How to Change a WordPress Site's Search URL Slug

What is a search slug?

A slug is a word that shows in a web address. The search slug is the word before what a visitor searched for. By default WordPress uses ?s=. A nicer slug can look cleaner. Some people like to hide it from simple bots, too.

Before you start

You will edit a theme file. A wrong edit can break your site. Take a backup first. Use a child theme if you have one. A child theme is a safe copy of your theme that keeps your changes when the main theme updates.

Steps

1. Log in to DirectAdmin.
2. Open File Manager.

   

3. Go to domains, your domain, then public_html.
4. Open the folder wp-content, then themes, then your theme (or child theme) folder.
5. Open the file functions.php with the Edit button.

   

6. Scroll to the very end of the file. Do not put the code in the middle of other code.
7. Paste this code:

function hv_search_redirect() {
    if ( is_search() && ! empty( $_GET['s'] ) ) {
        wp_redirect( home_url( '/find/' ) . urlencode( get_query_var( 's' ) ) );
        exit;
    }
}
add_action( 'template_redirect', 'hv_search_redirect' );

function hv_search_rewrite() {
    add_rewrite_rule( '^find/(.+)/?$', 'index.php?s=$matches[1]', 'top' );
}
add_action( 'init', 'hv_search_rewrite' );

The first part sends visitors to the new address. The second part tells WordPress how to read that address. You can replace find with your own word.

8. Click Save.
9. Log in to the WordPress dashboard.
10. Go to Settings, then Permalinks, and click Save Changes. This refreshes the rules.

    

11. Try a search on your site.

If something goes wrong

If you see a white screen, undo the edit. Open functions.php again and delete the code you pasted. Then save. Or restore your backup.

Quick recap

• The search slug is the part of the address before the search word.

  

• Edit functions.php in File Manager and add the code at the end.
• Save the Permalinks page in WordPress.
• Take a backup before editing.
• Remove the code if the site breaks.