Framer, the renowned prototyping and now website building tool, has recently introduced a new feature that makes adding a search function to your Framer site as simple as dropping in a component. This article will provide a comprehensive overview of this new feature, highlighting its key aspects, and explaining how to optimize it for the best user experience.

Adding Site Search to Your Framer Site

The process of adding a search function to your Framer site is incredibly straightforward. To get started, you simply need to access the insert menu and navigate to the interactive section. Here, you'll find the search component. Drag this into your site, and voila! You've successfully added site search to your Framer site.

Once you've added the search component, you can publish your website and test out the search function. However, it's important to wait until the optimization process is complete. This is because Framer generates an index for your site during this process, preparing it for searching.

The Speed and Efficiency of Framer's Site Search

One of the standout features of Framer's site search is its speed. It instantly searches text across your entire Framer site, whether it comes from body copy, headings, page titles, or page descriptions. This ensures that users will be able to quickly and efficiently find what they're looking for.

Customizing Your Site Search Experience

Framer's site search feature also offers a range of customization options. These allow you to tailor the search experience to your specific needs and preferences.

Scope Control

One of the key customization options is the scope control. By default, the site search function allows users to search all the pages on your site. However, if you only want to search a specific part of your site or a single CMS collection, you can use the scope control to achieve this. For example, if you only want to search the blog section of your site, you can select the blog collection in the scope control.

Improving Search Results and SEO

Another important aspect of customizing your site search experience is improving your search results and SEO. This can be achieved by optimizing your page titles and descriptions. By default, the subtitle of your search results is set as the description of the page. Therefore, spending time to improve your titles and descriptions can greatly enhance your search results and SEO.

Customizing the Look of Your Search Function

Framer's site search feature also offers a wealth of customization options for the look of your search function. These include options for colors, fonts, and animations. The customization options are organized by which part of the search you're trying to customize. For example, you can change the icon size or add your own custom icon for the search button on the canvas itself. You can also customize the fonts in the input and the results for the title and the subtitles. Additionally, you can change the layout of your entire search window to be a sidebar or a fixed top bar, providing a ton of flexibility to fit your site's designs.

Conclusion

Framer's new site search feature is a powerful tool that can greatly enhance the user experience on your site. With its speed, efficiency, and wide range of customization options, it offers a flexible and user-friendly solution for adding a search function to your Framer site. Whether you're a seasoned Framer user or a newcomer to the platform, this new feature is sure to be a valuable addition to your toolkit. Happy searching!