> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://documentation.ajaxsearchpro.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://documentation.ajaxsearchpro.com/result-priority-settings.md). # Result priority settings ### What are Priorities? **Priorities** let you **boost specific content higher in your search results**. Normally results are ordered by relevance; with a priority you can say "products in the *Featured* category should always rank near the top", or "these three pages should outrank everything else for the phrase *pricing*". Priorities are organised into **Priority Groups**. Each group has a **score**, optional **conditions** (which search instance or search phrase it applies to), and a set of **rules** that select *which content* gets the boost — by individual post, by taxonomy term, or by custom field value. {% hint style="info" %} **Coming from an older version?** Individual post priorities and priority groups used to be two separate things. They're now unified: a single **Priority Groups** system, where boosting a specific post is just a group with a **Post** rule. {% endhint %} You'll find it under **Ajax Search Pro → Priorities** in the WordPress admin menu, which has two panels: * **Priority Groups** — create and manage the rules that boost content. * **Effective Priorities** — preview which content actually gets boosted for a given search.
#### How the score works Each group has a **priority score from 1 to 5000** — **higher ranks first**. When a search runs, every group whose conditions and rules match the content contributes its score; a post's **effective priority** is the score of the matching group, and posts with higher effective priority are pushed up the results. Use small numbers for gentle nudges and large numbers for content that must dominate. *** ### Priority Groups The **Priority Groups** panel lists all your groups in a table: | Column | Meaning | | ------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------- | | **(toggle)** | Enable/disable the group without deleting it. | | **Name** | The group's label. | | **Priority** | Its score (1–5000). | | **Instance** | Which search instance it applies to ("All" or a specific one). | | **Blog** | (Multisite only) which site it applies to. | | **Phrase** | The phrase condition, if any (logic + the phrase). | | **Rules** | How many content-selection rules the group has. | | **Actions** | Edit or delete the group. | Use **+ Add Group** to create one, the row toggle to enable/disable, **Edit**/**Delete** per row, and **Remove All** to wipe every group (with confirmation).
#### Creating or editing a group Clicking **Add Group** (or **Edit**) opens the group editor: * **Name** — a label for your reference. * **Priority** — the score from **1 to 5000** (higher = ranked first). * **Enabled** — whether the group is active. * **Apply to instance** — *All instances*, or restrict the boost to one specific search instance. * **Apply to blog** *(multisite only)* — *All blogs*, or restrict the boost to one site in the network. * **Rule logic** — how multiple rules combine: **AND** (content must match *every* rule) or **OR** (content matching *any* rule is boosted). * **Phrase logic** — restrict the boost to certain search phrases: * **Disabled** — applies to every search (no phrase condition). * **Any** — applies when the phrase appears anywhere in the query. * **Exact** — applies only when the query exactly matches the phrase. * **Start** / **End** — applies when the query starts or ends with the phrase. When phrase logic is anything other than *Disabled*, a **phrase** field appears to type the phrase to match. * **Rules** — one or more content-selection rules (see below). Use **+ Add Rule** to add them. Click **Save Group** to store it.
#### Rule types Each rule selects content using one of three field types. Switch the **Field type** to change which selector is shown. **Taxonomy** Boost content assigned to specific taxonomy terms. * **Taxonomy** — pick the taxonomy (categories, tags, or any custom taxonomy). * **Operator** — **IN** (content *in* the selected terms) or **NOT IN** (content *not* in them). * **Terms** — select one or more terms from the chosen taxonomy. {% hint style="info" %} *Example: boost everything in the "Featured" product category — Taxonomy = Product categories, Operator = IN, Terms = Featured.* {% endhint %} **Custom Field** Boost content whose custom field (meta) value matches a condition. * **Meta key** — search for, or type, the meta key (post meta keys and ACF fields are listed). * **Operator** — **IN**, **NOT IN**, or **LIKE** (partial match). * **Value** — the value to compare against. {% hint style="info" %} *Example: boost posts where `featured` equals `yes` — Meta key = featured, Operator = IN, Value = yes.* {% endhint %} **Post** Boost specific posts you pick by hand. * **Operator** — **IN** (boost these posts) or **NOT IN** (boost everything except these). * **Search posts** — type to search, then click results to add them. Selected posts appear as removable chips. {% hint style="info" %} *Example: boost three specific landing pages — Operator = IN, then search and add each page.* {% endhint %}
*** ### Effective Priorities The **Effective Priorities** panel is a **preview/simulation tool**. It shows which posts are actually boosted (and which attribute-based groups match) for a given search context, so you can confirm your groups work as intended before relying on them. Set the filters to simulate a real search, then click **Load**: * **Instance** — simulate for all instances or a specific one. * **Phrase** — the search phrase to test (so phrase-logic conditions are evaluated). * **Post type** — limit the preview to a post type (e.g. `post`, `page`, `product`). * **Title contains** — narrow to posts whose title matches. * **Limit** — how many posts to return (1–1000). The results show two tables: * **Posts** — each matched post with its **Title**, **Post Type**, **Effective Priority** (the score it will be boosted by), and the **Source Group** that produced it. * **Attribute Groups** — groups that match by attribute (taxonomy/custom-field rules) rather than by specific post ID, with their name, priority and rule count. These apply dynamically to any content matching their rules.
*** ### Tips & notes * **Higher score wins.** If several groups could boost the same post, the score determines its final ranking, plan your numbers so the most important content has the highest score. * **Use phrase logic for query-specific boosts.** Leave it *Disabled* for an always-on boost; set it to *Exact*/*Any*/*Start*/*End* to only boost for particular searches. * **AND vs OR matters.** With several rules in one group, **AND** narrows the match (all rules must hold) while **OR** widens it (any rule is enough). * **Verify with Effective Priorities.** After setting up groups, simulate the search on the Effective Priorities panel to confirm the right content is boosted. * **Disable instead of delete** while testing — the per-row toggle lets you turn a group off without losing its configuration. * **For an automated review**, the [Search AI](https://documentation.ajaxsearchpro.com/search-ai) *Priorities Advisor* scans your groups for problems (orphaned terms/posts, empty rules, misconfigured phrase logic, missing names) and suggests improvements. --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://documentation.ajaxsearchpro.com/result-priority-settings.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.