How to add a search box to your Shopify store

Spending just one week running a Shopify store user can realize that “Customers don’t like wasting time.” They want to find the right product quickly. A search bar is not just a feature, it is a discovery engine. This is the place where a powerful search bar becomes a direct revenue booster.It helps customers to locate the actual product they want with minimum effort.

Adding a search bar to your Shopify store is essential because

Faster product discovery-customers to find what they want instantly.
Higher conversions-help visitors who use search to be more likely to buy.
Reduced bounce rate-creates fewer frustrations.
Customer insights-search queries and scalability.

By reading this article, you’ll learn how to add a search bar in your Shopify store. Users can choose the approach that best fits their business size, customer range, and growth goals.

Options that available to add a search bar to Shopify store,

Add advanced search using the Shopify Search and Discovery app
Add a powerful search app for maximum performance
Manually add a search bar to your Shopify theme by the coding method

Let’s explore each option in detail.

OPTION 1:

ADD ADVANCED SEARCH USING SHOPIFY SEARCH AND DISCOVERY APP

An official Search and Discovery App provided by Shopify, which is completely free. It enhances the store’s default search without requiring any coding or paid tools.

The key features of Shopify search and discovery includes

custom product filters,
AI-driven search suggestions,
keyword synonyms,
personalized product recommendations,
merchandising and ranking rules,
improved keyword relevance.

How to install and use Shopify search and discovery:

Open the Shopify App Store
Search for Shopify Search and Discovery
Click Add App
Once installed, open the app from your admin panel.
Customize:

Product filters
Search synonyms
Recommendations
Merchandising rules

With these, the store’s search experience can be improved.

OPTION 2:

ADD A POWERFUL SEARCH APP FOR MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE.

If the store is large, like Amazon or Flipkart, then this will be the right choice. These apps offer AI-powered search, lightning-fast indexing, and deep customization to handle large product catalogs and diverse customer behavior.

There are few Shopify search apps, which provide features like instant search results, autocomplete and predictive search, spelling correction and typo tolerance, multi-language support, advanced filters and faceted navigation.

The Shopify search apps are,

ExpertRec Smart Search Bar
Searchanise
Boost search and discovery
Algolia-powered search solutions

HOW TO INSTALL ANY SHOPIFY SEARCH APP

Go to the Shopify App Store
Choose your preferred search app
Click Install
Allow theme permissions
Open the app dashboard.
Customize search behavior, filters, and UI
Everything once configured, the app automatically integrates with the theme.

OPTION 3:

MANUALLY ADD A SEARCH BAR TO YOUR SHOPIFY THEME BY THE CODING METHOD.

If a user wants complete control over the search UI and behavior, they can manually add a search bar using Shopify’s built-in search functionality.

This is best suited for developers or store owners comfortable with Liquid and CSS.

STEPS TO ADD A SEARCH BAR VIA CODE:

Go to the online store

1.1. Then Themes

Click Edit Code
Open header.liquid
Add the following code snippet where the user want the search bar to appear:

<button type=”submit”>Search</button>

</form>

Save the file
Customize styling with CSS if needed

This creates a functional search bar.

To make the search Bar a more futuristic one, users can use this option for their search bar.

LEVERAGE SHOPIFY’S BUILT-IN SEARCH FUNCTIONALITY

An optimized search bar significantly improves performance. It ensures fast and relevant results and uses AI-powered recommendations with smart autocomplete and typo correction.

All the customization that explained below will provide a better search bar for the user’s store.

Customize the Default Shopify Search Bar.

Shopify themes already include a basic search bar.
Adjusting styling and placement
Enabling predictive search
Improving mobile responsiveness
Highlighting popular products in results

Utilize Shopify’s Search API.

Shopify’s search API allows you to

Retrieve and display results programmatically
Build custom search result pages
Implement logic-based ranking and filtering

OPTIMIZE THE SEARCH EXPERIENCE FOR BETTER CONVERSIONS

Optimization of the search bar provides better results.

The best practices in it include

Ensure fast and relevant search results
Use AI-powered recommendations
Enable smart autocomplete and typo correction
Offers clear filters and sorting options
Support voice and visual search

MEASURE AND IMPROVE SHOPIFY SEARCH PERFORMANCE

Track key search metrics.

Search usage rate
Top search queries
No result searches
Conversion rate from search

Continuously refine the experience.

Adjust relevance and ranking rules
Add synonyms and merchandising logic
Run A/B tests on search UI and features
Collect customer feedback and iterate

Implementing an effective Shopify search bar can completely transform your store. Users can choose Shopify’s free search and discovery app or add advanced AI-powered solutions like ExpertRec.

By implementing a small search bar part in your store, you have an exceptional insight that you’ve never imagined. The investment is on a small part, but the revenue is far ahead.

Are you showing the right products, to the right shoppers, at the right time? Contact us to know more.