1. What the default search covers
According to the WordPress code reference, the search looks at three fields by default: the title, the excerpt and the content of a post. In WooCommerce that means the product name, the short description and the long description. It matches parts of words. Every word of the query has to appear in one of these fields, and a leading minus excludes a word.
SKUs, attributes such as colour or size, categories and tags are not stored in these fields. A search for an SKU or for “red” therefore only finds a product if the word also appears in the name or the description. The default search does not tolerate typos.
2. Check catalogue visibility and product data
In every product you set the catalogue visibility: “Shop and search results”, “Shop only”, “Search results only” or “Hidden”. Products set to “Shop only” or “Hidden” do not appear in search results. If a product is missing from the search, this is the first place to look.
Because only the name and the descriptions count, the quality of these texts decides what the search finds. Add common names and spellings to the short description, for example “couch” for a sofa, and mention important properties in the description.
- Search for a product that is missing and check its catalogue visibility.
- Compare your ten most frequent search terms with product names and short descriptions.
- Add synonyms and alternative spellings to the short description.
3. Test the search with a fixed test set
Take ten typical queries. Include a word with a typo, a part of a longer product name, an SKU and a two-word query where one word is in the name and the other in an attribute. Note whether the expected product is among the first results, and repeat the test after every change.
Since the default search matches parts of words, “hose” usually also finds “garden hose”. Typos and queries that contain an attribute are harder.
Example test set
“gardn hose” (typo) · “hose” (part of “garden hose”) · “GH-25-GR” (SKU) · “hose green” (name and colour).
4. When a dedicated search is worth it
If your customers search for SKUs, need filters by attribute or make typos, the default search is not enough. A search plugin or an external search can help. Compare whether typos, word parts, SKUs and filters work together, how much load the plugin puts on your database and where search data is processed.
You connect Grumeria to WooCommerce with a product feed and a small widget. The feed can come straight from your store's public product data via https://grumeria.com/api/woocommerce-feed?shop=your-shop.com, no feed plugin needed, or from a feed plugin (CSV, XML or Google Shopping). The search runs on its own servers instead of your WordPress database, finds products despite typos, searches every feed field you mark as searchable, such as SKU or colour, and uses your own synonyms. It works without cookies, with data hosted in Frankfurt. You can check your feed for free first.