Why is my search feature running slow???

[tworedballs]

Every now and then I use the search tool on my site and it runs VERY slowly. Takes nearly 2 minutes to complete a search. It was built in php by a company we hired, but have since moved away from them.

The script they used is called PHPSiteSearch v1.7.7

Any ideas? More info needed?

[dflynn]

Do you have any insight to how data is being stored on your site?

PHPSiteSearch v1.7.7 utilizes a flat file database system, essentially storing content int text files and using php to open and search through those files for search terms.

This method is intended for small - medium sized sites. You definitely wouldn't utilize this for something like Amazon or Facebook, but a blog or a small company with a few products would work well.

Flat files aren't exactly the quickest way to access information, and the more content it has to search through the more time it will take.