How to Build a Search Feature in Laravel

A search feature is almost always needed — to search for articles, products, or users. In Laravel, building one is fairly simple with Eloquent. This article guides you through creating a clean search, including across multiple columns at once.

Step 1: The Search Form

Create a simple form with the GET method so the keyword appears in the URL (great for sharing & SEO):

<form action="/articles" method="GET">
    <input type="text" name="q" value="{{ request('q') }}" placeholder="Search...">
    <button type="submit">Search</button>
</form>

Step 2: The Search Query in the Controller

public function index(Request $request)
{
    $query = Post::query();

    if ($request->filled('q')) {
        $keyword = $request->q;
        $query->where('title', 'like', "%{$keyword}%")
              ->orWhere('content', 'like', "%{$keyword}%");
    }

    $posts = $query->latest()->paginate(10);

    return view('posts.index', compact('posts'));
}

Step 3: Searching Across Multiple Columns Safely

When combining the search with other filters, wrap the orWhere conditions in a group so the logic doesn't leak:

$query->where(function ($q) use ($keyword) {
    $q->where('title', 'like', "%{$keyword}%")
      ->orWhere('content', 'like', "%{$keyword}%");
});

Without the function wrapper, the orWhere conditions could cancel out your status/category filters.

Step 4: Preserve the Keyword During Pagination

So the keyword isn't lost when moving between pages, add the query string to the pagination links:

{{ $posts->withQueryString()->links() }}

Step 5: Displaying the Results

@forelse ($posts as $post)
    <h3>{{ $post->title }}</h3>
@empty
    <p>No results for "{{ request('q') }}".</p>
@endforelse

Performance Tips

• For large tables, LIKE %word% can be slow because it doesn't use an index. Consider a MySQL fulltext index for text search.
• For large-scale search, use Laravel Scout with a driver such as Meilisearch or Algolia.

Conclusion

Building a search feature in Laravel just takes where('column', 'like', "%word%"), wrapped in a condition group when combined with other filters, and withQueryString() so the keyword persists during pagination. For very large data, upgrade to a fulltext index or Laravel Scout. To understand relationship queries, see our Eloquent Relationship guide.