A Comprehensive Guide to PrestaShop Faceted Search in 2024

If you're running a bustling PrestaShop online store with an extensive product catalog, ensuring your customers can effortlessly find what they're looking for is paramount. Faceted search, a powerful tool, enhances the user experience and can significantly boost your conversion rates. 

In this updated tutorial, we'll guide you through configuring the PrestaShop faceted search module on PrestaShop version 1.7, with a nod to the compatibility and optimizations introduced in PrestaShop 8 (introduced in December 2022).

For PrestaShop older versions (1.4, 1.5, and 1.6) the module is named “Layered navigation block”. Its configuration page is similar to the faceted search module, so if you’re using these older versions, this tutorial is still helpful.

Understanding PrestaShop Faceted Search

The faceted search module is a default feature in PrestaShop, presenting a block with layered navigation filters on the product category page. This ingenious tool empowers customers to define precise criteria to filter category products, providing more nuanced details to narrow down displayed products. This is particularly useful for customers who have specific requirements but are uncertain about how to navigate your product catalog.

Configuring the Faceted Search Module

Step 1: Access the module from back office

• In your PrestaShop back office go to Modules -> Module Manager section
• Choose Modules tab and find “Faceted Search” module
• If the module is not installed, you should install it. After installing the module, click the "Configure" button.

Step 2: Indexes and caches

To work appropriately, Faceted Search must stay up-to-date with your latest products, product attributes, and all product prices. That’s why it is required to re-index the data.

• Index all missing prices: only add to the index the prices that were not indexed before.
• Rebuild the entire price index: add to the index all the prices, whether they were already indexed before or not.
• Build attribute index: add to the index all the product attributes.

You can set up a cronjob on your server to automatically re-index your data.

Let’s take a big note here: You have to update your indexes every time your products’ data changes.

Step 3: Filter templates

You can use the default filter template or add a new one. To create a new filter template, select “Add new template”:

• Set the new filter title into the Template name field
• Choose the categories and pages for which the filter will appear

• You may enable/disable the suitable filters in the Filters section. The faceted search menu will add them to your filter template. Each filter has its respective options. You can select the appropriate style for each filter (Checkbox, Radio button, or Drop-down list) or set the limit value of items.
• When you’re ready, click the Save button.

Step 4: Configuration settings

You can set the additional module settings in the Configuration section.

• Show the number of matching products: you can select to hide filter values when no product is matching or show their number.
• Show products from subcategories: show or hide the products from subcategories.
• Category filter depth: define the category filter depth (0 for no limits, 1 by default).
• Use tax to filter price: enable or disable the tax to the filter price.
• Use rounding to filter price: enable or disable rounding to filter price option.

Congratulations! You've successfully configured your PrestaShop faceted search module. Head to your front office to explore the refined navigation filters and provide your customers with a seamless shopping experience.

PrestaShop 8 Compatibility

While the core functionality of the faceted search module remains similar in PrestaShop 8, it boasts some exciting improvements:

• Enhanced filter performance: PrestaShop 8 optimizes database queries and caching, making filter selection and product display speedier than ever.
• Simplified configuration: Configuration options are streamlined and more user-friendly, making it easier to customize your faceted search experience.

However, keep in mind that some custom modules or themes built for PrestaShop 1.7 might require compatibility updates to function optimally in PrestaShop 8.

Performance and Optimization

For large product catalogs, ensuring smooth faceted search performance is crucial:

• Cache, cache, cache: Leverage the built-in cache mechanism to significantly reduce database workload and improve filter response times.
• Pre-index wisely: Schedule regular pre-indexing tasks to keep filter data up-to-date without impacting website performance during peak hours.
• Filter with precision: Disable unnecessary filters for specific categories or limit the displayed filter values to prevent unnecessary data processing.
• Monitor and analyze: Use PrestaShop's performance tools to identify potential bottlenecks and refine your faceted search configuration for peak efficiency.

Remember, a well-optimized faceted search experience not only boosts customer satisfaction but also improves search engine ranking and conversions.

Ready to elevate your PrestaShop store? Start optimizing with faceted search today!