AI Chatbot & Semantic Search: ChatGPT Answers From Your Content

1. 01Upload the plugin files to the /wp-content/plugins/smartsearchwp directory, or install the plugin through the WordPress Plugins screen.
2. 02Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ screen in WordPress.
3. 03Enter your OpenAI API key in the SmartSearchWP settings panel.
4. 04Configure indexing and chatbot behavior.
5. 05In SmartSearchWP > Summaries , generate embeddings for at least one page or post, then click Activate . The chatbot will not appear on the front end until at least one context is active – without this step, the plugin may be enabled in settings but no content has been selected for the chatbot to use.
6. 06Display the chatbot using the provided interface or shortcode.

Does this AI chatbot answer only from my own content?

SmartSearchWP grounds its answers in the pages and posts you choose to activate on your own site, so replies stay tied to what you actually publish rather than to generic web knowledge. You decide which content is indexed and can update or remove it at any time. Answers are generated by OpenAI from those retrieved snippets, using your own API key.

What makes SmartSearchWP different from hosted AI chatbot plugins?

It runs entirely inside your own WordPress install and connects to OpenAI with your own API key, so there is no third-party SaaS service sitting between your visitors and your site to store your content or conversations, and there is no per-seat pricing. Optional usage statistics are off by default and carry no personal data or visitor tracking (see “Does SmartSearchWP send data off-site?” below).

Does SmartSearchWP slow down my site?

No. Processing is handled through the OpenAI API. The plugin remains lightweight and modular.

Can I control AI responses?

Yes. You can customize prompts, restrict usage, define content sources, and manage behavior precisely.

How are OpenAI API costs managed?

You use your own OpenAI API key and can restrict usage by role, page, or quota limits to control costs.

Is WooCommerce supported?

Yes. With the WooCommerce integration addon, product data can be included in contextual AI responses.

Can I disable the chatbot easily?

Yes. The plugin can be deactivated at any time without affecting your website content.

The chatbot shows “Forbidden” or a raw error page

Some hosts (Wordfence, ModSecurity, OVH CDN Basic, etc.) block POST requests to /wp-json/wdgpt/v1/retrieve-prompt . Since version 2.7.4, SmartSearchWP retries automatically, falls back to admin-ajax.php , and shows a friendly message instead of raw error HTML. If issues persist, whitelist that REST route or exclude it from your CDN/WAF rules.

WooCommerce: search by SKU or product reference

With the WooCommerce Integration addon (1.4.0+) and SmartSearchWP 2.8.0+, the chatbot can match exact product references (SKU, ref_xxx ) before semantic search and uses grounded numeric prices in the AI context to reduce wrong amounts (e.g. 83,46€ vs 8346€). Regenerate product embeddings after upgrading so SKU and price are indexed.

How do I activate the bot?

The bot will not appear on your website until you have activated it. To activate the bot, you need to generate and activate the embeddings for the pages and posts you want to use, as well as the general settings.

General settings: 1. Go to the SmartSearchWP settings page. 2. Enter your ChatGPT API key. 3. Modify the settings to your needs. 4. Save the settings.

How do I customize the chatbot’s context?

Generate and activate pages: 1. Go to the SmartSearchWP ‘Summaries’ page. 2. Click on the ‘Generate Embeddings’ button under the page or post you want to use. 3. Once their embeddings have been generated, click on the ‘Activate’ button under the page or post you want to use. 4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for all the pages and posts you want to use.

Does SmartSearchWP send data off-site?

Yes, in two cases:

1. 01OpenAI (required for answers): questions and retrieved content snippets are sent to OpenAI using your own API key. See OpenAI’s terms .
2. 02Optional usage statistics (off by default): only if you enable Usage statistics in SmartSearchWP settings. Then the plugin sends a hashed site identifier, plugin version, license type, and five admin event counters to smartsearchwp.com. No personal data, no visitor tracking. See our privacy policy .

Will I see extra notices in wp-admin?

A setup reminder can appear on SmartSearchWP screens only, if the chatbot is not configured yet (missing API key or no active content). It is dismissible, capped, and never shown on the rest of the dashboard. It does not promote premium features.

How do I get help?

Browse our FAQ at https://www.smartsearchwp.com/faq/ for answers about setup, addons, licensing, and technical topics. If you cannot find what you need there, contact us at hello@smartsearchwp.com.