Extend search function with link to searched word

Question

I have a basic search function running on my website.
This works fine. However I have only 5 pages.
So the search function will never be longer then 5 pages which could be a good thing.
The pages are insanely long. So if youre searched word is on a page you never know where.
This kind of makes the search function useless. So I was wondering if there is way to make the searched word into a link with an anchor of some sort.

I understand that the problem here would be to create anchor points on every word on the page. (This would be insane).

I know I can show the searched word in the results with this function:

function search_title_highlight() {
$title = get_the_title();
$keys = implode('|', explode(' ', get_search_query()));
$title = preg_replace('/(' . $keys .')/iu', '<strong class="search-highlight">\0</strong>', $title);

echo $title;
}

function search_content_highlight() {
    $content = get_the_content();
    $keys = implode('|', explode(' ', get_search_query()));
    $content = preg_replace('/(' . $keys .')/iu', '<strong class="search-highlight">\0</strong>', $content);

    echo '<p>' . $content . '</p>';
}

function search_excerpt_highlight() {
$excerpt = get_the_excerpt();
$keys = implode('|', explode(' ', get_search_query()));
$excerpt = preg_replace('/(' . $keys .')/iu', '<strong class="search-highlight">\0</strong>', $excerpt);

echo '<p>' . $excerpt . '</p>';
} 

Where this is my search function:

<?php
            $search_count = 0;

            $search = new WP_Query("s=$s & showposts=-1");
            $exclude_option = get_option('ep_exclude_pages');
            if($search->have_posts()) : while($search->have_posts()) : $search->the_post(); if($exclude_option) continue;
            $search_count++;
            endwhile; endif;

            echo '<p style="color:#271d67; margin: -20px 0 15px;">'. $search_count . ' results for ' . '&lsquo;'.$s.'&rsquo;' . '</p>';
            ?> 
            <?php if(have_posts()) : ?><?php while(have_posts()) : the_post(); ?>
            <h2 class="h2_link"><a href="<?php the_permalink(); ?>"><?php search_title_highlight(); ?></a></h2>
            <?php the_excerpt(); ?>
                <p class="postmetadata">
                    URL: <a href="<?php the_permalink(); ?>"><?php the_permalink(); ?></a>
                </p>
                <hr />
            <?php endwhile; ?>
            <?php else : ?>
            <?php endif; ?>

I have no idea how to make this linkable to the content in the page. Maybe with some sort of $_GET[] command in the content page?

M.

Answer 1

you could include the search term as a parameter in the URL that links to the page

http://www.example.com/page-here/?search-highlight=frogs

and then hook into the the_content filter to replace all instances of the search-highlight term with a highlighted version