Search page

Where a shopper lands after pressing Enter in the header’s search field. It uses the Main search section: the same filterable, sortable grid as a collection page, plus an empty state for searches that return nothing.

The dropdown that appears while typing is configured separately, in Predictive search.

Section settings

Show back link and breadcrumb. The back link returns to the previous page in your store, and the breadcrumb traces the path from the home page. Default: on.

Show filters. Default: on.
Show sort options. Default: on.

Product grid

Products per page. Range: 8 to 48 in steps of 4. Default: 24.
Desktop columns. 2 columns, 3 columns or 4 columns (default).
Show vendor. Default: off.
Show second image on hover. Default: on.

Empty state

Featured collection (shown when no results). The collection whose products are offered when a search returns nothing.
Contact link (shown when no results). A link to your contact page, offered alongside the no-results message. Leave blank to show no link at all.

Colors

Color scheme. Default: scheme-1.

Spacing

Top padding / Bottom padding. Range: 0 to 300 px in 5 px steps. Default: 95 px and 65 px. The largest padding, used on screens 1920 px and wider; it scales down on smaller screens.

Products, articles and pages

Shopify searches products, blog articles and pages together. Above the results, a switcher lets the shopper narrow them to All, Products, Articles or Pages. It stays in place even when one type has no matches, so the shopper can always switch back.

Filtering search results

Search results carry the same filters as a collection page, configured in Shopify’s free Search & Discovery app. This is a Theme Store requirement and it is on by default: a shopper who searches “shirt” and gets ninety results needs to narrow them the same way they would in a collection. The filters are product filters, so they and the sort control are hidden while the shopper is looking at articles or pages only.

The empty state

A search with no matches is a moment where shoppers leave. Setting Featured collection turns a dead end into a route back: the page explains that nothing matched and offers that collection’s products instead.

Pick something broad: best sellers, new arrivals, or the catalog’s most popular category. A narrow collection here is unlikely to match what the shopper was after.

Improving what search finds

What matches, and in what order, is Shopify’s, not the theme’s. To improve it:

Write product titles the way shoppers describe things, not the way your supplier does.
Add synonyms in Search & Discovery, so “trainers” finds “sneakers”.
Use product types and tags consistently; both are searched.

Tips

24 results per page suits search. A shopper who searched has a specific intent and scans quickly; more per page means less pagination in the way.
Four columns is right here even if your collections use three. Search results are scanned rather than browsed.
Set the empty state before launch. It is invisible until it matters, and by then the shopper is already leaving.
Point the contact link at a real person. A shopper who searched and found nothing is often one question away from buying. Your contact page is the natural target.