The Search tab is the second tab of the Better Search settings page. It lets you fine-tune how search results are generated, displayed, and filtered. Below is an explanation of each available setting.
Number of Search Results per Page
Set the maximum number of results displayed on each search results page. By default, this is set to 10.
Post Types to Include
Select which post types should be included in the search results. Common options include posts and pages.
Enable MySQL FULLTEXT Searching
Turn this on to use MySQL FULLTEXT for relevance-based search results. Disabling it will sort results by date and without relevance.
Activate BOOLEAN Mode
BOOLEAN mode refines relevance matches and removes limitations of Natural Language mode. Learn more in the MySQL BOOLEAN mode documentation.
Weight of the Title
Adjust the weight given to post titles in search relevance. Higher values make titles more important than content.
Weight of the Post Content
Adjust the weight given to post content in search relevance. Higher values make content more significant than titles.
Minimum Relevance Percentage (Pro only)
Set the minimum relevance percentage (0–100) for a post to appear in search results. Default is 0.
Fuzzy Search Level (Pro only)
Enable fuzzy searching for more flexible matching, especially for misspellings. Options include Off, Low, Medium, and High. Caching is recommended for high-traffic sites.
Inclusion options
Search Post Slug (Pro only)
Enable to include matches from post slugs in search results.
Search Excerpt
Include matches from post excerpts in search results.
Search Taxonomies
Include posts with taxonomies (categories, tags, etc.) matching the search term(s).
Search Meta
Include posts with meta values that match the search term(s).
Search Authors
Include posts from authors that match the search term(s).
Search Comments
Include posts with comments that contain the search term(s).
Exclusion options
Exclude Password Protected Posts
Exclude password-protected posts from appearing in search results.
Exclude Post IDs
Specify post/page IDs to exclude from search results, separated by commas (e.g., 188,1024,50).
Exclude Categories
Exclude categories by entering their slugs, separated by commas. Use the autocomplete field for easy input.
Display Options
These settings allow you to customize the output of the search results page. Except for the highlight setting, these only apply when Seamless mode is off.
Highlight Search Terms
Wrap search terms with a CSS class (bsearch_highlight) on search results pages for visual emphasis.
Highlight Followed Links
Highlight search terms on individual posts or pages when accessed from the search results page.
Display Thumbnail
Enable to show post thumbnails alongside search results.
Display Relevance
Show the relevance score for each result.
Display Post Type
Display the post type (e.g., post, page) next to the search results.
Display Author
Show the author’s name alongside search results.
Display Date
Include the post date in the search results.
Display Taxonomies
Show related taxonomies (categories, tags) with search results.
Length of Excerpt (in Words)
Specify the number of words to display in the search result excerpt. Default is 100.
Banned words options
Filter These Words
Enter a list of banned words that will be removed from search results. Separate words with commas.
Filter Whole Words Only
Filter only whole words, not partial matches. For example, grow will not ban grown or grower.
Stop Query on Banned Words Filter
Stop showing results if the search query contains any banned words. A “Nothing found” message will be displayed.
Top 10 Settings – Styles options
Better Search Settings – Heatmap
Multisite Search
Better Search Settings – Styles
Top 10 Settings – Thumbnail options