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How to set up and manage Search Engine

WooDonkey is a SaaS platform managed at app.woodonkey.com that connects to your WooCommerce store through the WooDonkey Companion plugin. Shoppers enter queries directly on your WooCommerce storefront to search for products, categories, posts, and pages. Use this tool to configure search behavior, customize the live dropdown widget, and review shopper search activity.

What it is

The Search Engine tool is a cloud-powered search feature for your WooCommerce store. It handles shopper queries using a hybrid of keyword and semantic matching. If the semantic index is building or temporarily unavailable, searches automatically fall back to keyword matching without interrupting your customers.

How it helps you

It provides a responsive live dropdown widget that displays matching products, categories, posts, and pages as shoppers type. You can control minimum character thresholds, choose which content types appear, filter out specific items, and customize the visual design to match your brand. You can also monitor performance using built-in search analytics.

What is included

The Search Engine screen consists of a single scrolling page containing several cards and controls.

  • Sidebar navigation: Advanced Tools menu, located between Shipping and Waitlist, featuring a magnifier icon and the Search Engine link. Route: https://app.woodonkey.com/search-engine. Title: Search Engine.
  • Sticky footer: Save Changes button. Nothing autosaves.
  • Card Search statistics: Range dropdown (default 30 days; options: 7 days, 30 days, 90 days). Metrics: Total searches, Unique terms, No results (percent), Clicks, Click-through rate. Lists: Most searched terms (empty state: No data) and Searches with no results (empty state: All searches returned results). No export and no per-term click drilldown.
  • Card General: Checkbox Search engine enabled. Minimum characters to search (default 2). Checkbox Include out-of-stock products (off by default).
  • Card Result types and counts: Helper noting fixed display order (categories, then products, then posts, then pages) and count limits before the More results button. Four rows with a checkbox and count: Categories and tags (default 6), Products (default 16), Blog posts (default 5), Pages (default 5).
  • Card Design: Button icon emoji field (default magnifier emoji). Button Upload icon image. Checkbox On mobile, show icon only (no border or label) (off by default). Icon position dropdown (default Right of the label; other option: Left of the label). Icon size (px) (default 22). Button label (default Smart Search). Search field placeholder (default What are you looking for?). Search button label (default Search). More results button text (default More results). Primary color (buttons/chips) (default #111111). Button text color (default #ffffff). Popup background color (default #ffffff). Card background color (default #ffffff). Heading color (categories, products…) (default #888888). View all results button text (default See all search results). View all results button background (default #111111). View all results button text color (default #ffffff). Popup corner radius (px) (default 14). Popup width (px) (default 680). No font picker and no theme-location picker.
  • Card Hide items from results: Helper for selecting items to exclude. Three lists: Hidden products, Hidden posts, Hidden pages. Each includes a Filter by name… field and an N selected counter (default 0 selected).
  • Card Site integration: Instructional text with the shortcode [woodonkey_search]. Per-instance override example: [woodonkey_search icon="🛒" label="Search"]. No auto-inject and no block picker on this screen.

How to turn on and manage each capability

Open Search Engine

  1. Log in to your account at app.woodonkey.com.
  2. Locate Advanced Tools in the sidebar menu between Shipping and Waitlist.
  3. Click Search Engine to open the management screen.

Turn the search engine on or off

  1. Locate the General card.
  2. Toggle the checkbox for Search engine enabled to turn the feature on or off.

Set search behavior

  1. In the General card, locate Minimum characters to search and enter your preferred threshold (default 2).
  2. Check or uncheck Include out-of-stock products (off by default) to determine whether unavailable items appear in results.

Choose result types and counts

  1. Navigate to the Result types and counts card. Note that display order is fixed: categories, then products, then posts, then pages.
  2. Check the boxes and adjust the count values to set how many items appear before the More results button:
    • Categories and tags (default 6)
    • Products (default 16)
    • Blog posts (default 5)
    • Pages (default 5)

Design the widget

  1. Open the Design card to customize the appearance of the search trigger and popup.
  2. Configure the trigger icon and label using the Button icon emoji field (default magnifier emoji), or click Upload icon image.
  3. Check On mobile, show icon only (no border or label) if desired.
  4. Set the Icon position dropdown to Right of the label or Left of the label.
  5. Enter the Icon size (px) (default 22).
  6. Update text fields: Button label (default Smart Search), Search field placeholder (default What are you looking for?), Search button label (default Search), More results button text (default More results), and View all results button text (default See all search results).
  7. Configure colors by entering hex codes for Primary color (buttons/chips), Button text color, Popup background color, Card background color, Heading color (categories, products…), View all results button background, and View all results button text color (defaults noted in the included specifications).
  8. Adjust dimensions using Popup corner radius (px) (default 14) and Popup width (px) (default 680).

Hide items from results

  1. Find the Hide items from results card.
  2. Use the Filter by name… search within the Hidden products, Hidden posts, or Hidden pages lists to locate specific content.
  3. Select the items you want to exclude. Verify your selection using the N selected counter.

Place the widget on the store

  1. Locate the Site integration card.
  2. Copy the shortcode [woodonkey_search] and paste it anywhere on your site, such as a page, widget, or menu.
  3. Use per-instance overrides if needed, following the example format: [woodonkey_search icon="🛒" label="Search"].

Read Search statistics

  1. Scroll to the Search statistics card.
  2. Select a time frame from the Range dropdown (options: 7 days, 30 days, 90 days).
  3. Review performance metrics including Total searches, Unique terms, No results (percent), Clicks, and Click-through rate.
  4. Inspect the Most searched terms list (shows "No data" if empty) and Searches with no results list (shows "All searches returned results" if empty).

Save your changes

  1. Review all modifications made across the cards.
  2. Click the Save Changes button in the sticky footer at the bottom of the screen.

What to know before you start

WooDonkey operates as a SaaS platform, and the WooDonkey Companion plugin must be installed and active on your WordPress site for the search widget to function on your storefront. Shoppers trigger search results directly on your WooCommerce store as they type, relying on hybrid keyword and semantic matching. Conversational reply text is not yet fully localized per store language.

Problems you may hit, and how to fix them

  • Search widget does not appear on the storefront: Ensure that the WooDonkey Companion plugin is active on your WordPress site, that Search engine enabled is checked in your dashboard, and that you have placed the shortcode in an active template area.
  • No results appear for common terms: Check your Minimum characters to search setting and verify that you have not accidentally hidden those items in the Hide items from results card.
  • Changes do not reflect on the live store: Confirm that you clicked the Save Changes button in the sticky footer after updating your settings.

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