AI search bar for WordPress
SleekAI adds an AI chatbot for AI Search Bar to your WordPress site. It answers from the content you choose, such as posts, pages, custom post types, post meta, taxonomies and user data, with your own OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or OpenRouter key.
Search bars are stuck in 2008
Keyword matching against post titles is not search anymore. Modern visitors type a full sentence, expect an answer, and bounce when they get a list of links sorted by date.
The interesting part is the grounding: pick the post types, taxonomies, and meta keys that flow into the prompt, scope by display condition, and the bar behaves like Algolia for sites that don’t want to rebuild their search infrastructure on a third-party stack. BYO API key keeps the cost predictable – you pay your provider directly, not per query at SaaS markup.
Features
Answers from your data
Map post titles, content, post meta, taxonomies or a WP_Query into the instruction, and the bot answers from what your site actually publishes.
Your model, your key
Use OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, OpenRouter or a compatible endpoint with your own API key. The provider bills you directly.
Shown where it fits
Display conditions scope each chatbot by post type, taxonomy term, post template, user role or logged-in state.
Where AI search bars shine
Documentation portals
Replace Algolia with a self-hosted bar that grounds answers in your real docs, with no recurring per-query bill and no separate index to maintain on launch day.
Magazine sites
Help readers find the article they half-remember from last year’s archive – the AI search reasons about topic and timing, not just keyword overlap with the title.
Knowledge bases
Surface answers from internal wikis without rebuilding the search infrastructure – any registered post type and ACF field becomes searchable in plain language.
Drop in, ground, ship
Map your data
Choose the posts, fields, taxonomies or users the bot should know and reference them in the instruction.
Pick the grounding scope
Choose post types, taxonomies, and meta keys that flow into the prompt. ACF, Meta Box, and Pods all work because they live in postmeta. Skip the keys you don’t need – token cost adds up at scale.
Tune the system prompt
Tell the bot to answer in one short paragraph plus a deep link, to decline if grounding is missing, and to never invent product names or article titles. The prompt is the search ranking algorithm.
Set display conditions
Decide which pages, post types, roles or logged-in states show the chatbot.
Why DIY beats hosted search for most WordPress sites
Algolia changed search expectations and then changed the bill that comes with meeting them. For a WordPress site doing real volume, hosted search has become a recurring cost that doesn’t actually correlate with the value delivered, especially as the model providers get better at the ranking that Algolia used to win on.
Self-hosting an AI search bar via SleekAI flips the economics: one license, one API key, one set of grounding rules, and the cost scales with usage at the model provider’s rate rather than at SaaS markup.
The other thing DIY gets right is the grounding. SleekAI reads the database live, so the post you publish at 9am is searchable at 9am – no separate sync, no stale results during the indexing window.
For documentation portals, magazine archives, and knowledge bases, that latency difference shows up most when traffic spikes around launches or campaigns. The cost angle alone usually makes the case; the grounding freshness is the bonus that closes it.
Frequently asked questions
Is it a chat or a search bar?
Both. Visitors can ask one question and get a direct answer with a deep link, or open a back-and-forth conversation if they want to drill in.
Does it replace Algolia?
For most WordPress sites, yes – and at a fraction of the cost since you only pay your model provider rather than per-query SaaS pricing. Algolia still wins for very specific use cases like real-time facet filtering on millions of records, but for documentation, blogs, and most catalogs the AI search bar gives a better experience at lower cost.
Can I scope it to a specific section?
Yes. Display conditions plus a custom WP_Query limit it to the docs, the blog, or any subset. You can also run multiple search bars on the same install via Multibot – one scoped to the docs, one to the shop, each with its own prompt and grounding. Different sections get different experiences without separate plugins.
How does it handle ambiguous or short queries?
The system prompt is where you set the policy. The behaviour is tunable, and the logs show whether the policy is working.
Can the bot summarise long articles in the result?
Yes, when configured. The system prompt can include a directive to summarise when the matched article is over a certain length, with the deep link still attached. That’s useful for documentation portals where the canonical answer is buried halfway through a 4,000-word reference doc; the summary becomes the elevator pitch and the link delivers the full context.
Which AI providers does it support?
OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and OpenRouter, plus custom OpenAI-compatible endpoints. You bring your own API key and the provider bills you directly.
Where does the chatbot get its answers?
From the WordPress data you map into its instruction: post titles and content, post meta, ACF and Meta Box fields, taxonomies, terms, users and user meta, or a WP_Query. Values resolve on every request.
Can it act on a visitor’s behalf?
No. A chatbot answers questions. It does not submit forms, create bookings, open tickets or send email; put the links for those steps in its instruction so it can point visitors to them.
Pricing
Explore our flexible licensing options tailored to your needs. Upgrade your license anytime to access more features, or opt for a lifetime license for ongoing value, including lifetime updates and lifetime support. Our hassle-free upgrade process ensures that our platform can grow with you, starting from whichever plan you choose.
…or get the Bundle Deal
and save €250
The Bundle (unlimited sites)
Pay once, own it forever
Elevate your WordPress site with our exclusive plugin bundle that includes all of our premium plugins in one package. Enjoy lifetime updates and lifetime support. Save significantly compared to buying plugins individually.
What’s included
SleekAI
SleekByte
SleekMotion
SleekPixel
SleekView
SleekRank
SleekTrack