SITE SEARCH For local governments
Site search that reads inside your PDFs.
Site Search gives residents one search box that finds pages, documents, meetings and notices together, including the text inside PDFs. Results are grouped by type, and common searches like "trash pickup" or "pay taxes" can point straight to the right page, so residents don't need to know which department a topic belongs to.
- Every tool included
- WCAG 2.1 AA
- Works with BS&A
Why can't residents find things with search?
Most website search only reads page titles. The answer is often inside a PDF, a meeting packet or a notice, which basic search never looks at.
What residents run into
- Residents search for "brush pickup" and get nothing, because the schedule is a PDF.
- Results mix agendas from 2014 with this week's notices, in no clear order.
- People give up and call, or search the whole internet and land on an old copy.
What your staff deal with
- Your staff answer questions the website already answers.
- Departments ask for more links on the home page because search doesn't work.
- There's no way to point a common search at the right page.
How does search find what residents need?
One search box covers everything on the website, with help for the searches people make most.
Everything gets indexed
Pages, documents, meetings and notices are all searchable, including the text inside PDFs.
Results are grouped by type
Residents see pages, documents, meetings and notices in separate groups, so a notice isn't lost among agendas.
Common searches get a shortcut
Your staff set suggested pages for the searches residents make most, so "pay water bill" goes straight to the Pay page.
What's included in Site Search?
Residents type what they want. They shouldn't have to guess which department page it lives on.
Searches inside PDFs
Text inside PDFs and other documents is searchable, so a word in the middle of a budget, an ordinance or a meeting packet still turns up.
Results grouped by type
Pages, documents, meetings and notices appear in their own groups, which makes it easy to tell this week's notice from a decade-old agenda.
Suggested pages for common searches
Your staff pick the best page for searches residents make most often, and that page shows first. It's a quick fix for the questions your office hears every day.
Built accessible
Search results everyone can scan
Search is how many people get around a website, including people who find menus hard to use. The search box and results are built to meet WCAG 2.1 AA, the standard in the ADA Title II rule, with a labeled field, results announced to screen readers and headings for each group. More on how we build on the accessibility page.
Questions about Site Search.
Short answers, linked to the law where it applies. Ask us anything else on a demo.
Can site search find text inside scanned PDFs?
Only when the PDF has real text. A scanned page with no text layer is just an image, so there's nothing for search or a screen reader to read (W3C PDF7 (opens in a new tab)). Document Center flags those files at upload, so your staff know which ones need text added.
How do we make common searches go to the right page?
Set a suggested page for the searches residents make most, like "trash pickup," "pay water bill" or "building permit." That page shows at the top of the results. Your front counter knows the questions residents ask most, which makes a good starting list.
Does search include meeting agendas and minutes?
Yes. Meetings posted in Agendas & Minutes are part of search, and results group them separately from pages, documents and notices. A resident looking for the vote on a rezoning can find the meeting without knowing which board took it up.
Is better search a replacement for good navigation?
No. Many people browse the menu first, and search helps when they can't find what they want there. Both matter. Our post on common website mistakes covers organizing a website around what residents came to do.
Want residents to find the brush pickup schedule themselves?
On a demo we'll search a sample website, find text inside a PDF and set up a suggested page.