FlatSearch.Pro Settings Guide
This guide explains every FlatSearch.Pro setting in simple words. It helps store owners understand what each switch does, when to turn it on, and how to test it safely.
Quick Start Setup
Follow this setup if you want the safest and fastest search experience for most Flatsome WooCommerce stores.
Turn on the basic design
Enable Search Box Design, Better Search Images, and Small Image Guard. This makes the dropdown clean and prevents heavy product photos.
Build the fast product list
Enable Fast Index Engine, then click Rebuild Product List Now. This prepares search data before shoppers type.
Turn on smart matching
Enable Better Word Matching, Typo Fix, and Search From First Letter if you want easier product discovery.
How the Search Route Works
FlatSearch.Pro can use the normal Flatsome search route or the faster FlatSearch.Pro route. The goal is simple: keep all search modules working in every mode.
| Fast Index Engine | Cloudflare Fast Search | Search Route | What should happen |
|---|---|---|---|
| ON | ON | /?fsp&q=keyword | Fast Index answers first. Cloudflare can save repeated search answers. All modules should apply. |
| ON | OFF | /?fsp&q=keyword | Fast Index answers from your website server. All modules should apply. |
| OFF | ON | /?fsp&q=keyword if index is ready | Uses the fast route if the product index is ready. If not ready, it safely falls back. |
| OFF | OFF | admin-ajax.php | Uses default Flatsome live search. The default bridge keeps important modules working. |
Dashboard
The Dashboard gives a quick health check. It tells you if Flatsome, WooCommerce, Cloudflare, live search, license, and memory cache are ready.
Flatsome active
This means your website is using the Flatsome theme, so FlatSearch.Pro can connect to the Flatsome search box.
Live Search enabled
This means shoppers can see dropdown results while they type, instead of waiting for the full results page.
Memory cache ready
This means the server can remember search data better. It helps repeat searches load faster.
Speed Settings
These settings help search load faster. Some work in the browser, some work on the server, and some work with Cloudflare.
Fast Index Engine
Builds a ready-made product search list. The search box can use a fast link like /?fsp&q=keyword instead of slower WooCommerce search.
- Turn on: for most stores.
- After turning on: rebuild the product list once.
- Best for: medium and large catalogs.
Cloudflare Fast Search
Lets Cloudflare remember search answers. When shoppers search the same word again, Cloudflare can answer faster.
- Turn on: if your site uses Cloudflare.
- Works best with: Fast Index Engine.
- Test: check if repeat searches show cache HIT.
Browser Quick Search
Remembers search answers in the shopper’s browser. If the shopper searches again, results can appear faster.
- Good for repeat searches.
- Does not need Cloudflare.
- Should not download the full product list when Fast Index is ready.
Memory Cache Boost
Uses Object Cache, Redis, or similar memory tools to remember product and search data on the server.
- Good for busy WooCommerce stores.
- Helps repeated database work.
- Best when object cache is stable.
Product List Memory
Stores a small ready-to-use product list so search can show results faster without checking the full shop again and again.
- Good for instant suggestions.
- Useful when Fast Index is not ready.
- Should be safe when speed engines are off.
Fast Search Starter
Prepares popular searches early so the first dropdown results can appear faster when shoppers start typing.
- Good for common keywords.
- Different from warm-up because it helps when shoppers begin typing.
- Should not force “No products found”.
Product Result Preload
Makes clicked search result products open faster. It can warm the product page HTML, without waking product page images.
- Best mode: safe HTML-only fetch.
- Should not load all product images in the background.
- Turn off if another preload plugin does the same job.
Search Cache Warm-Up
Prepares common search words slowly in the background, so popular searches can be ready faster.
- Good for popular keywords.
- Should avoid heavy or random search words.
- Best when cron is healthy.
Repeated Search Cache
Saves common repeated dropdown searches, so popular words like “shirt”, “apple”, or “chivas” can load faster next time.
Slow Search Cache
If a search takes longer than usual, FlatSearch.Pro saves the result so the same search is faster next time.
Database Speed Check
Checks whether your database has the helper it needs for faster product title searching. Run this once, then leave it on for checking.
Search Results Page Cache
Remembers the full search results page after a shopper submits a search. This is separate from the small live dropdown search.
Search Accuracy Settings
These settings help search understand what the shopper means. Think of them as the “smart brain” for the search box.
Better Word Matching
Helps search understand more than one word. For example, “red apple” should prefer products matching both “red” and “apple”.
- Good for product names with many words.
- Helps match “The Glenlivet” when shopper types “glenlivet”.
- Should work in Fast Index and default Flatsome search.
Page & Blog Search
Lets the live search dropdown also find published page and blog post titles.
- Good for stores with guides, brand pages, and help pages.
- Product results should stay first when products match.
- Pages should not replace good product results.
Price Search Words
Lets shoppers use simple price words, such as “under 400”, “above 100”, or “between 20 and 50”.
- Good for budget shoppers.
- Works best with clean product prices.
- Examples: “phone under 500”, “wine below 100”.
Search From First Letter
Allows results to start from the first letter, like “i” for iPhone or “a” for apple.
- Good for fast typing and mobile users.
- Should not return “No products found” too early.
- Works best with Fast Index for large catalogs.
Typo Fix
Helps when shoppers spell a product name wrongly. For example, “ipihne” can still find “iPhone”.
- Good for brand names and hard spelling.
- Examples: “civas” → “chivas”, “glendonach” → “glendronach”.
- Should not make exact searches weaker than typo searches.
Search Design Settings
These settings control how the search box looks and feels. They help shoppers see results clearly.
Search Box Design
Adds the FlatSearch.Pro look for the search box, result rows, prices, popular searches, recent searches, View More button, and mobile search popup.
Better Search Images
Picks the small product photo for each search result, like a tiny picture card. This helps the dropdown avoid loading big product photos.
Small Image Guard
Safety checker for search pictures. If a picture is too big, broken, or unsafe, it swaps it to a smaller safe picture or a simple placeholder.
Background Dimmer
Dims the page behind the desktop search box, so shoppers can focus on the search results.
Popular & Recent Searches
Shows helpful suggestions before typing, remembers recent searches, and adds a safe “View more results” button.
Mobile Keyboard Helper
Helps the phone keyboard open when the mobile search popup opens. Use only if your mobile search needs it.
Guided Answer Search
Shows your store-made answer cards in live search. Shoppers can tick products and add them to cart.
Advanced: Cloudflare Image Resizing 96×96
Uses Cloudflare Image Resizing for search pictures. Keep this off unless your site supports Cloudflare Image Resizing.
Search Results Page Settings
These settings affect the full WooCommerce search results page after the shopper presses Enter or clicks “View more results”.
Search Cleanup Mode
Stops unrelated plugin tasks from joining the search request when they are not needed, so the search can stay lighter.
- Good for busy sites with many plugins.
- Helps keep search page requests clean.
- Turn off only if another plugin needs to run during search.
Search Page Sorting
Keeps the full search results page tidy: available products first, lower price first, unavailable products lower down.
- Good for ecommerce conversion.
- Helps shoppers see buyable products first.
- Useful when many products are out of stock.
Number of Dropdown Results
Choose how many live search results to show while shoppers type. A smaller number feels faster; a larger number shows more choices.
Number of Recent Searches
Use 0 to hide recent searches, or choose a small number such as 3, 5, or 8 to keep the list tidy.
Guided Answer Search
Guided Answer Search shows helpful answer cards in the search dropdown. It feels like an AI-style answer, but you write and approve every card.
Answer card + products
A shopper searches a topic. Your store shows a helpful answer card. The shopper can tick recommended products and add them to cart.
Safe and approved
This is not a live AI agent. You create the cards, so the answers are safe, accurate, and connected to real products.
Good examples for different stores
| Store type | Example Guided Answer Card | Products shoppers can tick |
|---|---|---|
| Drink store | Popular cocktail recipe | Gin, vermouth, bitters, garnish |
| Beauty store | Beginner skincare routine | Cleanser, toner, serum, moisturizer |
| Electronics store | Gaming setup guide | Keyboard, mouse, headset, monitor |
| Fashion store | Travel outfit guide | Shirt, pants, shoes, bag |
| Home store | New home starter kit | Towels, bedding, kettle, storage boxes |
How to create one card
Add a title
Use the search topic shoppers will type, such as “Gift Guide” or “How to choose a laptop”.
Add products
Choose real WooCommerce products shoppers can tick and add to cart.
Add helpful details
Write the short answer, key details, and next steps in simple words.
Voice Search
Voice Search lets shoppers use the microphone button to speak instead of typing.
Voice Search Button
Shows a microphone button in the search box. Shoppers can speak a search word, and the search box will try to use it.
- Good for mobile shoppers.
- Works only if the browser supports voice input.
- Keep it off if your store does not need voice search.
Compatibility Settings
These settings help FlatSearch.Pro work nicely with other performance plugins, delayed JavaScript, and different site setups.
Delay JS Search Protection
If a speed plugin delays JavaScript, this protection helps the search box still work when shoppers click or type.
- Good for sites using FlyingPress, WP Rocket, LiteSpeed, or other speed plugins.
- Helps search load even when scripts are delayed.
- Keep it on unless it conflicts with another custom script.
Tools & Reports
These tools help you check if search is working, view analytics, and troubleshoot problems.
Admin Bar Status
Shows useful FlatSearch.Pro status information in the WordPress admin bar, so you can quickly check search mode and health.
Analytics
Shows what shoppers search for. This helps you find popular products, missing products, and search words with no results.
Debug Report
Creates a safe support report with plugin status, module status, environment details, and search engine readiness.
Clear Cache
After changing search settings, clear cache so visitors receive the latest search behavior and design.
Uninstall Settings
These settings control what happens if you remove the plugin.
Clean Uninstall
If enabled, FlatSearch.Pro can remove its stored options, cache, and index data when the plugin is deleted.
Recommended Setup Profiles
Different stores need different settings. Use these profiles as a safe starting point.
| Store type | Recommended setup | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Small store | Search Box Design, Better Search Images, Typo Fix, Better Word Matching | Keeps search easy and clean without needing heavy speed tools. |
| Medium store | Fast Index Engine, Browser Quick Search, Repeated Search Cache, Search From First Letter | Prepares product results and helps common searches load faster. |
| Large catalog | Fast Index Engine, Memory Cache Boost, Cloudflare Fast Search, Search Cache Warm-Up | Moves search away from slow live database work and makes repeat searches fast. |
| Content-heavy store | Page & Blog Search, Guided Answer Search, Results Page Sorting | Helps shoppers find guides, answer cards, and products together. |
| Mobile-first store | Mobile Keyboard Helper, Voice Search, Search From First Letter, Browser Quick Search | Makes search easier for shoppers using phones. |
Testing Checklist
After changing settings, test the search box like a real shopper.
Test normal product search
- Search a full product name.
- Search the first few letters.
- Search a brand name.
- Search a SKU if your store uses SKUs.
Test smart matching
- Try a spelling mistake.
- Try one-letter search if enabled.
- Try multi-word search.
- Try price words like “under 100”.
Test speed route
- Open browser DevTools.
- Search a product.
- Look for /?fsp&q=keyword when Fast Index is on.
- Repeat the same search to check cache speed.
Test images
- Make sure dropdown images are small.
- Check for grey or broken images.
- Check that product page images are not preloaded by accident.
- Turn off Advanced Cloudflare Image Resizing if your site does not support it.
Troubleshooting
Use this section when search results look wrong, images are broken, or speed feels slower than expected.
Search shows “No products found” too early.
Check if Search From First Letter is enabled. If speed engines are off, FlatSearch.Pro should use the default Flatsome bridge and should not force an empty answer too early.
Fast Index results are different from default Flatsome search.
Rebuild the product list, clear cache, and test again. Fast Index should apply Better Word Matching, Typo Fix, Page & Blog Search, Price Search Words, and Search From First Letter.
Images are grey or broken.
Turn on Better Search Images and Small Image Guard, then clear cache. If thumbnails are missing in WordPress, regenerate thumbnails for the affected products.
Dropdown images are too large.
Better Search Images should use WooCommerce or WordPress thumbnail sizes. Advanced Cloudflare Image Resizing should stay off unless your site supports Cloudflare Image Resizing.
Search request is over 200ms.
Check if the request is a first-time uncached origin request or a repeated cached request. Fast Index cold requests may be slower than cached Cloudflare HIT requests.
Product page preload causes too many network requests.
Product Result Preload should use safe HTML-only fetch. It should not inject product page HTML into the current page and should not wake product page images.
After changing settings, nothing changes on the frontend.
Clear Object Cache or Redis, purge page cache, purge Cloudflare, and test in Incognito. Browser localStorage can also keep old search helper data.
WordPress shows a critical error.
Check the PHP error log or wp-content/debug.log. If the fatal error mentions FlatSearch.Pro, report the exact line. If it mentions another plugin, FlatSearch.Pro may only have triggered a cached error page.
Send a Debug Report
If search is not working correctly, create a FlatSearch.Pro debug report and include a HAR file from the browser Network tab. This helps support see the exact route, cache status, modules, images, and timing.