The search function of WordPress is useful and offers many possibilities. One of the possibilities is that you can turn the search function on and off yourself. Why would you want to do this? And how can you turn the search function on or off? We will give you a comprehensive answer to these two questions in this article.
Do you have a large blog with all kinds of blog posts? Then it is so desirable that you build this blog in a clear way. To make your entire website/blog as clear as possible, a search function comes in handy all too well. With the search function you enable your visitor to quickly search for the desired information.
The search function is built in by default within WordPress. But: the search function is not automatically displayed on your website. You can turn this on and off yourself, where you also determine where the search bar should end up. Many website owners choose to place this search bar in the footer or sidebar.
Why turn it on or off?
Are you currently still somewhat confused about the search function? In any case, there are plenty of reasons why you would want to enable the search function.
One of the reasons is the user-friendliness. By adding a search function to your website, you make the search for your visitors a lot easier. This allows them to find the desired information faster, so they are only too happy to come back to your website.
Another advantage can be found in the processing of the search function. You can implement this function in multiple ways and in multiple designs in your website. Precisely because of this, you can fully adjust the search function to your website.
However, it is not always advisable to use the search function. It is a fact that a search function is not crucial for every website. For example, do you have a website for your business with only a few pages? Then it is unnecessary to place a search function on your website.
Another reason is that the search function may not match your needs. The standard search function of WordPress is not super extensive. If you want to have a more extensive search function, you should use a plugin. You can also choose to develop a search function yourself, but for that you need technical knowledge.
Disabling search
As far as you are concerned, is it not necessary that your website has a search function? Then it is good to know that you can turn this search function on and off at any time. With the step-by-step plan below you are able to quickly disable the search function:
- Step 1: Log in to your WordPress website and click on ‘View’ on the left
- Step 2: Now click on ‘Customizer’ or ‘Customize’
- Step 3: Now click on ‘Header’ and ‘Primary Menu’
- Step 4: You can set the menu to your liking, where you can easily disable the search function
Is this the only way you can turn off search? No, the way you can do this exactly depends on the theme you have chosen.
Did you enable the search function at an earlier stage? Then it is best to click on ‘View’ in the WordPress backend and then choose ‘Widgets’. In many cases, the search function is placed in the form of a widget. If that is the case on your website, you can easily remove the widget in question.
Moral of the story: the exact way of switching off depends on two factors. Firstly, the theme plays an important role; each theme has a specific place for the search function. The location determines the way in which you can disable the search function.
Secondly, the earlier activation plays an important role. How have you previously enabled search? If you know that, you can also disable the search function in the same way.
There is also another way to implement the search function in your website. If you use a page builder, such as Beaver Builder or Elementor, you can enable and disable the search function via this page builder. How exactly you should do this depends on the page builder you use.
What do you need to consider?
- The kind of website you have: do you have an advertising website, an informative website, a large webshop or a blog? Then there is a good chance that visitors want to look for certain information. With such websites, a search function comes in very handy.
- The possibilities of the search function: the search function of WordPress is quite limited in terms of possibilities. If you want to add more options to the search function, this is always possible. You do this by using a plugin or by manually adjusting the search function.
- Consider a special search page: do you have a fairly hefty website with a lot of content? Then it may be better to set up a special search page. This is a page that you can set up and organize completely according to your own wishes. By using the right plugins, you optimize this page for your visitors.
Conclusion
Would you like to enable or disable the search function of WordPress? By following the above step-by-step plan, this is arranged relatively quickly. However, do you run into problems? Or is the search function of WordPress not to your liking? In such cases, you can contact us.
We are able to make the search function of WordPress completely to your liking. We solve problems, but we can also integrate the search function as desired. Of course, we are also able to enable and disable the function for you. Interest? Feel free to contact us to discuss all the possibilities!
