Fun with WordPress - Latest Comments in Does WordPress need a search function any more?

Re: Does WordPress need a search function any more?

Andrew Rickmann — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 12:35:04 -0000

Linas, it will be different for each theme as it really depends on how the author has done it. In the default theme you just need to remove the template tag from the sidebar:

Re: Does WordPress need a search function any more?

Linas — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 09:46:14 -0000

hey, I couldn't find validation for wp search function neither. And as I came to conclusion there's totaly no need of it - can anyone help me to get rid of a search bar? I'm a beginner with wp and still couldn't find any relevant material that would empower me to do that..:)
Thanks in advance;)

Re: Does WordPress need a search function any more?

Andrew Rickmann — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 12:49:17 -0000

Hey Tim, thanks for adding some perspective to this. You have a really good point about member driven sites, and the way WordPress is going as a platform is only going to intensify that, and I hadn't considered the issue of using the searches themselves to help drive users.

It sounds like there are scenarios where you might want to replace the search with a more specific alternative. For me that suggests that issuing the search functionality as a plugin would be a good idea because it gives the option to replace it outright.

Re: Does WordPress need a search function any more?

Tim Nash — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:24:04 -0000

I think a) people don't entirely want to be reliant on third parties to provide what should be a core function, b) that many peoples contents not fully indexed or indeed that they want their content to be indexed!

For example a wordpress blog using a membership plugin,is unlikely to be easily searched using Google for premium content (unless they use a first click free system) in such cases they might have to rely on Wordpress own search system, which like everything else is pretty expandable and can be modified with plugins and templates.

c) I just finished writing a simple plugin for a client using our Your Members plugin to allow them to show the "premium" content at the top of search results something she could do with Wordpress but would be difficult to do with a custom search.

d) The information you can get through plugins like search meter not only helps you identify rough numbers of searchers (I suspect its a lot higher then you think) but also what they are searching for, which provides you with the ability to perhaps create hub pages to meet there needs or maybe provide ideas for an articles.

that said Wordpress search sucks there is plenty you could do though Joost did a good Improving Wordpress Search Article not so long ago.

Re: Does WordPress need a search function any more?

Andrew Rickmann — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:02:55 -0000

Sue, I honestly don't have much experience using the search, but from your experience it seems like it needs something done.

Nathan, I agree that removing it without providing it as an option would be bad. I am a very big fan of using plugins to give options instead of building things into the core, and more so, of removing things from the core that can be made into plugins.

The search functionality is something that could quite easily be a core plugin, as Akismet is, and sit beside other options such as a Google, Yahoo, or other plugin, option.

Leland, that's a good point about a site not indexing well. Still if it was a plugin the choice would be there.

Re: Does WordPress need a search function any more?

Leland — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:33:08 -0000

I'll admit I'm not a big fan of the default WordPress search functionality. I usually just use a site-specific Google search if I'm looking for something. I still don't think it should be removed completely, however, because if a site (for whatever reason) isn't well-indexed in major search engines, it would be pretty hard to search through that way.

Re: Does WordPress need a search function any more?

Nathan Rice — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:10:00 -0000

I really don't think it does, but it should always be an option.

Honestly, I would much prefer to use a google custom search for my blog, and make a little money off my searches, rather than use the inferior and non-monetized built-in WordPress search function.

Re: Does WordPress need a search function any more?

Sue — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:59:49 -0000

I'm a new subscriber, and I just have to come in and comment on this.

WordPress search is the absolute worst function there is.

If I'm looking for a particular post on my site (through the manage panel), and I *know* the keyword is in there, most times it will throw up completely irrelevant pages. I find myself using Google Toolbar to find those pages on my site (!).

That said, I do provide an advanced search for users on my site, which works great. Unfortunately, it's not available in the back end. Oh well. :-)

And as a corollary, I've taken to using Google Search on other sites as well, knowing that it's much much better.