We are often asked, “What are the advantages of algolia search over native WordPress?”
What is Algolia Search
Algolia is a search-as-a-service company that provides a search API and search infrastructure for websites and mobile applications. It is used by a wide range of companies and organizations, including e-commerce sites, media and publishing companies, and technology firms. Algolia’s search technology is designed to provide fast and relevant search results, and it is used by many companies to improve the search experience on their websites and mobile apps. Some examples of companies that use Algolia include Airbnb, GitHub, and Medium.
The following are a few of the improvements we can expect from switching to an Algolia powered search solution:
- WordPress sites often store information outside of the post title and content. The two most common places being post meta and taxonomy terms. Algolia can see the whole picture. Using Algolia will ensure other fields are considered.
- Spelling errors in search terms can lead to no results being found. Therefore, Algolia can automatically correct common typos or offer suggestions.
- Language quirks also play a crucial role in returning useful results. Algolia understands that multiple words can share the same meaning, for example, sofa, couch and settee.
- Algolia provides a find as you type interface. As a result, instant search results are provided, directing customers to where they need to go faster, with less typing.
- You can further refine results due to the improved results page functionality. For example, by limiting the results to products within a specific category.
In addition, Algolia search will offer significant search permanence improvements in terms of speed of delivery. Overall, there are several limitations with WordPress search that switching to Algolia will assist with. An overview of these limitations are:
- Limited Search Parameters: WordPress native search is limited to post title, content, and excerpt. It does not search any other fields such as custom fields, taxonomies, or metadata.
- Limited Search Results: WordPress native search only returns the most relevant results, so it may not show all relevant posts or pages.
- Slow Performance: WordPress native search is not optimized for speed and can be slow to return results.
- Poor Relevancy: WordPress native search does not use any advanced relevancy algorithms to rank the search results. This can lead to inaccurate and irrelevant results.
Advantages of going with Algolia:
- Speed: Algolia offers powerful search features and is much faster than the built-in search in WordPress. Algolia’s search engine is designed to deliver fast and relevant search results within milliseconds.
- Relevancy: Algolia provides advanced search relevancy controls to help you customize the order of your search results. This makes it easier to find what you’re looking for more quickly.
- Customization: Algolia offers several ways to customize your search experience, such as customizing the search ranking, adding filters, and sorting results.
- Analytics: Algolia offers detailed analytics on every search query and allows you to track usage and engagement over time. This helps you identify trends and user behavior related to your search.
- Security: Algolia’s search engine is secure and provides advanced security features, such as authentication, authorization, and encryption. This ensures that only authorized users can access your search results.
Learn more about our WordPress development and search integration capabilities.
