New search — overview and activation
⚠️ Beta
The new search is in beta. Currently, Mystore enables it for your store. Contact support if you want to try it.
The new search gives customers results as they type, has filters with result counts, and understands synonyms you add yourself. It is used both in the search field in the online store and in the filters on the category pages. You control everything under Settings › Search
What's new?
- Results as the customer types. Results appear immediately, without reloading the page.
- Matches on the beginning of words. The customer does not need to type the whole word. «jac» finds «jacket».
- Synonyms. You decide that «neoprene suit» and «wetsuit» mean the same thing. See the article «Synonyms in search».
- Featured products and categories. You choose what the customer sees when the search opens, before anything is typed. See the article «Featured products and categories in search».
The search looks the same in all stores. You do not need to change anything in the design builder to start using it.
How to access the settings
Go to Settings › Search. The page has three tabs in the menu on the left:
Tab | What you do there |
|---|---|
Overview | Turns the new search on and off, and shows the status of the search index |
Featured | Selects products and categories to display before the customer types |
Synonyms | Adds words to be treated equally in the search |
At the top right, you can see if the search is Active or Off. There is no save button. Everything you change on the page is saved immediately.
Turn the new search on and off
On the tab Overview you will find the card New store search with the switch Use the new search on my store
- On: All visitors get the new search.
- Off: Visitors get the old search. Synonyms and featured products remain saved and will apply again as soon as you turn the search on.
You can switch back and forth whenever you want. The search index is kept updated even while the new search is off, so it is ready as soon as you turn it on again.
The first time the search is turned on
Before the new search can be used, the entire product catalog must be added to the search index. Mystore starts this job when the search is turned on for the store. The customer gets the old search until the job is finished, so no one sees a half-empty search. A large catalog may take some time.
Index status
The search index is the copy of your products that the search looks through. The card Index status shows whether it is updated.
Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
Products indexed | How many products are in the search index |
Total products | How many products the store has |
Last built | When the index was last rebuilt |
Index size | How much space the index takes up |
The badge next to the title shows the status:
Badge | Meaning |
|---|---|
Healthy | All products are searchable |
Outdated | Some products are missing from the index. You can see how many under the numbers |
Rebuilding | The index is currently being built. A progress bar shows how far it has come |
The numbers count all products in the catalog, including inactive ones. Which products the customer actually sees in the search is controlled by the usual settings on the product.
When do you need to rebuild the index?
Usually never. A product is updated in the search automatically when you save it.
Click Rebuild index now if:
- you have just done a large import of products
- the numbers for indexed and total products do not match
- the status is Outdated over time
You can leave the page while the index is being built. The job continues in the background. When it is finished, it may take a few seconds before the last products become searchable. The page then shows Finishing now — the last products are becoming searchable
💡 The store works while the index is being built
Customers can search as usual while you rebuild the index.
Alerts you may see
Alert | What it means | What you do |
|---|---|---|
The last reindexing failed | Some products may be missing or outdated in the search | Click Rebuild index now. Contact support if it happens again |
The search index must be rebuilt after an update | Mystore has updated the search, and the index must be rebuilt. The store uses the regular search in the meantime | Nothing. The index is rebuilt automatically |
What can be searched
The card What can be searched shows what the new search covers today:
Source | Status |
|---|---|
Products — name, description, and article number | Included in search |
Categories | Coming later |
Content pages | Coming later |
Variant SKUs | Coming later |
The toggles for the sources cannot be changed yet. Those that are turned off will become available eventually.
Tip
- Add some synonyms before you turn the search on. Think of words customers use that are not in your product texts.
- The search does not correct spelling errors on its own. Create synonyms for the most common misspellings in your store.