How to Add a Search Bar to Your Shopify Store

In any business, time is money. In the world of e-commerce, that statement rings true even more. Consumers are constantly looking for faster and more convenient ways to shop. They want to be able to search for products on your site and find exactly what they’re looking for as fast as possible. This is where AddSearch’s Shopify search app comes in.

It’s a functionality-driven solution that offers a fantastic user experience and critical, actionable user insights for site owners. Let’s take a closer look at how you can add the AddSearch Site Search solution to your Shopify store.

Isn’t There Already a Shopify Search Bar? 

Does Shopify have a search function? The Simple answer is yes.

You might ask yourself why you need to pay for an external search solution when you can already get the Shopify search bar for free.

That’s a valid question, and in all honesty, if you’re starting out and, for now, your store carries only a small catalog of products, what the Shopify search bar offers functionality-wise is perfectly adequate. 

However, as your content grows, you’ll soon start noticing that the default search engine’s lack of more robust features, such as autocomplete, may hold back your growth.  

How do I create a search bar in Shopify?

Are you wondering,” How do I add a search bar to my Shopify Theme?” Well, wonder no more. To create a search bar in Shopify, you can add a search form to your theme’s header or create a separate page for search results. However, a simpler and more effective way to add search functionality to your Shopify store is by using a third-party search solution like AddSearch.

AddSearch provides a powerful search engine that can be easily integrated with your Shopify store using their app. With AddSearch, you can create a search box, customize the look and feel of the search results page, and even enable advanced features like autocomplete synonyms and analytics.

How Do You Replace Your Default Search Bar with the AddSearch Shopify Search Bar App?

Replacing your existing search bar with AddSearch is effortless. All you have to do is look up AddSearch in the Shopify App Store and hit install, and the app does the rest.

Et voilà! Your Shopify store is now equipped with an intelligent, lightning-fast site search solution.  

You can now confidently tick site search off your list of things to worry about. Sit back, relax, kick your site search experience onto cruise control, and let the AI and the machine learning algorithm do their thing. Happy days! 

Can You Customize Your AddSearch Search Settings and Experience in Shopify?

Definitely, there are several customization options available with AddSearch, which can be manually changed and adjusted to affect your Shopify site search experience’s overall appearance and functionality (read our blog post “The Ultimate Guide for Search Bar Design” for tips and best practice advice), but for now, let’s look at a few key tweaks and changes you can make to get the best out of AddSearch: 

Change Your Layout Color in Shopify Search Bar App

Switch between dark and light layouts so that your search results page matches the design of your store.

Help Your Visitors by Creating Search Suggestions and Filters  

Guide your visitors to better internal search results by suggesting the most popular search terms. You can also use filters to help visitors find content that is relevant to them.

Define Synonyms  

Create and define synonyms to ensure that different keywords with the same meaning lead users to the same relevant search results.

Curate Results for Specific Keywords with Pinned Results

Pinned results allow you to select and arrange search results for a keyword. When your visitor searches for a keyword, AddSearch shows the pinned results before other search results. 

Promote Your Upcoming Sale or Event with the Shopify Search Bar

Add a temporary or permanent promotional banner for your upcoming sales event. Easily create campaigns for whatever you’d like to promote to your visitors.

Promote the Right Content for Business-Critical Searches in Shopify

With AddSearch, you can adjust the search results ranking for specific keywords. You can use the analytics tool to find the most searched terms and then rank the pages according to your preferences.

What If I Want More Advanced Customization of My Shopify AddSearch Search Bar Experience?

But what if you want a little more than just tweaks? What if you want more personalization? How do you customize my search bar in Shopify? Don’t worry, my friend; AddSearch has got your back. Talk to our support team, and let’s discuss how we can help you design the best search experience for your store.

Do’s and Don’ts While Integrating a Shopify Search Bar

When integrating a search bar into your Shopify store, there are key do’s and don’ts to ensure the feature is effective and user-friendly:

Do’s:

1. Do Ensure It’s Easily Visible
   Place the search bar in a prominent location, typically at the top of the page or in the header, so customers can easily find and use it.
2. Do Use Auto-Suggestions
   Implement auto-suggestions or predictive searches to help users find products more efficiently and improve the overall search experience.
3. Do Optimize for Mobile
   Ensure the search bar is responsive and works seamlessly on mobile devices, as many shoppers will use smartphones or tablets to browse your store.
4. Do Include Filters and Sorting Options
   Provide filtering options (e.g., by category, price, size) in the search results to help users narrow down their search and find products more easily.

Don’ts:

1. Don’t Make the Search Bar Too Small on Shopify Header
   Avoid making the search bar too small or hard to locate. A tiny search bar may discourage users from using it altogether.
2. Don’t Ignore the Results Page
   Ensure that the search results page is clear and organized. It should not be cluttered or difficult to navigate. It should display relevant products with clear titles, images, and prices.
3. Don’t Allow Irrelevant Results
   Avoid showing irrelevant products in search results. Ensure your search algorithm is accurate and returns relevant, high-quality products based on the user’s query.
4. Don’t Overcomplicate the Search
   Don’t add too many features or make the search functionality complex. Keep it simple, intuitive, and user-friendly to avoid overwhelming the customer.

Following these guidelines will help enhance the search experience for your Shopify store visitors and increase the chances of conversions.

Conclusion

Adding a search box to your Shopify site with a search bar app is a no-brainer. It’s a quick and effective way to improve your customers’ experience, helping them find what they’re looking for quickly and easily. It’s a crucial feature that every online store should have. It’s the key to unlocking higher conversion rates, customer satisfaction, and reduced bounce rates.