diff --git a/app/static/js/autocomplete.js b/app/static/js/autocomplete.js
index 702ebc4..87d0c42 100644
--- a/app/static/js/autocomplete.js
+++ b/app/static/js/autocomplete.js
@@ -1,4 +1,9 @@
-const handleUserInput = searchBar => {
+let searchInput;
+let currentFocus;
+let originalSearch;
+let autocompleteResults;
+
+const handleUserInput = () => {
     let xhrRequest = new XMLHttpRequest();
     xhrRequest.open("POST", "autocomplete");
     xhrRequest.setRequestHeader("Content-type", "application/x-www-form-urlencoded");
@@ -9,118 +14,119 @@ const handleUserInput = searchBar => {
         }
 
         // Fill autocomplete with fetched results
-        let autocompleteResults = JSON.parse(xhrRequest.responseText);
-        autocomplete(searchBar, autocompleteResults[1]);
+        autocompleteResults = JSON.parse(xhrRequest.responseText)[1];
+        updateAutocompleteList();
     };
 
-    xhrRequest.send('q=' + searchBar.value);
+    xhrRequest.send('q=' + searchInput.value);
 };
 
-const autocomplete = (searchInput, autocompleteResults) => {
-    let currentFocus;
-    let originalSearch;
-
-    searchInput.addEventListener("input", function () {
-        let autocompleteList, autocompleteItem, i, val = this.value;
-        closeAllLists();
-
-        if (!val || !autocompleteResults) {
-            return false;
+const closeAllLists = el => {
+    // Close all autocomplete suggestions
+    let suggestions = document.getElementsByClassName("autocomplete-items");
+    for (let i = 0; i < suggestions.length; i++) {
+        if (el !== suggestions[i] && el !== searchInput) {
+            suggestions[i].parentNode.removeChild(suggestions[i]);
         }
+    }
+};
 
-        currentFocus = -1;
-        autocompleteList = document.createElement("div");
-        autocompleteList.setAttribute("id", this.id + "-autocomplete-list");
-        autocompleteList.setAttribute("class", "autocomplete-items");
-        this.parentNode.appendChild(autocompleteList);
+const removeActive = suggestion => {
+    // Remove "autocomplete-active" class from previously active suggestion
+    for (let i = 0; i < suggestion.length; i++) {
+        suggestion[i].classList.remove("autocomplete-active");
+    }
+};
 
-        for (i = 0; i < autocompleteResults.length; i++) {
-            if (autocompleteResults[i].substr(0, val.length).toUpperCase() === val.toUpperCase()) {
-                autocompleteItem = document.createElement("div");
-                autocompleteItem.innerHTML = "<strong>" + autocompleteResults[i].substr(0, val.length) + "</strong>";
-                autocompleteItem.innerHTML += autocompleteResults[i].substr(val.length);
-                autocompleteItem.innerHTML += "<input type=\"hidden\" value=\"" + autocompleteResults[i] + "\">";
-                autocompleteItem.addEventListener("click", function () {
-                    searchInput.value = this.getElementsByTagName("input")[0].value;
-                    closeAllLists();
-                    document.getElementById("search-form").submit();
-                });
-                autocompleteList.appendChild(autocompleteItem);
-            }
-        }
-    });
-
-    searchInput.addEventListener("keydown", function (e) {
-        let suggestion = document.getElementById(this.id + "-autocomplete-list");
-        if (suggestion) suggestion = suggestion.getElementsByTagName("div");
-        if (e.keyCode === 40) { // down
-            e.preventDefault();
-            currentFocus++;
-            addActive(suggestion);
-        } else if (e.keyCode === 38) { //up
-            e.preventDefault();
-            currentFocus--;
-            addActive(suggestion);
-        } else if (e.keyCode === 13) { // enter
-            e.preventDefault();
-            if (currentFocus > -1) {
-                if (suggestion) suggestion[currentFocus].click();
-            }
+const addActive = (suggestion) => {
+    // Handle navigation outside of suggestion list
+    if (!suggestion || !suggestion[currentFocus]) {
+        if (currentFocus >= suggestion.length) {
+            // Move selection back to the beginning
+            currentFocus = 0;
+        } else if (currentFocus < 0) {
+            // Retrieve original search and remove active suggestion selection
+            currentFocus = -1;
+            searchInput.value = originalSearch;
+            removeActive(suggestion);
+            return;
         } else {
-            originalSearch = document.getElementById("search-bar").value;
+            return;
         }
-    });
+    }
 
-    const addActive = suggestion => {
-        let searchBar = document.getElementById("search-bar");
+    removeActive(suggestion);
+    suggestion[currentFocus].classList.add("autocomplete-active");
 
-        // Handle navigation outside of suggestion list
-        if (!suggestion || !suggestion[currentFocus]) {
-            if (currentFocus >= suggestion.length) {
-                // Move selection back to the beginning
-                currentFocus = 0;
-            } else if (currentFocus < 0) {
-                // Retrieve original search and remove active suggestion selection
-                currentFocus = -1;
-                searchBar.value = originalSearch;
-                removeActive(suggestion);
-                return;
-            } else {
-                return;
-            }
+    // Autofill search bar with suggestion content (minus the "bang name" if using a bang operator)
+    let searchContent = suggestion[currentFocus].textContent;
+    if (searchContent.indexOf('(') > 0) {
+        searchInput.value = searchContent.substring(0, searchContent.indexOf('('));
+    } else {
+        searchInput.value = searchContent;
+    }
+
+    searchInput.focus();
+};
+
+const autocompleteInput = (e) => {
+    // Handle navigation between autocomplete suggestions
+    let suggestion = document.getElementById(this.id + "-autocomplete-list");
+    if (suggestion) suggestion = suggestion.getElementsByTagName("div");
+    if (e.keyCode === 40) { // down
+        e.preventDefault();
+        currentFocus++;
+        addActive(suggestion);
+    } else if (e.keyCode === 38) { //up
+        e.preventDefault();
+        currentFocus--;
+        addActive(suggestion);
+    } else if (e.keyCode === 13) { // enter
+        e.preventDefault();
+        if (currentFocus > -1) {
+            if (suggestion) suggestion[currentFocus].click();
         }
+    } else {
+        originalSearch = searchInput.value;
+    }
+};
 
-        removeActive(suggestion);
-        suggestion[currentFocus].classList.add("autocomplete-active");
+const updateAutocompleteList = () => {
+    let autocompleteList, autocompleteItem, i;
+    let val = originalSearch;
+    closeAllLists();
 
-        // Autofill search bar with suggestion content (minus the "bang name" if using a bang operator)
-        let searchContent = suggestion[currentFocus].textContent;
-        if (searchContent.indexOf('(') > 0) {
-            searchBar.value = searchContent.substring(0, searchContent.indexOf('('));
-        } else {
-            searchBar.value = searchContent;
+    if (!val || !autocompleteResults) {
+        return false;
+    }
+
+    currentFocus = -1;
+    autocompleteList = document.createElement("div");
+    autocompleteList.setAttribute("id", this.id + "-autocomplete-list");
+    autocompleteList.setAttribute("class", "autocomplete-items");
+    searchInput.parentNode.appendChild(autocompleteList);
+
+    for (i = 0; i < autocompleteResults.length; i++) {
+        if (autocompleteResults[i].substr(0, val.length).toUpperCase() === val.toUpperCase()) {
+            autocompleteItem = document.createElement("div");
+            autocompleteItem.innerHTML = "<strong>" + autocompleteResults[i].substr(0, val.length) + "</strong>";
+            autocompleteItem.innerHTML += autocompleteResults[i].substr(val.length);
+            autocompleteItem.innerHTML += "<input type=\"hidden\" value=\"" + autocompleteResults[i] + "\">";
+            autocompleteItem.addEventListener("click", function () {
+                searchInput.value = this.getElementsByTagName("input")[0].value;
+                closeAllLists();
+                document.getElementById("search-form").submit();
+            });
+            autocompleteList.appendChild(autocompleteItem);
         }
+    }
+};
 
-        searchBar.focus();
-    };
+document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function() {
+    searchInput = document.getElementById("search-bar");
+    searchInput.addEventListener("keydown", (event) => autocompleteInput(event));
 
-    const removeActive = suggestion => {
-        for (let i = 0; i < suggestion.length; i++) {
-            suggestion[i].classList.remove("autocomplete-active");
-        }
-    };
-
-    const closeAllLists = el => {
-        let suggestions = document.getElementsByClassName("autocomplete-items");
-        for (let i = 0; i < suggestions.length; i++) {
-            if (el !== suggestions[i] && el !== searchInput) {
-                suggestions[i].parentNode.removeChild(suggestions[i]);
-            }
-        }
-    };
-
-    // Close lists and search when user selects a suggestion
     document.addEventListener("click", function (e) {
         closeAllLists(e.target);
     });
-};
+});
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/app/static/js/controller.js b/app/static/js/controller.js
index 05b68ec..9f05e16 100644
--- a/app/static/js/controller.js
+++ b/app/static/js/controller.js
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@ const setupSearchLayout = () => {
     // Setup search field
     const searchBar = document.getElementById("search-bar");
     const searchBtn = document.getElementById("search-submit");
+    const arrowKeys = [37, 38, 39, 40];
+    let searchValue = searchBar.value;
 
     // Automatically focus on search field
     searchBar.focus();
@@ -11,8 +13,9 @@ const setupSearchLayout = () => {
         if (event.keyCode === 13) {
             event.preventDefault();
             searchBtn.click();
-        } else {
-            handleUserInput(searchBar);
+        } else if (searchBar.value !== searchValue && !arrowKeys.includes(event.keyCode)) {
+            searchValue = searchBar.value;
+            handleUserInput();
         }
     });
 };