Introducing OneSearch: Cross-Site, Brand-Aware Search for Multi-Brand WordPress Networks

OneSearch is a WordPress plugin that enables federated search across multi-brand WordPress networks. It’s part of the OnePress ecosystem, our framework for organizations managing multiple WordPress sites with shared governance but local autonomy. Here is the GitHub repo.

With OneSearch, users can execute a single search query and retrieve relevant content from multiple connected sites, whether those are brand sites, regional sites, or multilingual variants. Results are brand-aware, meaning users see where each result originates and get redirected to the appropriate site. The plugin is powered by Algolia, giving you fast, scalable search without the infrastructure headaches.

Whether you’re managing a global brand with dozens of regional properties or running multiple digital publications under the same umbrella, OneSearch ensures your users can discover content across your entire network, without needing to know which site hosts what.

How It Works

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OneSearch uses a governing site and brand site architecture. The governing site acts as your central control point, managing the network configuration, Algolia credentials, and search scope settings. Brand sites connect to the governing site via API keys and contribute their indexed content to the shared search layer.

1. Configure Indexing

From the governing site, select which post types to index on each brand site. This includes built-in posts and pages, plus any custom post types your sites use.

2. Define Search Scope

Control which sites can search across which other sites. You might want your corporate site to search all brand sites, while individual brand sites only search themselves and a shared resource hub.

3. Automatic Sync

When content is published, updated, or deleted on any brand site, OneSearch automatically syncs those changes with the Algolia index. No manual re-indexing required.

4. Smart Ranking

Search results are ranked by Algolia’s relevance algorithm, with a boost for results from the site where the search originates. Local content surfaces first, with network-wide results following.

Why We Built It

In enterprise environments, we consistently see organizations managing multiple brands, regions, or business units, each with its own WordPress site. 

The challenge? Content gets siloed. A user searching on Brand A’s site has no visibility into relevant content on Brand B’s site, even when the same organization owns both.

This creates real problems. Users miss valuable content because they’re searching in the wrong place. Marketing teams duplicate efforts because they can’t easily surface existing assets. And the organization loses opportunities for cross-brand discovery that could drive engagement and conversions.

We’ve seen this pattern repeatedly across our enterprise CMS migrations. Organizations moving from platforms like Drupal, AEM, and Sitecore to WordPress, often bring multiple brand sites along. Once the migration is done, they’re left with a collection of WordPress sites that don’t talk to each other. Search is one of the first places where this fragmentation becomes painful.

OneSearch solves this by creating a unified search layer that respects brand boundaries while enabling cross-site discovery. Users get the content they need, regardless of which site hosts it. And organizations get the governance and control they require.

Who Benefits

Developers

OneSearch provides a clean architecture with configurable indexing at the post-type level. You register what’s searchable, and the plugin handles the rest: indexing, syncing, and querying.

Marketing teams

Federated search means campaigns and content reach their full potential. That whitepaper on Brand B’s site? Now discoverable by users searching on Brand A. That product comparison guide buried in your knowledge base? Now surfaced when customers search on your main corporate site.

Global brands

OneSearch enables centralized governance with regional flexibility. Define which sites participate in the search network, control indexing scope, and maintain brand awareness in results. All from a single governing site.

Technical Details

OneSearch requires WordPress 6.8 or higher and PHP 8.0 or higher. It integrates with Algolia for search infrastructure. As you bring your own API keys, your indexed data stays under your control. The plugin supports both traditional WordPress Multisite installations and orchestrated standalone sites.

The architecture is designed for extensibility. Register custom post types for indexing, add custom metadata to search results, and customize ranking behavior through Algolia’s dashboard. The lightweight REST architecture keeps things performant, with cache-friendly responses that scale.

Next Steps

We’ll continue expanding OneSearch’s capabilities. The code is open-source and available on GitHub. We’d welcome your feedback, contributions, and ideas.

We’re committed to making WordPress the go-to platform for organizations with ambitious multi-site needs. OneSearch is another step toward the OnePress vision, where multiple WordPress sites work together as a cohesive platform, not a scattered collection of individual builds. You can look forward to more releases in this space.

To learn more, get in touch with us.