# Search in Aura and LWR sites

*Experience Cloud Consultant Study Guide · Branding, Personalization, and Content · Last updated October 24, 2026 · https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/experience-cloud-consultant/branding-personalization-and-content/search-in-aura-and-lwr-sites*

What site search returns and how to configure it: site-scoped, sharing-aware results; Global Search Box and Global Search Results tabs on Aura sites; guest autocomplete; header versus hero search; LWR Search Bar and Results Layout with CMS content and CRM object sources and index rebuilds; and why internal global search misses site users.

- Certification: Salesforce Experience Cloud Consultant
- Exam section: Branding, Personalization, and Content
- Study guide: https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/experience-cloud-consultant

**Official exam objective:**

> Explain the capabilities of Search within an Experience.

## What the exam expects

- Explain what site search returns: results from the current site only, limited to what is shared with the member in the site context.
- Add an object, including an external object, as a result tab in an Aura site's Global Search Results component.
- Turn on autocomplete suggestions for guest users, and remove a duplicate search box when a prebuilt theme's hero has search.
- Set up LWR search with the Search Bar and Results Layout components, choose CMS Content or CRM Object as the source, and rebuild the index after publishing content.
- Explain why search configuration never limits guest record access, and why internal global search misses some site users.

Key terms: **Global Search Results** (the Aura component on the Search page that sets which objects appear as result tabs); **autocomplete** (suggestions shown while typing, which guests get only for object types marked Publicly available); **Results Layout** (the LWR component that shows results on a standard Search page); **results source** (CMS Content or CRM Object for Results Layout); **network ID** (the unique ID each site has, assigned to users created from a contact).

## Key facts

| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Site scope | Results come only from the current site | [Configure Search Functionality](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.exp_cloud_build_configure_searches.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Sharing | Members see data explicitly shared with them in the site context | [Configure Search Functionality](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.exp_cloud_build_configure_searches.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Aura result tabs | Global Search Results on the Search page, Add an item per object | [Enable the Object](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=ai.search_experience_enable_obj.htm&type=5) |
| External objects | Can be a result tab; autocomplete isn't supported | [Enable the Object](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=ai.search_experience_enable_obj.htm&type=5) |
| Guest autocomplete | Autocomplete section, object, Publicly available | [Guest Autocomplete](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.networks_search_autocomplete_guest.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Guest record access | Not limited to the objects configured in search components | [Search Best Practices for Guest Users](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=networks_lightning_search_best_practices.htm&type=0) |
| Hero search | Deselect header search to avoid two boxes | [Theme Guidance: Search Component](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=experience.community_builder_theme-g-search.htm&type=5) |
| LWR results | Results Layout only on a standard Search page | [Allow Users to Search LWR Sites](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=experience.exp_cloud_build_configure_lwr_searches.htm&type=5) |
| Index | Rebuild Index in Settings, Search after publishing fresh content | [CMS Content Search](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.networks_search_site.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| LWR CRM search | Search Manager query configuration, LWR Experience Sites | [Customize Search in Experience Cloud Sites](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=ai.search_configure_lwr.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Site users in global search | Network ID of the site keeps them out of internal results | [Search Best Practices for Guest Users](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=networks_lightning_search_best_practices.htm&type=0) |

## Check yourself

- Why doesn't hiding objects from Global Search Results protect them from guests?
- When must a site manager click Rebuild Index on an LWR site?
- Why can't an internal admin find a site user created from a contact with global search?
- Which page must exist before Results Layout can show results?
- What should you change when a prebuilt theme shows search in both the hero and the header?

## Sources

- [Configure Search Functionality in Experience Cloud Sites](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.exp_cloud_build_configure_searches.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Experience Builder Sites Search Best Practices and Considerations for Guest Users](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=networks_lightning_search_best_practices.htm&type=0)
- [Set Up Search Pages for Aura Sites](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.exp_cloud_build_configure_aura_searches.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Enable the Object in Experience Cloud Sites](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=ai.search_experience_enable_obj.htm&type=5)
- [Enable Search Autocomplete for Guest Users](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.networks_search_autocomplete_guest.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Theme Guidance: Search Component](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=experience.community_builder_theme-g-search.htm&type=5)
- [Allow Users to Search LWR Sites](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=experience.exp_cloud_build_configure_lwr_searches.htm&type=5)
- [Set Up CMS Content Search in an LWR Site](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.networks_search_site.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Set Up CRM Object Search in LWR Sites](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.exp_cloud_build_lwr_crm_search.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Customize Search in Experience Cloud Sites](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=ai.search_configure_lwr.htm&language=en_US&type=5)

## About the full unit

The "Core concepts", "Exam traps" and "Worked scenario" sections of this unit, its 9 linked practice questions, and unlimited timed mock exams are included with the Experience Cloud Consultant pack (USD $19): https://www.certifyforce.com/practice-exams