Improving Native WordPress Search

(This article, originally published by Torque Magazine, is reprinted with permission.)

WordPress sites with extensive content often suffer from slow, inefficient search functionality. This article explores why the default WordPress search struggles with scale and offers solutions for improvement.

Key Points:

• WordPress's built-in search is inefficient for large sites due to numerous database checks. Its limitations in searchable fields and post types also hinder sites with custom content.
• Solutions include enterprise-level services (Algolia, Elasticsearch) and WordPress plugins (Relevanssi, SearchWP). Algolia and Elasticsearch are especially beneficial for high-traffic, data-rich sites.
• Algolia boosts speed by offsite indexing. Elasticsearch offers similar performance with flexible hosting options.
• Relevanssi and SearchWP enhance search results but don't necessarily improve speed or scalability. They are best for improving result relevance.

How WordPress Search Works:

The default WordPress search uses a complex SQL query (illustrated below) that iterates through the entire wp_posts table for every search. This becomes extremely slow with a large number of posts.

The query includes checks for:

• Total result count (SQL_CALC_FOUND_ROWS)
• Search terms in post_title, post_excerpt, and post_content
• Post type (post, page, attachment)
• Public status
• Ordering by relevance or date
• Result limiting (pagination)

Performance benchmarks show significant slowdowns with large datasets (example shown below):

Challenges with Default WordPress Search:

• Limited searchable fields (post_title, post_content, post_excerpt) and post types. Custom post types and fields are often excluded.
• Poor performance with over 100,000 posts, leading to slow search times.
• High search traffic can overload the server.

Improving WordPress Search:

Ideal search solutions should:

• Search all content or customizable subsets.
• Handle large datasets efficiently.
• Maintain server performance under high traffic.

Solutions:

• Algolia: An external, enterprise-grade search service. Offsite indexing dramatically improves speed (demonstrated below).

  

• Elasticsearch (with ElasticPress): Similar to Algolia, but offers flexible hosting options. Provides advanced features like WooCommerce product indexing and related post suggestions.

• Amazon CloudSearch: A powerful, scalable, pay-as-you-go solution. Requires more technical expertise for implementation.

• Relevanssi: A WordPress plugin that improves search results within the WordPress database, offering fuzzy search, relevance sorting, and support for custom fields. Does not improve search speed.

• SearchWP: Another paid plugin focusing on enhanced results, including keyword stemming and search analytics. Does not improve search speed.

Choosing the Right Solution:

The best solution depends on budget and priorities. Algolia and Elasticsearch prioritize speed and scalability. Relevanssi and SearchWP focus on result quality. Amazon CloudSearch offers customization but demands more technical skill. Always test in a staging environment before deploying.

(The remainder of the original article's FAQ section is omitted for brevity, but the information it contains is readily available through a search on the topics provided.)

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