Smart Search AI Architecture

Smart Search AI is a managed search platform for WordPress, headless websites, and custom applications. The Smart Search AI plugin connects WordPress sites to the service, whether they are hosted on WP Engine or another hosting platform. Developers can also use the GraphQL API directly to build custom indexing and search integrations.

This page explains how the primary components of Smart Search AI work together so you can choose the appropriate integration approach.

Architecture overview

• Smart Search AI back end - A cloud-based service that handles all search requests and responses via its GraphQL API. It indexes content, processes queries, and returns relevant results.
• Elasticsearch - The underlying search engine. Elasticsearch provides scalable, reliable, real-time search and analytics capabilities.
• Vertex AI API - Provides multimodal search capabilities. Smart Search AI uses the Vertex AI API to process different content types — including text, images, and other media — so that natural language queries return results across content types.
• WordPress plugin - Integrates Smart Search AI into WordPress. Administrators can configure search settings, customize results, and connect the plugin to their WordPress site. The plugin communicates with the Smart Search AI back end via the GraphQL API.

WordPress plugin

The Smart Search AI plugin provides the following capabilities for WordPress sites:

1. Content indexing - The plugin automatically indexes content from your WordPress site, including posts, pages, and custom post types; including content from Advanced Custom Fields (ACF), WooCommerce, and other compatible plugins, keeping content searchable and up-to-date in the Smart Search AI back end.

2. Admin controls - The plugin provides an admin interface for configuring search settings, customizing results, and managing indexing on your WordPress site.

3. Front-end blocks - The plugin ships Gutenberg blocks that can be added to any page or post. Faceted blocks add filterable search interfaces with faceted navigation. Recommendation blocks surface related content independently of search.

4. API integration - The plugin replaces WordPress’s default SQL-based search by hooking into native WordPress actions and filters (such as pre_get_posts and posts_search). This redirects all standard search queries — including those from WP_Query, the REST API (/wp/v2/search), and theme search forms — to the Smart Search AI back end. Smart Search AI functionality is also available via WPGraphQL and the REST API for headless and custom integrations.

5. Recommendations analytics - The Smart Search AI back end collects and analyzes anonymized user interactions via an opt-in tracking script to surface recommendations based on trending content. Data collection is disabled by default.

Beyond the plugin (custom integrations)

The WordPress plugin runs entirely on the Smart Search AI GraphQL API. You can use the API directly to build search experiences on any platform, framework, or data source — not just WordPress.

1. Third-party data - Index and search content from third-party systems, such as external databases, content management systems, or other data sources, alongside or independently of WordPress content.
2. Headless WordPress - If you are using WordPress as a headless CMS, build custom search interfaces in your front-end application while maintaining full control over the user experience.
3. Custom applications - Build custom search interfaces on any platform or framework, including mobile, web, and desktop applications.

Getting Started with Smart Search APIAuthenticate and make your first request to the Smart Search AI GraphQL API.