{"id":113041,"date":"2020-12-08T12:22:03","date_gmt":"2020-12-08T18:22:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/?post_type=resource&p=113041"},"modified":"2024-06-25T18:42:20","modified_gmt":"2024-06-25T23:42:20","slug":"how-to-add-google-search-in-a-wordpress-site","status":"publish","type":"resource","link":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/resources\/how-to-add-google-search-in-a-wordpress-site\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Add Google Search in a WordPress Site"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WordPress comes with a built-in search feature that\u2019s easy to implement and simple to use. However, when you compare it to popular search engines such as Google, WordPress\u2019 default offering may leave a lot to be desired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, it\u2019s easy to harness the power of Google by adding a search bar to your website. This powerful and familiar feature will help users find exactly the content they need, improving their experience and increasing key metrics such as session duration<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

In this article, we\u2019ll cover two ways to add Google search to your WordPress website. We\u2019ll show you how to add this option to any page or post, and even how to code Google search into your website\u2019s theme. Let\u2019s get started!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Benefits Does Adding Google Site Search to Your WordPress Site Offer?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Google is a household name. By featuring a Google search bar on your website, you can help legitimize your business in your customers\u2019 eyes, and offer them a better experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Google search bar is instantly recognizable to many people. It\u2019s estimated that 40\u201360 billion searches<\/a> happen on Google in the US alone, every single month. The majority of your visitors will likely have previous experience with Google\u2019s search bar. This provides a more seamless user experience for them, since they\u2019ll immediately know how to interact with your website\u2019s search.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google\u2019s search bar is reliable and powerful, and has a range of customization options. This includes the ability to limit searches to your website. That can encourage visitors to spend more time on your site, rather than pointing them in the direction of third-party content. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This feature is also free to use, and easy to implement. In this article, we\u2019ll be sharing two separate ways you can add this search bar to your WordPress website. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Add Google Site Search to WordPress With a Plugin<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You can add a Google search bar to any page or post using the WP Google Search<\/a> plugin. This tool lets your visitors search the entire web, or you can narrow the search to a list of approved sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can then add the Google search box to your site using either a shortcode or a custom widget. Let\u2019s walk through how that process works, in just four steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 1: Download a Google Search Plugin<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve installed and activated WP Google Search, the next step is registering with the Google Custom Search Engine. You can then generate a Google Search Engine ID, which is how you\u2019ll communicate with the Google Search service. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To generate this ID, head to the Programmable Search Engine<\/a> and select Get Started. <\/em>In Sites to Search, <\/em>enter your website\u2019s URL:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Screenshot<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You can then give your search engine a name. Click on Save, <\/em>and Google will generate your Custom Search Engine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 2: Manage Your Google Search Settings<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In the left-hand menu, select Edit search engine > Setup. <\/em>Make sure the Basics <\/em>tab is selected:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Edit<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There you can configure your search settings. This includes enabling or disabling Google Image Search and SafeSearch:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"enable<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You can also restrict search results based on region<\/a>. To do this, make your selection in the Region<\/em> drop-down menu. You can then select the Restrict search results to region<\/em> slider: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Restrict<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Finally, you can choose whether to restrict your search to specific websites, or even limit searches to your site only. This can be useful if you want to encourage visitors to explore your content<\/a>, rather than pushing them towards external resources:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Restrict<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Next, copy your search engine ID and switch back to your WordPress dashboard. You can then navigate to Settings > WP Google Search<\/em>, and paste that number into the Google Search Engine ID<\/em> field. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 3: Add the Search Bar to Your Site Using a Widget<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You can now add the new search bar to your website, using the WP Google Search widget. Navigate to Appearance > Widgets<\/em>, find the WP Google Search<\/em> widget, and drag it to the sidebar where you want to display your search feature:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Add<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You can add a title to your widget, or hide the title completely. Click on Save<\/em> when you\u2019re ready, <\/em>and the search bar will appear on your website. Visitors can now interact with Google by typing into the search box. By default, the results will appear as an overlay across your website. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 4 (Optional): Display the Search Bar Using a Shortcode <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What if, instead of adding the search feature to your entire site, you want to display it on specific pages or posts only? To make that happen, you\u2019ll need to use a shortcode instead of a widget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To get started, open up the relevant page or post for editing. You can then copy and paste the [wp_google_searchbox]<\/em> shortcode into the exact location where you want to display the search bar: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Display<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You can then either publish or update the page or post. Your search bar will appear wherever you placed the shortcode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also insert the shortcode into your website\u2019s theme. This can be a quick and easy way to feature a Google search bar across your website. However, editing theme files<\/a> can cause issues with your website if you\u2019re not careful. Before making any changes at the code level, it\u2019s always a good idea to create a backup<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To insert a shortcode into your theme, navigate to Appearance > Theme Editor. <\/em>Open the Select theme to edit<\/em> drop-down menu, and choose your current theme:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Appearance<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Towards the right-hand side of the screen, select the file that you want to edit. Most of these files are self-explanatory: for example, header.php <\/em>controls your website\u2019s header. Copy and paste the following into your chosen file, in the location where you want your search bar to appear:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<?php echo do_shortcode(\"[wp_google_searchbox] \"); ?><\/code><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Select Update File. <\/em>The search bar will then be inserted into your WordPress theme, and should appear across your website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Add Google Site Search to WordPress Without a Plugin<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You can also add a Google search bar to your website without installing a plugin. In this section, we\u2019ll show you how to replace the default WordPress search bar with Google Custom Search. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 1: Visit the Google Custom Search Website<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To begin, head over to Google Custom Search<\/a>. In the left-hand menu, select New Search Engine<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is where you\u2019ll build your customizable search box. You\u2019ll also generate the code you need to add Google Site Search to your website without a plugin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 2: Provide Your Site\u2019s URL<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In Sites to Search, <\/em>enter your website\u2019s URL. You can then choose your website\u2019s language and click on Create. <\/em>Google will now build your custom search engine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Google<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On the subsequent screen, select Get code. <\/em>This generates the code you\u2019ll need, in order to replace WordPress\u2019 default search with Google search. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 3: Get Your Custom Code<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You can now copy the provided code, and add it to your website\u2019s template. Remember to create a backup<\/a> first, just in case anything goes wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After creating your backup, navigate to Appearance > Theme Editor<\/em>, and open your theme for editing. Along the right-hand side of the screen, select searchform.php<\/em>. In the file editor, delete the entire contents of searchform.php<\/em>, and replace it with the code you copied in the previous step:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Create<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Save your changes by clicking on Update File<\/em>. Now, whenever users interact with any search bar on your website, it will connect them to Google search. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Customize Your Site With WP Engine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A Google search bar can improve the user experience by making it easy for visitors to find interesting and engaging content. However, if you\u2019re really going to wow your audience, then you\u2019ll need a WordPress hosting<\/a> provider that guarantees a high level of security, performance, and reliability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At WP Engine, we excel in all of those areas. Check out our plans<\/a>, and get ready to take your user experience to the next level!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WordPress comes with a built-in search feature that\u2019s easy to implement and simple to use. However, when you compare it to popular search engines such as Google, WordPress\u2019 default offering may leave a lot to be desired. Fortunately, it\u2019s easy to harness the power of Google by adding a search bar to your website. This…<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":113042,"template":"","resource-topic":[904,901],"resource-role":[896,903],"resource-type":[916],"class_list":["post-113041","resource","type-resource","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Add Google Search in a WordPress Site | WP Engine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Follow our step-by-step guide to adding Google search functionality to your WordPress site to enhance user experience with reliable and powerful search capabilities.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Add Google Search in a WordPress Site | WP Engine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Follow our step-by-step guide to adding Google search functionality to your WordPress site to enhance user experience with reliable and powerful search capabilities.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/resources\/how-to-add-google-search-in-a-wordpress-site\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"WP Engine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/wpengine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-06-25T23:42:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/shutterstock_653127499.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1100\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@wpengine\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/resources\/how-to-add-google-search-in-a-wordpress-site\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/resources\/how-to-add-google-search-in-a-wordpress-site\/\",\"name\":\"How to Add Google Search in a WordPress Site | WP Engine\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2020-12-08T18:22:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-06-25T23:42:20+00:00\",\"description\":\"Follow our step-by-step guide to adding Google search functionality to your WordPress site to enhance user experience with reliable and powerful search capabilities.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/resources\/how-to-add-google-search-in-a-wordpress-site\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/resources\/how-to-add-google-search-in-a-wordpress-site\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/resources\/how-to-add-google-search-in-a-wordpress-site\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Resources\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/resources\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"How to Add Google Search in a WordPress Site\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/\",\"name\":\"WP Engine\",\"description\":\"Managed Hosting for WordPress\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/#\/schema\/person\/f5301455463371a10d1fc290e9ad0085\",\"name\":\"WP Engine\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d8770fe9625ca7c4601f13d9d0ab86565a6dac8cd6a77bfe2ada6d83c6837870?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d8770fe9625ca7c4601f13d9d0ab86565a6dac8cd6a77bfe2ada6d83c6837870?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"WP Engine\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Add Google Search in a WordPress Site | WP Engine","description":"Follow our step-by-step guide to adding Google search functionality to your WordPress site to enhance user experience with reliable and powerful search capabilities.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to Add Google Search in a WordPress Site | WP Engine","og_description":"Follow our step-by-step guide to adding Google search functionality to your WordPress site to enhance user experience with reliable and powerful search capabilities.","og_url":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/resources\/how-to-add-google-search-in-a-wordpress-site\/","og_site_name":"WP Engine","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/wpengine","article_modified_time":"2024-06-25T23:42:20+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1100,"height":500,"url":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/shutterstock_653127499.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@wpengine","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/resources\/how-to-add-google-search-in-a-wordpress-site\/","url":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/resources\/how-to-add-google-search-in-a-wordpress-site\/","name":"How to Add Google Search in a WordPress Site | WP Engine","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/#website"},"datePublished":"2020-12-08T18:22:03+00:00","dateModified":"2024-06-25T23:42:20+00:00","description":"Follow our step-by-step guide to adding Google search functionality to your WordPress site to enhance user experience with reliable and powerful search capabilities.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/resources\/how-to-add-google-search-in-a-wordpress-site\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/resources\/how-to-add-google-search-in-a-wordpress-site\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/resources\/how-to-add-google-search-in-a-wordpress-site\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Resources","item":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/resources\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"How to Add Google Search in a WordPress Site"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/#website","url":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/","name":"WP Engine","description":"Managed Hosting for WordPress","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/#\/schema\/person\/f5301455463371a10d1fc290e9ad0085","name":"WP Engine","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d8770fe9625ca7c4601f13d9d0ab86565a6dac8cd6a77bfe2ada6d83c6837870?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d8770fe9625ca7c4601f13d9d0ab86565a6dac8cd6a77bfe2ada6d83c6837870?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"WP Engine"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/wpengine.com"]}]}},"acf":[],"grid_image_url":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/shutterstock_653127499-1.jpg","media-type":{"term_id":916,"name":"Article","slug":"article"},"role":"<strong>Roles:<\/strong> Developer, Marketer","topic":"<strong>Topics:<\/strong> Marketing, WordPress","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource\/113041","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/resource"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/113042"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=113041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"resource-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource-topic?post=113041"},{"taxonomy":"resource-role","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource-role?post=113041"},{"taxonomy":"resource-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource-type?post=113041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}