A functioning search bar isn't the same as one that turns searches into sales. Too often, WooCommerce store owners realize just how problematic their search tool is only after a customer complains about being unable to find a product that is actually in the catalog.
However, if the store is small, investing in a premium WooCommerce search plugin might seem unnecessary. This is where Ajax Search Lite comes to play, offering a free, capable WooCommerce search plugin that improves upon the default WooCommerce search.
But how effective is it really? This detailed review provides a clear picture.
📑 Table of Contents
What is Ajax Search Lite?
Ajax Search Lite is a free yet powerful WordPress search plugin that, although not specifically designed for WooCommerce, supports the WooCommerce products custom post type, improving the quality of catalog search results.
The plugin replaces the default WooCommerce product search with a live, AJAX-powered search experience that makes it easier for site visitors to find products in a store.
With Ajax Search Lite, users get a plugin configuration interface that leans more toward the functional but somewhat outdated side compared to some other popular WooCommerce product search plugins. However, it gets the job done effectively.
The Ajax Search Lite plugin has a premium version, Ajax Search Pro, which offers more advanced general WordPress search features, including faceted filtering for WooCommerce stores. But for this review, we will focus solely on the features and performance of Ajax Search Lite.
Ajax Search Lite Core Features
AJAX Search Lite has become very popular as a trusted search plugin for WooCommerce, and a look at the features it provides for free clearly shows why.
Instant Live Search With Visual Product Results
One of the main ways Ajax Search Lite instantly improves the default WooCommerce search is through the live, AJAX-powered product search results dropdown that appears as customers type. It eliminates the need to wait for the web page to reload after each search.
Product thumbnails and descriptions are also shown directly in the live search results dropdown, making customer decision-making much quicker.
With this feature alone, site visitors enjoy a significantly improved search experience that enables them to find what they need more easily and make more purchases.
Broad Indexing Across Product Data
For a free plugin, Ajax Search Lite indexes a solid range of product data, enabling site visitors to find products using criteria beyond just their titles.
Users can configure the Ajax Search Lite plugin to search by description, categories, tags, and even custom fields.
Most other free plugins primarily support searching by product title and description, so Ajax Search Lite offers a much more substantial improvement over the default WooCommerce search.
However, there is a clear limit to its indexing abilities. It does not natively support indexing WooCommerce-specific data such as SKUs, pricing, or product variations. Therefore, for stores where shoppers need to search by SKU, price, or product variations, this gap will quickly become noticeable.
Google Autocomplete and Keyword Suggestions
Ajax Search Lite integrates with Google to provide users with two search assistance features: autocomplete and keyword suggestions.
The autocomplete feature tries to predict what a site visitor is searching for and shows suggestions in real-time based on Google’s index.
Keyword suggestions appear to visitors when their search criteria have no matching results.
Both features are enabled by default but can be turned off in the plugin’s settings interface if needed.
The main point for users to note is that, since these features rely on Google’s search index, suggestions may not always match the store’s catalog terms. This could seem awkward for customers if suggestions feel irrelevant. It’s best to use them only if they're truly valuable for a store’s specific needs.
Built-In Filtering Controls
To help site visitors filter search results and find the most relevant options, Ajax Search Lite includes a built-in search filter.
This feature is integrated with the search bar and appears as a clickable dropdown arrow next to the search icon.
Ajax Search Lite allows users to choose which filters are available to site visitors on the frontend. Filtering can be enabled for Exact Matches, Searching in Title, Searching in Content, and searching specific post types, such as products.
WooCommerce stores with multiple content types will find this feature especially useful, as it enables customers to narrow searches to products alone, rather than including pages and posts that match the search term in the results.
Users should remember that these filters are not attribute, pricing, or stock status filters. They are just basic category filters designed to refine the customer search experience.
Performance and Script Controls
Ajax Search Lite offers a dedicated Performance Options page accessible from the plugin menu. This allows users to have some control over how the plugin loads and runs on the frontend.
The page includes toggles for three performance-boosting settings. The settings are:
- Use custom Ajax handler
- Crop images for caching
- Load Javascript in site footer
A small note on this feature is that the provided controls focus solely on managing how the plugin’s own assets are delivered. They do not affect the underlying search query architecture, which relies on standard WordPress database queries that can sometimes be slow.
Setting Up and Configuring Ajax Search Lite
Compared to some other WooCommerce product search plugins we have reviewed, Ajax Search Lite has a more complex setup process due to its multiple nested tabs and options. However, this section provides a walkthrough showing the quickest way to get the search form working efficiently with WooCommerce.
Installation and Activation
Installing Ajax Search Lite is straightforward from the WordPress plugins dashboard. A quick search for “Ajax Search Lite” in the plugin repository will display the plugin, with buttons to install and activate it.
Once activated, Ajax Search Lite will appear in the WordPress admin menu. Clicking it opens the search settings interface, which features multiple tabs with options to customize different aspects of the search form.
Configuring Search Behavior
With the General Options tab open by default, the first step is to configure the basics of how the search form should behave by choosing which content gets indexed.
There are several tabs for configuring search behavior within the General Options tab. However, the Post Type Search tab is the main one that needs tweaking to ensure the form works for WooCommerce products.
Within that tab, set the Products post type as the custom post type to use with the search form, and also select the content fields that should be indexed, such as title, description, custom fields, categories, and tags.
The other tabs, such as Behavior, Ordering, and Autocomplete & Suggestions, all have default settings enabled that work fine for most WooCommerce stores, so they can be skipped for now if getting the search form working quickly is a high priority.
Styling the Search Form
The next step in the setup process is to style the Ajax Search Lite search form to better match the website’s design.
Opening the Layout Options tab reveals multiple additional tabs for customizing different aspects of the search form's appearance. The main tabs to focus on for a quick setup are the Search Box Layout & Theme tab and the Results Layout tab.
Many styling options are available in both tabs, including built-in form themes and settings to adjust colors, fonts, and placeholder text. Therefore, some time is usually needed at this stage to ensure the search form looks as desired, especially since the plugin does not include a live preview window.
Embedding the Search Bar
Once the search form is fully configured and styled, the final step is to embed it on the site. Ajax Search Lite offers multiple embed options.
There is an option to automatically replace the default WooCommerce search form with the Ajax Search Lite search form using a toggle.
If that option is unsuitable, the search form can also be embedded using a shortcode or a widget.
After embedding, the final step is to evaluate the form's styling to ensure that the applied options look good together, and to test the search bar to make sure it’s working as it should.
Ajax Search Lite Pros & Cons
Pros
- Capable free plugin.
- Broader content indexing than the default WooCommerce search.
- Fast AJAX-powered product search.
- Visual results with images in the live dropdown.
Cons
- Dated backend user interface.
- Too many nested tabs, which makes the setup feel overwhelming.
- Limited advanced search logic.
- No live preview window (only available in the Pro version).
- Requires referencing documentation to understand and use some features.
- Not ideal for large or complex WooCommerce stores.
Ajax Search Lite Pricing
The Lite version of the Ajax Search plugin is completely free to download from the WordPress.org plugin repository.
Final Thoughts – Is Ajax Search Lite Worth It?
Ajax Search Lite has earned its well-deserved place in the WooCommerce search ecosystem as one of the best free product search plugins most store owners will ever need.
It delivers genuine value for small stores with an uncomplicated product catalog that needs a solid set of search features to elevate their site search. At zero cost, users get access to live AJAX search, custom field indexing, visual product thumbnails in the dropdown, and a workable set of performance controls.
But, as with any free tool, the limitations are real and worth naming in plain terms. The settings configuration interface feels like a plugin from a different era of WordPress. More importantly, the plugin's lack of support for searching by SKU, variation, or attribute implies that as a store’s catalog grows more complex, it will be less able to keep up.
Additionally, its reliance on standard WordPress database queries for search affects search speed and accuracy, especially as a store’s catalog grows.
The verdict is that Ajax Search Lite can serve as an excellent starting point for small stores trying to find their footing with improving search on their site.
However, it is not a long-term solution for serious WooCommerce stores. As business takes off, a more capable premium solution like Elevated Product Search will be a more ideal product search plugin option.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Ajax Search Lite is completely free to download and use on a WordPress website. The plugin replaces the default WordPress and WooCommerce search engines with a responsive AJAX-powered search form that provides more relevant search results to site visitors.
To improve your site's search engine with the Ajax Search Lite plugin, follow these steps:
1. Install and activate the Ajax Search Lite plugin.
2. Go to Ajax Search Lite in your WordPress admin menu.
3. Under the General Options tab, adjust the settings in the Post Type Search and Behavior sub-tabs to match your website's search needs.
4. Style the search form by exploring the settings in the Layout Options tab.
5. Embed the search form and test it.
