diff --git a/app/javascript/src/components/Search/SearchForm.jsx b/app/javascript/src/components/Search/SearchForm.jsx
index f8d0e37f7..3baba1c38 100644
--- a/app/javascript/src/components/Search/SearchForm.jsx
+++ b/app/javascript/src/components/Search/SearchForm.jsx
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ export const SearchForm = ({
         type="text"
         name="q"
         id={searchBoxId}
-        placeholder="search"
+        placeholder="Search (Press '/' to focus)"
         autoComplete="off"
         aria-label="search"
         onKeyDown={onSearch}
diff --git a/app/javascript/src/components/Search/__tests__/__snapshots__/Search.test.jsx.snap b/app/javascript/src/components/Search/__tests__/__snapshots__/Search.test.jsx.snap
index a4e6070c9..1dda0a34e 100644
--- a/app/javascript/src/components/Search/__tests__/__snapshots__/Search.test.jsx.snap
+++ b/app/javascript/src/components/Search/__tests__/__snapshots__/Search.test.jsx.snap
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ exports[`<Search /> renders properly 1`] = `
       id="nav-search"
       name="q"
       onKeyDown={[Function]}
-      placeholder="search"
+      placeholder="Search (Press '/' to focus)"
       type="text"
       value=""
     />
diff --git a/app/javascript/src/components/Search/__tests__/__snapshots__/SearchForm.test.jsx.snap b/app/javascript/src/components/Search/__tests__/__snapshots__/SearchForm.test.jsx.snap
index 68620d0ac..3c693e7d4 100644
--- a/app/javascript/src/components/Search/__tests__/__snapshots__/SearchForm.test.jsx.snap
+++ b/app/javascript/src/components/Search/__tests__/__snapshots__/SearchForm.test.jsx.snap
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ exports[`<SearchForm /> renders properly when given search functions and a searc
       id="nav-search"
       name="q"
       onKeyDown={[MockFunction]}
-      placeholder="search"
+      placeholder="Search (Press '/' to focus)"
       type="text"
       value="hello"
     />
diff --git a/app/views/layouts/_top_bar.html.erb b/app/views/layouts/_top_bar.html.erb
index 44d97136a..2a7c9b57a 100644
--- a/app/views/layouts/_top_bar.html.erb
+++ b/app/views/layouts/_top_bar.html.erb
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
     <div id="nav-search-form-root">
       <div class="nav-search-form">
         <form acceptCharset="UTF-8" method="get">
-          <input class="nav-search-form__input" type="text" name="q" id="nav-search" placeholder="search" autoComplete="off" />
+          <input class="nav-search-form__input" type="text" name="q" id="nav-search" placeholder="Search (Press '/' to focus)" autoComplete="off" />
         </form>
       </div>
     </div>