Two Essentials to Kick Off Your Proect
Welcome to Searchspring! To begin your implementation and stay on track, there are two key requirements we need from you:
✅ 1. Finalized Design
Your site’s product listing or search results page must be fully coded on one of the following:
-
Your live site
-
A preview theme
-
A staging environment
This means all features and UI elements that Searchspring will match—like sorting, filters, badges, and layout—must already be implemented.
Why this matters:
We don’t design or build your pages—our team replicates your existing layout and logic. Any design changes made after kickoff will cause delays and may result in additional charges.
🛑 No mockups or wireframes.
✅ Only final, functional pages we can reference.
More on what finalized design means →
🔗 2. Data Connection
To power Searchspring, we need access to your product catalog. This can be done via one of two methods:
Option A: Use Our Platform Connector
We offer integrations with:
- Shopify
- BigCommerce
- Magento 2
- Miva
- Shopware
- NetSuite
- Shift4Shop (3dcart)
- Volusion
Not all platforms are made equal. Some platforms (like Shopify & BigCommerce) require little to no lift on your end. While other platforms, like Magento 2 require you to install our connector. There is more about our connectors here.
Option B: Provide a Product Data Feed
If you prefer a custom setup, we accept feeds over FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS with basic auth or IP whitelisting if needed.
Requirements:
- At least 30–40 real or representative products
- Feed should reflect the final store catalog structure
- Feeds must be refreshed regularly (no caching)
⚠ Common Challenges (and How to Avoid Them)
Knowing what can hold things up helps us keep your project moving! Here are a few common issues to watch for:
Catalog data not yet available
- Examples: agency still building, re-platforming to a new e-commerce platform, no historical data for recommendations, etc.)
Missing access or credentials
- Especially for connectors. We need the right permissions in order to complete the data set up. Please know that ALL access we are requesting is necessary.
Magento 2 missing required extension
- This must be installed before we can connect data. This will also need to be connected on both staging (for testing) and production (when ready to go live)
Custom data feeds missing critical info
- like product IDs, categories, pricing, etc.
Google Shopping feeds
- These are not compatible with Searchspring
Manual or emailed feed files
- Feeds must be hosted and regularly updated—attachments won’t work. See more here.
Large catalogs or wide data records
- Can impact performance and indexing speed
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