Display Related Posts with Init Live Search

1. Overview

The [init_live_search_related_posts] shortcode uses Init Live Search’s internal engine to find relevant posts based on the current title or a custom keyword. The results are rendered as static HTML with optional JSON-LD schema, requiring no JavaScript or REST API.

• No frontend JavaScript or frameworks required
• No AJAX or REST calls — all processing is done before rendering
• SEO- and cache-friendly — rendered directly into HTML
• Template override and custom CSS support
• Supports multiple layouts via the template parameter

2. How to use the shortcode

Just insert the shortcode into any post, page, widget, or template:

[init_live_search_related_posts]

By default, it will use the current post title as the keyword for finding related posts.

Supported attributes:

• id: Post ID to use as reference (default: current post)
• count: Number of related posts to show (default: 5)
• keyword: Override the keyword used for related post detection (default: current title)
• post_type: Limit results to one or more post types (e.g. post, post,page)
• template: Display layout template. Supported values:
  • default: Horizontal layout — thumbnail left, title right (default)
  • grid: Responsive grid with large images
  • classic: Blog-style — headline with excerpt
  • compact: Simple text list
  • thumbright: Title and date with thumbnail on the right
• css: 1 or 0 — enable/disable default CSS (default: 1)
• schema: 1 or 0 — enable/disable JSON-LD schema (default: 1)

3. Advanced usage example

[init_live_search_related_posts count="8" keyword="SEO tips" template="grid" css="0" schema="0"]

The above shortcode shows 8 related posts based on “SEO tips” using the grid layout, disables default CSS, and skips JSON-LD output.

4. Customizing the layout (template override)

You can override the default HTML layout by creating a custom template file in your theme:

your-theme/init-live-search/related-posts-grid.php

The plugin will automatically use this file based on the selected template value. If not found, it will fall back to the default template.

5. Integration with builders / blocks / widgets

Because the shortcode is fully self-contained, you can use it anywhere shortcodes are allowed, including:

• Shortcode block in Gutenberg
• Text/HTML widgets
• Elementor, Bricks, Oxygen, or any page builder
• PHP templates via do_shortcode()

6. Comparison with other Related Posts plugins

7. Conclusion

[init_live_search_related_posts] is one of the most lightweight yet powerful shortcodes for displaying related posts in WordPress. No JavaScript, no REST calls — fully compatible with static caching systems and deeply customizable via templates. If you’re already using Init Live Search, this is an essential feature to boost on-site time and user retention.