Allspice Search

Overview

Allspice Search lets readers search your recipes by title, ingredient, or plain-language description, inside the Allspice widget on your site. Results come only from your archive.

Readers reach it from the widget's Search tab, from a navigation link, or from your existing search box if you turn on Search replacement. We recommend making Allspice your site's one recipe search.

Standard search vs. AI search

Standard recipe search

Every site gets standard search. It matches on:

• recipe title
• ingredients
• recipe description
• other indexed recipe metadata

AI recipe search

AI search takes free-text requests, such as:

• healthy dinners with chicken and rice
• easy summer recipes for a cookout
• vegetarian meals that are high protein
• something cozy for a cold night

Instead of matching exact words, it interprets what the reader is after: ingredients, cuisine, meal type, difficulty, and the kind of dish.

Readers see AI search under the name you set in AI search name (default “Advanced Search”). See Search settings.

When AI search is available

AI search shows up on your site when both of these are true:

• AI search is on in the Publisher Portal. It's on by default.
• Your site has search pills. Pills are generated from your archive; if a site has none, the widget offers standard search only.

If you've just added a batch of recipes, give Allspice time to index them. On WordPress, the plugin notifies Allspice whenever you publish or update a post, and Allspice re-reads it about 10 minutes later.

Search pills

Search pills are suggested searches that give readers a starting point. They're generated from the areas where your archive has real depth. A site with lots of air fryer dinners, gluten-free baking, or meal prep recipes gets pills that reflect that, rather than generic categories every site would have.

• The pill set is regenerated weekly from your archive.
• New and updated recipes are assigned to existing pills as they're imported.
• Pills are generated automatically; you can't pick them yourself.

How results are ranked

Allspice ranks results by how well each recipe fits what the reader asked for. Signals include:

• recipe title and description
• ingredients and ingredient groupings
• recipe categories and tags
• semantic match to the reader's query
• how your recipes perform on your site
• how recently the recipe data was indexed

Performance statistics are refreshed regularly, so results can shift as reader interest, seasons, and your archive change.

Personalization & follow-up search

For signed-in readers, AI search also considers their stored preferences and saved recipes. A reader who leans gluten-free or saves a lot of quick dinners gets results that reflect it. Readers who aren't signed in get the same results without personalization, and the widget tells them they can sign in to personalize.

Follow-up searches

After an AI search, readers can keep refining in plain language:

• narrow it: “make it vegetarian”, “only show quick options”
• widen it: “show more like this”, “include meal prep options”
• change direction: “actually, show me desserts for a party”

Result layout

Results appear as a visual grid of recipe cards. Stronger matches can take larger cells so readers spot the best fits first.

If Show articles in search is on (the default), non-recipe posts can appear too, under a separate heading you can rename. See Search settings.

Search settings

Search settings live in the Publisher Portal: Integrate → click the domain → General tab → Allspice search card.

• Start with the cursor in search - when search opens, the cursor goes straight to the search box so readers can start typing (on phones, the keyboard opens). On by default.
• Show articles in search - include non-recipe posts in results alongside recipes. On by default. When it's on, you can list article tags, sections, or post categories to exclude.
• Page visibility - limits which pages Allspice appears on. See Where Allspice appears.
• Search replacement - makes your site's existing search box open Allspice. Off by default. See Replacing an existing site search bar.
• AI search - turns AI search on or off. On by default.
• AI search name - what readers see AI search called, 1-30 characters. Defaults to “Advanced Search”.
• Articles heading - the heading above non-recipe posts in results, 1-30 characters. Defaults to “Articles”.

Where search appears

Search is a tab in the Allspice widget. Readers can also open it from a navigation link, from your existing search box (with Search replacement), or from a dedicated search page on your site.

Links that use #allspice-search only work on pages where the Allspice script loads and where Page visibility allows Allspice to appear.

Replacing your site search

We recommend making Allspice your site's recipe search. Default WordPress search matches keywords in posts; Allspice searches recipe titles, ingredients, and descriptions, and AI search can handle plain-language requests.

Recommended setup:

• Add Allspice Search to your main navigation.
• Remove or de-emphasize the old site search if it duplicates Allspice.
• Remove other recipe search plugins that overlap with Allspice.
• Use clear link text such as Search Recipes or Find a Recipe.

Add search to WordPress navigation

Add Allspice Search to any WordPress menu with a Custom Link. This works for header menus, mobile menus, and other WordPress-controlled navigation.

Classic WordPress menus

1. In WordPress, go to Appearance → Menus.
2. Select the header, primary, or main navigation menu.
3. Open the Custom Links section.
4. Set the URL to: #allspice-search
5. Set the Link Text to something like: Search Recipes
6. Click Add to Menu.
7. Drag the new item to the desired menu position.
8. Click Save Menu.

Block themes / Site Editor

1. In WordPress, go to Appearance → Editor.
2. Open the template or header that contains the navigation.
3. Select the Navigation block.
4. Add a custom link.
5. Set the URL to: #allspice-search
6. Set the label to: Search Recipes
7. Save the changes.

Clicking the link opens Allspice Search on the current page instead of loading a separate results page.

Replacing an existing site search bar with Allspice Search

Use Search replacement when you want your theme's existing search icon, search bar, or search form to open Allspice. If you only need a new menu item, the Custom Link above is simpler.

Turn it on in the Publisher Portal: Integrate → click the domain → General tab → Allspice search card → Search replacement. When the switch is on, three selector lists appear:

• Input selectors
• Trigger selectors
• Form selectors

Built-in defaults

If you turn Search replacement on and leave all three lists empty, Allspice uses built-in selectors that cover the most common WordPress setups:

• forms: form.searchform, form.search-form, and the core block search form form.wp-block-search
• search toggles from Feast/Genesis (.feastsearchtoggle a), Kadence's search drawer, and common custom-theme search buttons
• the search inputs inside those forms

With the defaults, clicking into one of those search boxes opens Allspice right away (Option 2 below). Try the defaults first, and add your own selectors only if your theme's search isn't picked up. As soon as you add any selector, your lists replace the defaults entirely.

Form selectors

Form selectors are for existing search forms. When a reader types into your normal search bar and submits, Allspice stops the normal search results page from loading and opens Allspice Search with the query filled in.

Example:

<form class="search-form" method="get" action="https://example.com/" role="search">
  <input type="search" name="s">
  <input type="submit" value="Search">
</form>

Common form selectors:

form.search-form
form.searchform
form[role='search']

Input selectors

Input selectors tell Allspice which field holds the reader's query. On WordPress, input[name='s'] is usually the important one.

input[name='s']
input[type='search']
input[type='text']

Trigger selectors

Trigger selectors are for search icons, buttons, links, or fields that should open Allspice Search immediately when clicked, usually without a query.

Example:

<button class="togglesearch">Search</button>

button.togglesearch
.search-toggle
.search-icon
.feastsearchtoggle a

Choosing the right setup

Option 1: Let readers type in the existing search bar first.

Use this when your site has a visible search input and you want: type a query → press Enter → Allspice opens with that query.

Form Selectors:
form.search-form

Input Selectors:
input[name='s']
input[type='search']

Trigger Selectors:
.feastsearchtoggle a

Option 2: Open Allspice as soon as the search bar is clicked.

Use this when you don't want readers typing into the theme's search field at all. Add the search inputs themselves as triggers:

Form Selectors:
form.search-form

Input Selectors:
input[name='s']
input[type='search']

Trigger Selectors:
.feastsearchtoggle a
form.search-form input[name='s']
form.search-form input[type='search']

Examples

Example: Feast / Genesis search

<form class="search-form" method="get" action="https://example.com/" role="search">
  <input class="search-form-input" type="search" name="s">
  <input class="search-form-submit" type="submit" value="Search">
</form>

Recommended settings:

Form Selectors:
form.search-form

Input Selectors:
input[name='s']
input[type='search']

Trigger Selectors:
.feastsearchtoggle a

Example: Custom theme search button

<button class="togglesearch" aria-controls="searchwrap">Search</button>

<form class="searchform" method="get" action="https://example.com">
  <input name="s" type="text">
  <button type="submit">Search</button>
</form>

Recommended settings:

Form Selectors:
form.searchform

Input Selectors:
input[name='s']
input[type='search']
input[type='text']

Trigger Selectors:
button.togglesearch

How to find selectors

Open your site, right-click the search icon, search bar, or search form, and click Inspect. Look for the <form>, <input>, <button>, or <a> element.

Class selectors use a dot. For example, <form class="search-form"> becomes form.search-form, and <button class="togglesearch"> becomes button.togglesearch.

Important notes:

• Search replacement only runs once the Allspice page script has loaded. If Allspice doesn't load, your site's own search keeps working.
• If the page script has loaded but the widget is still loading, Allspice records the search in the page URL's hash and opens Search as soon as the widget is ready.
• If your site uses Slickstream or another search overlay, you may need to turn off that tool's search takeover, or set up Search replacement so Allspice catches the search first.
• In WordPress, Search buttons open can send these searches to a standalone search page instead of the widget.

Pre-filled search links

You can link straight into a search with the query already filled in:

#allspice-search?q=chicken

Examples:

• #allspice-search?q=chicken
• #allspice-search?q=easy+dinner
• #allspice-search?q=healthy+lunch
• #allspice-search?q=gluten-free+dessert

For multi-word searches, use + or %20 between words.

Best practices

• Use clear navigation text like Search Recipes or Find a Recipe.
• Put search in the main header navigation.
• Remove duplicate recipe search plugins once Allspice Search is live.
• Keep recipe titles, ingredients, descriptions, categories, and structured data clean. See Recipe guidelines.
• Check your analytics for what readers search for; it often points to recipes worth writing.

FAQ

Do I need to replace my current site search?

No, but we recommend it. Allspice Search is built for recipes; most default site search tools match keywords in posts.

Can I add Allspice Search to my menu?

Yes. Add a Custom Link in WordPress with the URL #allspice-search.

Can I link to a specific search?

Yes. Use #allspice-search?q=chicken, replacing chicken with any search term.

Why don't I see AI search on my site?

Check that AI search is on in the Allspice search card of your domain's General tab. If it is, your site may not have search pills yet; AI search appears once it does. Standard search keeps working either way.

Can I turn AI search off?

Yes. Switch off AI search in the Allspice search card. Readers then get standard search only.

How often does search update?

Pills are regenerated weekly, and new recipes are added to existing pills as they're imported. Performance statistics used in ranking are refreshed regularly.

Does Allspice Search work on non-recipe pages?

Yes, as long as the Allspice script loads on that page and Page visibility doesn't hide Allspice there.