YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search is a long-standing search plugin in the WooCommerce ecosystem, widely used by many store owners. The question is not whether it was a good choice when it was picked. It probably was. The question is what “good” looks like now and whether the plugin has kept pace.
This article provides a clear answer for anyone trying to decide whether YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search is still a relevant choice for WooCommerce search today.
📑 Table of Contents
- What is YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search?
- YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search Core Features
- Setting Up and Configuring YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search
- YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search Pros & Cons
- YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search Pricing
- Final Thoughts – Is YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search Worth It?
- Frequently Asked Questions
What is YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search?
YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search is a popular product search plugin that integrates with WooCommerce to add a more intelligent search engine. This enables store customers to quickly find the products they need, resulting in a positive overall shopping experience.
YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search operates on a freemium model. The free version, while significantly limited in product search scope and other customization features, is still capable and makes a visible difference in the quality of WooCommerce product search results when installed and activated.
The premium version offers all the advanced features. The latest version, 2.0, came with a complete redesign and new features such as synonyms, fuzzy matching, and mobile responsiveness, all of which help deliver a better search experience for customers.
From an interface standpoint, YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search offers users sleek, modern configuration pages with a clear side navigation menu to make the setup experience straightforward.
When comparing some of the best WooCommerce product search plugins, user interface design is usually hit-or-miss, which can overcomplicate the setup process and make it less beginner-friendly. YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search strikes a good balance between user interface and functionality.
YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search Core Features
One of the clearest indicators of whether YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search is still relevant today is its feature set. This section explores some of the key features the plugin offers.
Real-Time Product Suggestions as Shoppers Type
This feature is arguably YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search’s most valuable. It works right out of the box, even in the free version, displaying search results instantly as store customers type, without unnecessary page reloads.
The search results are visually rich, with the product thumbnail, title, price, SKU, and description all included in the results dropdown.
For shoppers, this feature makes the store feel fast and responsive, while for store owners, it means less friction between intent and purchase.
Typo Tolerance and Synonym Support
YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search includes a fuzzy matching feature to handle typos and a synonym feature that handles search term synonyms.
When a customer misspells a search term, which happens more often than not, a good search engine should understand search intent and return relevant results regardless of the misspelling.
The fuzzy match feature does exactly that, allowing the search engine to automatically detect and ignore minor errors that a shopper makes and return the right search results.
The synonym feature, on the other hand, lets users define a group of words with similar meanings, so that when a shopper searches for any of those words, they find the right results, regardless of which word they used. For example, a synonym set could include the terms “denim,” “jeans,” and “corduroys.”
Flexible Search Scope Across Product Data
While the free version of the YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search plugin only supports searching by product title and description (the same fields the default WooCommerce search supports), the premium version significantly expands the search scope.
With the premium plugin, users can also enable searches on product SKUs (including variable products), categories, tags, and custom fields.
This feature is game-changing because it covers all the ways customers might search for a product in an online store, rather than limiting them to the product name or description. A customer typing a product SKU or category should not hit a dead end, and YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search ensures this.
Search Result Customization and Boost Rules
YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search Pro users can also customize how search results are displayed and which products take priority in the results.
To customize search results, users can set everything from the number of results to show in the dropdown to the layout for displaying results, to which product information to show. There are also options to use special badges for discounted or featured products and to hide out-of-stock products.
With the Boost Rules setting, users can choose specific products to prioritize in search results and set a rule for when that prioritization should take effect.
Both of these features give site owners true control over how customers discover products on their sites while ensuring search results are hyper-tailored and relevant to their search needs.
Search Analytics and Statistics Panel
Search analytics is another valuable feature offered by YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search. The search statistics dashboard included in the plugin displays information on the top searches in the store, the top clicked products, and searches that returned no results.
The data provided through the statistics panel is useful for guiding store optimization to increase conversions. For example, if any relevant searches returned no results, store owners can add products for those searches to the store’s catalog or list the search term as a synonym for existing products if relevant.
Setting Up and Configuring YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search
Configuring YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search is quick and easy. The entire process takes only a few minutes. Here’s a step-by-step guide to get it done.
Installing the Plugin and Getting Started
The free version of the YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search plugin can be installed from the plugin repository in the WordPress dashboard following the standard steps for installing and activating WordPress plugins.
The Pro version needs to be purchased and manually uploaded via the WordPress Plugins dashboard.
Note that, for either version to work, the WooCommerce plugin must already be installed and activated on the website.
Upon installation and activation, the YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search settings menu is added to the WordPress admin menu. Navigate to YITH → Ajax Search for access to the plugin settings interface.
All configuration options are neatly laid out in a clean, modern interface that makes it easy to understand and configure settings in no time.
Configuring Search Parameters and Scope
The Search Fields panel is where the search index and search scope are configured.
The first step is to build the index that powers the search form. Click Rebuild Index to get the product fields added to the plugin’s custom index, which enables the search engine to work much faster in returning search results to customers.
Once the index is built, choose the product fields to include in search results and set the priority for each. Priority setting helps improve search relevance, ensuring site visitors are always presented with the most relevant results for their search.
The free version of the plugin supports a very limited search scope (product title, description, and short description), while the premium version extends search to SKUs, categories, tags, attributes, and custom fields.
The General Options panel contains settings to control the minimum character threshold that triggers the display of search results. The default number is 3, but can be changed to a lower or higher value depending on a user’s search configuration preferences.
Customizing Search Result Appearance & Embedding the Search Form
After setting the search parameters and scope, click Customization to access the search results styling options.
The plugin’s free version offers limited styling options that can be tweaked. Users can customize the text and background colors of on-sale, out-of-stock, and featured badges. Some other basic styling options are also included for search input, submit button, and search results.
The Pro version, on the other hand, offers many styling options for the search input, submit button, and search results. Everything from title colors and layouts to image sizes and button colors can be customized. These options are available in the Search Shortcodes panel by clicking the Edit icon for the search form.
Additional options for specifying the maximum number of search results, displaying the user’s recent searches, and showing related search categories are also included.
After configuring all relevant search customization options, the final step is to embed the search form.
This is done by adding the shortcode that is provided in the Search Shortcodes tab to the relevant page or widget area on a website.
Once the shortcode is added, the search form is immediately displayed and available for customers to use.
Users can also add the search form using the built-in Gutenberg block.
Using Boost Rules and Synonym Settings (Premium)
YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search Pro users have access to additional settings that can be configured to improve the quality of search results.
Clicking the Boost Rules panel reveals settings for creating advanced rules to boost the visibility of specific products, categories, or brands in search results.
To set up fuzzy matching and synonyms, navigate to General Options → Fuzzy strings & synonyms. Toggle the fuzzy matching option and adjust the fuzzy matching level as needed.
For synonyms, enter a list of synonyms or related concepts so shoppers can find relevant results regardless of the keyword they use.
YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search Pros & Cons
Pros
- User-friendly interface.
- Free version with genuine functionality.
- Highly flexible search scope across product data types.
- Built-in search statistics panel.
- Integrates seamlessly with other YITH plugins.
Cons
- Requires manual indexing and re-indexing (a noted user complaint).
- Does not include a live preview window.
- Most compelling features are locked behind the premium tier.
- Potential performance issue with very large catalogs.
- Inconsistent support quality, per user reviews.
- Subscription-based pricing model with no one-time payment option.
YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search Pricing
YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search offers both a free plugin and a premium version. The free version is available for download on WordPress.org, while the premium version can be purchased from the official plugin website.
The pricing plan for the YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search plugin is straightforward. Users pay €89.99 per license per year (about $105.56). This grants access to all premium features, updates, bug fixes, and technical support.
Final Thoughts – Is YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search Still Relevant?
YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search still holds its own as a capable WooCommerce product search plugin, with a meaningful free tier and a feature-rich premium version.
The plugin is a strong option for small- to mid-sized WooCommerce stores seeking a reliable, well-integrated AJAX search solution that can be set up quickly.
However, it has a few drawbacks that can make or break the decision about whether it’s the ideal product search plugin choice today. These include its subscription-based pricing model, a re-indexing issue, a lack of a live preview window, performance issues with large catalogs, and support gaps.
An alternative like Elevated Product Search addresses all of its drawbacks while providing users with a more modern, intuitive interface for configuring search settings. WooCommerce store owners who require more control, better search relevance, and a smoother overall experience will enjoy a more seamless experience with Elevated Product Search.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, there's a free version on WordPress.org that covers the core live search experience. However, the features that actually move the needle, such as extended search scope, boost rules, synonyms, and analytics, all require the premium plan at $89.99/year. If you want those capabilities without the subscription, Elevated Product Search offers them at a more accessible price point.
On standard setups, the plugin is lightweight and has minimal impact on page speed. Performance can, however, dip with larger catalogs because searches run directly against the database rather than against a dedicated index, which Elevated Product Search handles more efficiently.
SKU search is available only in the premium version and includes support for variable product SKUs. It's a feature many store owners need from day one, so it's worth factoring that into your plugin decision.
