🔍 How to Use WordPress Search with Algolia

Algolia is a powerful hosted search engine that provides lightning-fast and highly relevant search results. By integrating it with WordPress, you can significantly improve your website’s search experience.

✨ Why Use Algolia with WordPress?

• Speed: Instant search results.

• Relevance: Advanced ranking and filtering.

• Autocomplete: Suggestions as you type.

• Scalability: Handles large datasets easily.

• Customization: Full control over the look and logic of the search UI.

🧰 What You’ll Need

• A WordPress site

• An Algolia account (free tier available)

• Admin access to your WordPress dashboard

• Basic familiarity with WordPress plugins

🔧 Step 1: Create an Algolia Account

1. Go to //www.algolia.com

2. Sign up for a free account

3. Once logged in, you’ll get:

   • Application ID

   • Search-Only API Key

   • Admin API Key

📦 Step 2: Install the Plugin

We’ll use the WP Search with Algolia plugin.

1. Go to your WordPress Dashboard → Plugins → Add New

2. Search for WP Search with Algolia

3. Click Install, then Activate

🧙 Step 3: Configure the Plugin

1. Go to Algolia Search → Settings in the WP Admin

2. Enter your:

   • Application ID

   • Search-Only API Key

   • Admin API Key

3. Click Save Changes

🔁 Step 4: Sync Your Content

1. Go to Algolia Search → Indexing

2. Choose the content types you want to index (posts, pages, custom post types)

3. Click Re-index to send your content to Algolia

Algolia now hosts your searchable content 🎉

⚙️ Step 5: Enable Autocomplete and Instant Search

The plugin provides two key front-end features:

Option 1: Autocomplete Search

1. Under Algolia Search → Autocomplete, enable it

2. Customize which post types and taxonomies show up in suggestions

Option 2: Instantsearch.js (Full Search Page)

1. Create a new page (e.g., /search)

2. Add this shortcode:

   [algolia_search]


3. Set this page as your default search results page under: Settings → Reading → Search results page

🧪 Step 6: Test Your Search

• Start typing in the search bar — you should see fast, relevant autocomplete results.

• Hit enter — the instant search results page should show up with filters and categories.

🎨 Optional: Customize the Look & Feel

You can tweak the UI using CSS, or go advanced with Algolia’s InstantSearch.js. For example:

• Filter by categories

• Highlight matched terms

• Customize ranking

🛠 Pro Tip: Advanced Customization

Use Algolia Dashboard to:

• Adjust ranking formulas

• Add synonyms

• Set searchable attributes

• Customize facets

🧼 Troubleshooting

✅ Final Thoughts

With Algolia + WordPress, your search becomes instant, intelligent, and delightful. Whether you’re running a blog, a WooCommerce shop, or a large content site, this setup can dramatically improve your user experience.