Search autocomplete: suggest products and terms as shoppers type
Autocomplete suggests products and terms as a shopper types, saving effort and fixing typos. See what a good one shows.
2 min read
Area
CRO & UX
Severity
High
Fix effort
Medium
Stores failing
Not enough data
Search autocomplete shows suggested terms and products as a shopper types. It saves typing, corrects spelling and shows that the store has what they want. This check types a term from a real product name and reads what the search offers.
Why it matters
Shoppers who search have high intent. Suggestions on a phone save effort and take them to the right product faster. A search that waits for the full query and a results page adds steps.
What the audit looks at
The audit checks whether the store's search suggests products or terms as a shopper types.
What usually causes it
- A basic theme search with no live suggestions
- A search app installed but not enabled for the header search
- Suggestions that show only terms and not products
- Suggestions that load slowly
How to fix it
Suggest products and terms as the shopper types. The effort is medium, a theme or template edit that takes an afternoon.
- Suggestions with product images and prices get shoppers to a product faster and show whether you stock what they want.
- Show suggestions after two or three characters, and a "no results" message that offers an alternative.
On Shopify
- Predictive search is built into current Shopify themes: check the header or search settings in Customize. Search & Discovery lets you add synonyms and boost products.
On WooCommerce
- Add a live search plugin that shows product suggestions as the shopper types.
How to check it yourself
- Type three letters of a product name in the search.
- See what appears and how fast.
- Test a misspelling.
Frequently asked questions
Is this a lot of work to add?
Many platforms offer search apps that include it. Shopify and WooCommerce both have options.
What should suggestions include?
A few matching products with images and prices, plus popular terms.
Related checks
Check your own store
See whether your store passes this check
Paste your store URL. The audit loads your pages in a real browser and shows the result for this check with the evidence behind it.