How to add search suggestions and autocomplete to your online store
Search suggestions show matching keywords as soon as a shopper starts typing, their own recent searches when they come back, and a corrected word when they mistype. You control them under Search › Search suggestions, where each of the four options has its own switch.
- 0:42 video
- Search › Search suggestions
Why suggestions help shoppers buy
Shoppers rarely type the perfect search. They type part of a word, a spelling they are unsure of, or a phrase that does not match your product titles. Suggestions meet them halfway: a few letters, one tap, and they are looking at the right products.
They also steer shoppers toward searches that return good results, which means fewer empty pages.
The four options
Each option draws from a different source, and you can switch each one on or off.
- Popular search suggestions: keywords your shoppers search for most often, such as "summer dress" or "عطر عود".
- Catalog suggestions: keywords drawn from your own products and categories, such as "Shoes".
- Recent searches: the shopper's own recent searches, shown when they come back to the search bar.
- Did you mean (typo correction): a corrected keyword when a shopper mistypes, so "red dresss" offers "red dress".
How the options work together
Did you mean finds its corrections in your popular searches and your catalog. That is why turning it on also turns on Popular search suggestions and Catalog suggestions, and why it switches itself off if you turn both of those off.
Recent searches are private to each shopper. They are kept in the shopper's own browser, so nobody else sees what they searched for.
When to adjust them
A new store has little search history yet, so popular suggestions have less to draw on at first. Catalog suggestions fill that gap from day one, so keep them on.
If you sell to many shoppers who share one device, such as a family tablet, you may prefer to turn Recent searches off. For most stores, leaving all four on gives shoppers the most help.
How to set it up
- 1In the dashboard, open Search, then Search suggestions under Behavior.
- 2Turn Popular search suggestions, Catalog suggestions, Recent searches and Did you mean (typo correction) on or off.
- 3Click Save changes.
- 4On your storefront, type a few letters in the search bar and check the suggestions, then search again and reopen the bar to see your recent searches.
Common questions
Why did Popular and Catalog suggestions turn on when I enabled Did you mean?
Did you mean needs them to find corrections. It looks for the right word among popular searches and your catalog, so the dashboard turns them on together.
Can other shoppers see someone's recent searches?
No. Recent searches are stored in each shopper's own browser and shown only to them.
What is the difference between search suggestions and pinned keywords?
Pinned keywords are a list you choose, shown before the shopper types. Search suggestions appear while they type and come from popular searches and your catalog automatically. Using both covers the whole search.
When do my changes reach the storefront?
Once you click Save changes. If you leave the page without saving, the switches you changed are not applied. You can move between tabs on the Search page and save everything once at the end.
