and autocompletes as well as instant results, JavaScript, or API integration.
#5. WP Google Bar
If you are looking for a free solution with the highest performance, this is the best version. By installing WP Google, people can replace the default functionality with a custom tool. Setting all parameters is simplified as much as possible:
- The first step is to create a Google Custom Bar for your website.
- After that, developers must copy the engine ID and paste it into the bar settings.
This tool ranks all results by relevance, not date. This means all visitors will see content that is in line with marketing trends. Most sites run this bar without any problems since the functionality is very flexible.
In Summary
Since search tools are the backbone of any web resource, it makes sense to install a plugin that delivers advanced functionality on your site. It is the best way for marketers to track analytics and consumer behaviour. Any search bar is key for sales funnel or usability. Take a look at sites like eBay or Amazon to make sure that the problems that we have covered in this article are relevant.