Search Forms, Every Layout Explained
Start with the full Search Form, the one most sites run on. Then see the smaller options: location-only, vertical for narrow spaces, and the AI form. All on the same search engine.
On this page
In short
- One search engine, four ways to place it on a page.
- The location input forgives typos and odd formats.
- All forms inherit your Global Styles.
- Switch layouts anytime, no re-embedding.
The Search Form, the one most sites use
This is our flagship widget and the natural starting point. Location plus the fields buyers expect, price, beds and baths, property type, in a bar that sits across the top of a hero section. Visitors recognize it immediately, because it behaves like the search on the big portals. You can try every layout live on our demo site.
What makes it work
- The location input forgives real people: typos, pasted addresses with commas, word order changes, half-finished queries.
- Autocomplete covers cities, counties, zip codes and addresses, limited to your own city and postal code lists.
- Bedrooms and bathrooms sit in one combined filter with quick-select buttons, the pattern people already know.
- The price range takes dropdowns or typed input, with smart placeholders like $800K to $1.1M.
- You decide which fields appear and in what order, with a live visual preview.
Here is the classic layout running live. Type a city, open the filters and see how it behaves.
The richer variant, with More
The same form, plus a More dropdown for everything beyond the basics: square footage, lot size, year built, virtual tours, open houses and other MLS fields. The bar stays calm at first glance and opens up for visitors who search in detail.
This one below is not a screenshot. It is the live widget, so type a city or play with the filters.
When you want something smaller
A full bar does not fit everywhere, and sometimes fewer fields simply convert better. Three alternatives run on exactly the same search engine, so nothing is lost in quality.
Simple Search Form, location only
One field, and a popular choice for good reason. Most visitors start with a place, not with filters. They type an address, zip code, city or county and land straight in the results, where they can refine everything anyway. It fits a hero section, a landing page or a spot next to other content.
The live version is right below. One field, and it still forgives a typo.
Vertical Search Form, for narrow spaces
All the fields of the full form, stacked vertically. Made for a sidebar, a narrow column, or a homepage split into text on one side and search on the other. Nothing is dropped, only rearranged.
This one is live too, at the width it would have in a sidebar.
AI Search Form, for typing in plain words
Visitors write the way they speak, even with typos, like "San Diago 2 bedroom under 500k", and the form turns it into a real search. Most sites use it as an extra next to their main form. How it works and where to place it is covered in AI Search Form, How It Works.
Quick reference
| Layout | Best for | Width |
|---|---|---|
| Search Form | Hero sections, top of the page | 100% |
| Simple Search Form | Landing pages, minimal designs | Flexible |
| Vertical Search Form | Sidebars and narrow columns | Up to 360px |
| AI Search Form | A modern extra next to your main search | Flexible |
Adjust the fields and the look
Every form opens in the Live Editor, where you drag and reorder fields, remove what you don't need and fine-tune the look, with colors and fonts coming from your Global Styles. The whole editing side is covered in Adjust Search Form Fields and Appearance.
Where the forms work
The forms work on every website platform, and we have a ready guide for each of the popular ones: WordPress, Elementor, Gutenberg, Wix, Squarespace and Webflow. Any other platform is covered by Find and Paste Your IDX Embed Codes.
- Mobile-ready layouts for phones and tablets.
- All major browsers, including Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge.
- Optimized for fast loading, so search feels native.
Common questions
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