9 Best Practices to Customize Magento Search Engine

• What is a Magento Search Engine?

• 8 Features of Magento Search Engine

• How Magento Search Engine Differs From Other Search Engines?

• 8 Steps to Configure Magento Search Engine

• 9 Best Practices to Customize Magento Search Engine for Your Store

• FAQs

• Summary

What is a Magento Search Engine?

Magento Search Engine is the tool that allows shoppers to locate products in a Magento 2 store.

Magento search engine is a core feature in Magento 2 that powers the product catalog search. It handles customer search queries and returns accurate results. The system supports Elasticsearch or OpenSearch for search functionality. OpenSearch has been the default for Adobe Commerce Cloud installs since Magento 2.4.4.

This search engine boosts catalog search. It features autocomplete, query suggestions, synonyms, and typo correction.

8 Features of Magento Search Engine

1. Keyword Search

Customers can enter a search term to find specific products. The catalog search engine scans:

• Names

• Descriptions

• Page content to find matches.

It uses the words entered to show the most relevant results. With Magento 2 search, users get quick access to what they need. This simplifies shopping and increases search accuracy across the Magento 2 store.

2. Search Filters

Once search results appear, filters help narrow them down. Shoppers can sort products by:

• Price

• Brand

• Color

• Size

These options are usually on the side or top of the page. This advanced search feature saves time and allows users to find what they want in a short period. Filters increase product visibility in the search catalog and make browsing more organized.

3. Autocomplete

The system suggests product names or categories that might match as users type. These suggestions come from past searches and popular search patterns. You can set the autocomplete limit to show fewer or more suggestions in the search box.

This speeds up product discovery and cuts down typing errors. It aids with long or complex product names and speeds up item discovery.

4. Synonyms and Spell Correction

The engine uses spelling fixes and searches synonyms for typos and word choices. Users still get accurate matches even if a word is not spelled right. This means more results show up, even with small mistakes. It supports searches when someone uses a different term for the same product.

These tools enhance the quality of search results. Shoppers do not need to worry about exact spelling.

5. Search Relevance Ranking

Magento ranks products based on their relevance to the search. It looks at keyword use, sales, and how often the product gets viewed. You can choose the number of top search results to cache for better speed.

This keeps the best results near the top. It aids stores with similar products, helping users find what they will likely buy.

6. Faceted Search and Layered Navigation

Magento’s layered navigation lets shoppers narrow down search results. They can use various filters like brand, category, and price. This is ideal for large catalogs with many options. These filters create a focused shopping experience and make searching more efficient.

7. Multi-language Support

Magento supports many languages in its search engine and commerce system. Customers can search in their preferred language, which is great for international stores. It helps users from different countries find what they need. This feature works well with other search capabilities to provide better access.

It provides an easy shopping experience for everyone. This helps cut down on confusion during searches.

8. Search Indexing

Magento uses indexing to organize product data for fast access. This is key when your store has lots of items. With proper configuration, your search becomes quicker and more accurate. Go to System > Index Management in the Admin Panel to set up catalog search indexing. You can also run the CLI command:

bin/magento indexer:reindex catalogsearch\_fulltext to refresh the indexes.

Indexing helps the store display fresh data on time. This boosts performance and improves the customer experience.

How Magento Search Engine Differs From Other Search Engines?

Aspect	Magento Search Engine	Standalone Search Engines
E-commerce Focus	Magento builds its search system designed for online stores. It understands how to search for products using SKUs, categories, and filters. This allows shoppers to find specific items with speed.	Other search engines are more general. They index all types of content and do not specialize in product searches.
Integration	Magento search has a strong connection to your store’s data. You can set up a product catalog search to display live prices and stock statuses. This increases search result accuracy.	External search tools scan websites from the outside. They do not link to inventory or order systems in a direct manner.
Customization	You can tweak how search works, like changing ranking rules or adding filters. Adding a search extension improves the search and helps it suit your store’s needs.	Most standalone engines have limited settings. You cannot fine-tune them for your product catalog.
Scalability	Magento uses a reliable Elasticsearch server. It manages large catalogs (e.g., 50,000+ SKUs) with query response times under 1 second in optimized setups. Many stores run Magento 2.4.0 or newer for the best performance.	Engineers build these engines for broad web data. They are not designed for fast, filtered searches in large online stores.
Generalization	Magento concentrates only on e-commerce. It helps customers find products with ease. It also provides recommendations and filters to boost sales.	Other engines offer blogs, images, and news. They do not help shoppers find products.
Depth of Integration	Magento search ties into marketing, orders, and inventory. You can track popular search terms and analyze search results. Then, adjust searches based on customer types.	External engines offer some integration via APIs or plugins. They cannot establish a strong connection with the store data.

8 Steps to Configure Magento Search Engine

Step 1: Log in to the Magento Admin

Enter your admin username and password.

Step 2: Navigate to Configuration

Go to Stores > Configuration in the left menu.

Step 3: Choose Catalog Search

• Find the Catalog section.

• Click Catalog Search.

Step 4: Pick Your Search Engine

Choose your search engine:

• Elasticsearch

• OpenSearch (for Magento 2.4.4 and later).

Step 5: Set Up Search Engine Settings

• Add the necessary details, such as the Elasticsearch server address.

• Enable HTTP Auth or AWS IAM for secure connections.

• You can configure these options under Catalog > Catalog Search.

Step 6: Save Your Settings

Click Save Config to keep the changes.

Step 7: Test the Search Function

Search for a product in your store to confirm its proper functionality.

Step 8: Watch and Adjust

• Check search performance in the Search Terms report.

• In the Admin Panel, find it under Marketing > SEO & Search > Search Terms.

• Adjust synonym settings or attribute weights whenever irrelevant results appear.

9 Best Practices to Customize Magento Search Engine for Your Store

Customizing the Magento search engine simplifies shopping and can boost sales. For example, stores with optimized search see up to 2.4x higher conversion rates. Below are expert suggestions to customize your Magento search:

1. Use Advanced Search Extensions

Extensions like Algolia and Klevu Search offer advanced features. They might need paid subscriptions for full access. They include instant suggestions, typo tolerance, and smart ranking. These tools enhance the default search with faster, more accurate results.

2. Enable Faceted Search and Layered Navigation

Customers can filter products by price, brand, color, size, and more. Make sure product attributes are set as filterable. AJAX filtering can update results without a page refresh, keeping customers engaged.

3. Optimize Search Performance

Magento 2.4 uses Elasticsearch by default. It manages large catalogs and complex queries with great efficiency. Consider using a dedicated search engine server to keep performance smooth and consistent. Set up regular, periodic indexing to keep the search results fresh and accurate.

4. Improve Search User Experience

Add autocomplete and suggestions to enable users to find products on time. Set up typo correction and synonyms. This way, misspelled or different terms will still give the right results. Show search terms in the results. This lets users preview products right from the search.

5. Tune Search Relevance

Give more weight to important attributes like product name or SKU. You can adjust these weights in the admin panel. Let users sort results by relevance, price, or popularity to match their preferences.

6. Analyze and Improve Search Performance

Track popular search terms and queries with no results. Use this data to find what needs improvement. Test and adjust your settings. This keeps the search effective.

7. Optimize for Mobile and Voice Search

Make sure the search bar and filters work well on mobile devices. Apply filters that are suitable for touch interaction. Consider adding voice search for easier access.

8. Use SEO and Clean URLs for Search

Remove unnecessary URL suffixes for better SEO. Enable canonical tags to avoid duplicate content from search pages. Keep internal search result pages set to noindex (the default in Magento). This stops search engines from indexing temporary result pages.

9. Customize Attributes and Indexes for Search Engines

Start with the default settings of advanced search engines like Elasticsearch or OpenSearch. Then, you can customize them as needed. Use the final commit mode to keep indexes updated without locking your database. Make sure the team indexes and weighs all key product features. This will provide the best results.

FAQs

1. What features enhance the default Magento catalog search?

Magento’s default search can be basic, but extensions add helpful features. Autocomplete shows suggestions as customers type, making it faster to find products. Correcting typos and picking different words allows users to find accurate results.

2. How does Magento 2 catalog search help SEO?

A good catalog search enhances SEO by creating clean URLs that search engines prefer. It stops duplicate content, which allows pages to rank higher. Better indexing means search engines understand your products and site structure.

3. Can Magento track popular search terms?

Magento can track the most-used search terms. You can do this with built-in tools or extra extensions. Knowing popular searches allows you to refine product listings and search settings.

4. How can I keep searching fast with a large product catalog?

When your catalog is big, simple search tools can slow down. Using advanced tools like Elasticsearch or OpenSearch keeps searches quick and accurate. These manage many products and complex queries with great efficiency.

5. How do I keep Magento’s search results updated?

Keep search results fresh by setting up periodic indexing. Indexing updates the search database with new or changed products. This allows users to find accurate results.

Summary

The Magento search engine enables customers to find products in your store on time. Having a good search engine simplifies shopping and can boost sales. Consider the following key features that make Magento search efficient:

• Keyword Search: Customers type words to find products. This speeds up and simplifies shopping.

• Search Filters: Filters narrow results by price, brand, or size.

• Synonyms and Spell Correction: The search fixes spelling mistakes and finds similar words.

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[Updated on May 26, 2025]