Article 
Choosing the Right On-Site Search Solution for Your Website

A strong on-site search experience is a critical component of user engagement—especially for organizations with large websites, multiple service lines or content-rich platforms. Even for smaller sites, it’s worth noting that up to 30% of users will begin their visit with a search. If your search tool falls short, it creates friction at a key decision point.

At BrandExtract, we’ve implemented a wide range of search solutions—from simple built-in tools to enterprise-grade systems. In this guide, we’ll outline the most common options and offer our perspective on when each one makes sense.

Built-In Search: Minimal Effort, Minimal Capability

Most content management systems include a basic search tool out of the box. These built-in options use simple keyword matching to identify results based on exact or partial matches.

For small websites with a narrow content focus, this may be adequate. They’re easy to implement, require no external services and carry no cost. But, they also come with limitations: poor handling of typos, no understanding of synonyms or context and limited ability to prioritize relevant results.

As a site grows in size or complexity, these shortcomings become increasingly problematic and often lead to user frustration and lost engagement.

Apache Solr and Nutch: Open-Source Power

For organizations that require more advanced functionality and are equipped with development resources, open-source tools like Apache Solr and Nutch are attractive options. Solr provides powerful indexing and search capabilities, while Nutch offers web crawling functionality to keep the index current.

The advantages here are substantial: full control over indexing, advanced filtering and faceting and support for multiple languages. There are also no licensing fees since they are open source. 

However, this level of control comes at a cost. Implementation and ongoing maintenance require significant technical expertise, dedicated infrastructure and a commitment to optimization. For teams without in-house development support, the actual cost of ownership can be higher than anticipated.

Google Programmable Search Engine: Capable, Familiar and Affordable

For many clients, Google’s Programmable Search Engine (formerly Custom Search Engine) strikes the right balance. It leverages Google’s powerful search infrastructure but restricts the results to your domain, offering an intuitive and relevant experience for users.

Setup is simple, and the platform includes features like autocomplete, spelling correction and content prioritization through refinements. The basic tier is free and pricing remains modest as usage increases.

The tradeoff? Limited control over when and how content is indexed. If you need search results to update immediately following a content change—or if you need granular control over result ranking—this may not be the ideal solution. But for many organizations, the ease of use and low cost more than make up for these constraints.

Algolia: High Performance, Fully Integrated with SAM

For content-heavy websites or platforms with advanced search requirements, Algolia offers a fast, flexible and fully managed solution. It supports instant indexing, typo tolerance, personalization, analytics and much more.

At BrandExtract, we’ve recently integrated Algolia directly into our SAM content management system. This integration enables seamless indexing and configuration through the same interface used to manage your website—no custom development required. Content updates are reflected in the search index immediately, ensuring consistency across the user experience.

While Algolia uses a tiered pricing model, the cost is often offset by gains in search performance, usability and conversion rates—particularly for complex or high-traffic sites.

Choosing the Right Search Solution for Your Needs

When selecting a search solution for your website, consider factors such as:

• The size and complexity of your website content
• Your technical resources for implementation and maintenance
• Budget constraints and willingness to invest in premium solutions
• Required features like faceted search, personalization or analytics
• Integration requirements with your existing CMS and other systems

For many of our clients using SAM, the built-in Algolia integration provides a compelling combination of power, simplicity and performance. But every organization is different, and the ideal solution depends on your specific goals.

For most SAM CMS users, our Algolia integration provides the optimal balance of powerful functionality with ease of management and low cost. Plugins also exist for WordPress integration.

At BrandExtract, we're committed to helping our clients implement the most appropriate search solution for their specific requirements. Whether you choose the simplicity of our default Google Programmable Search Engine or opt for the advanced capabilities of our Algolia integration, we ensure that your website visitors can quickly find the information they need, enhancing their overall experience with your digital presence.