diff --git a/projects/aca-content/src/lib/components/search/search-input-control/search-input-control.component.html b/projects/aca-content/src/lib/components/search/search-input-control/search-input-control.component.html
index acde13ebd..dc1e735c9 100644
--- a/projects/aca-content/src/lib/components/search/search-input-control/search-input-control.component.html
+++ b/projects/aca-content/src/lib/components/search/search-input-control/search-input-control.component.html
@@ -1,12 +1,11 @@
 <div class="app-search-container">
   <mat-form-field class="app-input-form-field" appearance="outline">
-
     <button
       mat-icon-button
       matPrefix
       class="app-search-button"
       (click)="openDropdown()"
-      (keydown)="onSearchButtonKeyDown($event)"
+      (keydown.enter)="openDropdown()"
       [title]="'SEARCH.BUTTON.TOOLTIP' | translate"
     >
       <mat-icon [attr.aria-label]="'SEARCH.BUTTON.ARIA-LABEL' | translate">search</mat-icon>
@@ -19,12 +18,12 @@
       [type]="inputType"
       id="app-control-input"
       [formControl]="searchFieldFormControl"
-      (keydown)="onInputKeyDown($event)"
-      (focus)="onInputFocus()"
+      (keydown.enter)="searchSubmit()"
       (blur)="onBlur()"
       [placeholder]="'SEARCH.INPUT.PLACEHOLDER' | translate"
       autocomplete="off"
     />
+    
     <div matSuffix>
       <button mat-icon-button (click)="clear()">
         <mat-icon *ngIf="searchFieldFormControl.value.length" class="app-suffix-icon">clear</mat-icon>
diff --git a/projects/aca-content/src/lib/components/search/search-input-control/search-input-control.component.spec.ts b/projects/aca-content/src/lib/components/search/search-input-control/search-input-control.component.spec.ts
index 055f50a48..8153963a8 100644
--- a/projects/aca-content/src/lib/components/search/search-input-control/search-input-control.component.spec.ts
+++ b/projects/aca-content/src/lib/components/search/search-input-control/search-input-control.component.spec.ts
@@ -44,22 +44,20 @@ describe('SearchInputControlComponent', () => {
 
   it('should emit submit event if form is valid', () => {
     component.searchTerm = 'valid';
-
-    let submittedTerm = '';
-    component.submit.subscribe((term) => (submittedTerm = term));
+    spyOn(component.submit, 'emit');
 
     component.searchSubmit();
-    expect(submittedTerm).toBe('valid');
+
+    expect(component.submit.emit).toHaveBeenCalledWith('valid');
   });
 
   it('should not emit submit event if form is invalid', () => {
     component.searchTerm = '';
-
-    let submitted = false;
-    component.submit.subscribe(() => (submitted = true));
+    spyOn(component.submit, 'emit');
 
     component.searchSubmit();
-    expect(submitted).toBeFalse();
+
+    expect(component.submit.emit).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
   it('should emit searchChange event on inputChange', () => {
@@ -96,58 +94,5 @@ describe('SearchInputControlComponent', () => {
     component.searchTerm = 'dd';
     fixture.detectChanges();
     expect(component.isTermTooShort()).toBe(false);
-  });
-
-  it('should activate search bar on openDropdown()', () => {
-    component.openDropdown();
-    expect(component.isSearchBarActive).toBeTrue();
-  });
-
-  it('should set isSearchBarActive to true on input focus', () => {
-    component.onInputFocus();
-    expect(component.isSearchBarActive).toBeTrue();
-  });
-
-  it('should reset isSearchBarActive and mark field as untouched on blur', () => {
-    component.onInputFocus();
-    component.searchFieldFormControl.markAsTouched();
-
-    component.onBlur();
-
-    expect(component.isSearchBarActive).toBeFalse();
-    expect(component.searchFieldFormControl.touched).toBeFalse();
-  });
-
-  it('should handle Enter key on input and submit if valid', () => {
-    const event = new KeyboardEvent('keydown', { key: 'Enter' });
-    spyOn(event, 'preventDefault');
-    spyOn(event, 'stopPropagation');
-    component.searchTerm = 'abc';
-
-    let emitted = '';
-    component.submit.subscribe((val) => (emitted = val));
-
-    component.onInputKeyDown(event);
-    expect(event.preventDefault).toHaveBeenCalled();
-    expect(event.stopPropagation).toHaveBeenCalled();
-    expect(emitted).toBe('abc');
-  });
-
-  it('should prevent default and open dropdown on Enter key from search icon', () => {
-    const event = new KeyboardEvent('keydown', { key: 'Enter' });
-    spyOn(event, 'preventDefault');
-
-    component.onSearchButtonKeyDown(event);
-    expect(event.preventDefault).toHaveBeenCalled();
-    expect(component.isSearchBarActive).toBeTrue();
-  });
-
-  it('should not submit on non-Enter key press', () => {
-    const event = new KeyboardEvent('keydown', { key: 'Escape' });
-    let emitted = false;
-    component.submit.subscribe(() => (emitted = true));
-
-    component.onInputKeyDown(event);
-    expect(emitted).toBeFalse();
-  });
+  }); 
 });
diff --git a/projects/aca-content/src/lib/components/search/search-input-control/search-input-control.component.ts b/projects/aca-content/src/lib/components/search/search-input-control/search-input-control.component.ts
index c06700d51..d5ddbb57a 100644
--- a/projects/aca-content/src/lib/components/search/search-input-control/search-input-control.component.ts
+++ b/projects/aca-content/src/lib/components/search/search-input-control/search-input-control.component.ts
@@ -67,8 +67,6 @@ export class SearchInputControlComponent implements OnInit {
 
   searchFieldFormControl = new FormControl('', [Validators.required]);
 
-  isSearchBarActive = false;
-
   get searchTerm(): string {
     return this.searchFieldFormControl.value.replace('text:', 'TEXT:');
   }
@@ -84,37 +82,18 @@ export class SearchInputControlComponent implements OnInit {
     });
   }
 
-  onSearchButtonKeyDown(event: KeyboardEvent): void {
-    if (event.key === 'Enter') {
-      event.preventDefault();
-      this.openDropdown();
-    }
-  }
-
-  onInputKeyDown(event: KeyboardEvent): void {
-    if (event.key === 'Enter') {
-      event.preventDefault();
-      event.stopPropagation();
-      this.searchSubmit();
-    }
-  }
-
   openDropdown() {
-    this.isSearchBarActive = true;
     setTimeout(() => {
       this.searchInput.nativeElement.focus();
     }, 0);
   }
 
-  onInputFocus() {
-    this.isSearchBarActive = true;
-  }
-
   searchSubmit() {
     this.searchFieldFormControl.markAsTouched();
 
-    if (this.searchFieldFormControl.valid) {
-      this.submit.emit(this.searchTerm);
+    const trimmedTerm = this.searchTerm?.trim();
+    if (this.searchFieldFormControl.valid && trimmedTerm?.length > 0) {
+      this.submit.emit(trimmedTerm);
     }
   }
 
@@ -124,7 +103,6 @@ export class SearchInputControlComponent implements OnInit {
   }
 
   onBlur() {
-    this.isSearchBarActive = false;
     this.searchFieldFormControl.markAsUntouched();
   }
 
diff --git a/projects/aca-content/src/lib/components/search/search-input/search-input.component.html b/projects/aca-content/src/lib/components/search/search-input/search-input.component.html
index 5f647124f..aaf78bf39 100644
--- a/projects/aca-content/src/lib/components/search/search-input/search-input.component.html
+++ b/projects/aca-content/src/lib/components/search/search-input/search-input.component.html
@@ -1,10 +1,12 @@
-<button class="app-search-container"
-  [matMenuTriggerFor]="searchOptionsMenu"
-  (menuOpened)="onMenuOpened()"
-  (menuClosed)="syncInputValues()"
->
+<button class="app-search-container" [matMenuTriggerFor]="searchOptionsMenu" (menuOpened)="onMenuOpened()" (menuClosed)="syncInputValues()">
   <mat-form-field class="app-input-form-field" appearance="outline">
-    <button class="aca-search-input--search-button" mat-icon-button matPrefix (click)="searchByOption()" [title]="'SEARCH.BUTTON.TOOLTIP' | translate">
+    <button
+      class="aca-search-input--search-button"
+      mat-icon-button
+      matPrefix
+      (click)="searchByOption()"
+      [title]="'SEARCH.BUTTON.TOOLTIP' | translate"
+    >
       <mat-icon [attr.aria-label]="'SEARCH.BUTTON.ARIA-LABEL' | translate">search</mat-icon>
     </button>
 
@@ -20,7 +22,12 @@
     <div matSuffix>
       <mat-icon class="app-suffix-icon">arrow_drop_down</mat-icon>
 
-      <button class="aca-search-input--close-button" mat-icon-button [attr.aria-label]="'SEARCH.CLOSE_BUTTON.ARIA_LABEL' | translate" (click)="exitSearch()">
+      <button
+        class="aca-search-input--close-button"
+        mat-icon-button
+        [attr.aria-label]="'SEARCH.CLOSE_BUTTON.ARIA_LABEL' | translate"
+        (click)="exitSearch()"
+      >
         <mat-icon class="app-suffix-icon">close</mat-icon>
       </button>
     </div>
@@ -36,14 +43,13 @@
         (submit)="onSearchSubmit($event)"
         (searchChange)="onSearchChange($event)"
       />
-      <div class="app-search-feedback">
-        <mat-hint *ngIf="hasLibrariesConstraint" class="app-search-hint">
-          {{ 'SEARCH.INPUT.HINT' | translate }}
-        </mat-hint>
-        <mat-error *ngIf="searchInputControl.searchFieldFormControl.hasError('required') && searchInputControl.searchFieldFormControl.touched" class="app-search-error">
-          {{ 'SEARCH.INPUT.REQUIRED' | translate }}
-        </mat-error>
-      </div>
+      <mat-error *ngIf="hasLibrariesConstraint" class="app-search-hint">
+        {{ 'SEARCH.INPUT.HINT' | translate }}
+      </mat-error>
+      <mat-error
+        *ngIf="searchInputControl.searchFieldFormControl.errors?.required && searchInputControl.searchFieldFormControl.touched" class="app-search-error">
+        {{ 'SEARCH.INPUT.REQUIRED' | translate }}
+      </mat-error>
 
       <div id="search-options" class="app-search-options">
         <mat-checkbox *ngFor="let option of searchOptions"
diff --git a/projects/aca-content/src/lib/components/search/search-input/search-input.component.scss b/projects/aca-content/src/lib/components/search/search-input/search-input.component.scss
index 12e72915e..780b02eb7 100644
--- a/projects/aca-content/src/lib/components/search/search-input/search-input.component.scss
+++ b/projects/aca-content/src/lib/components/search/search-input/search-input.component.scss
@@ -55,15 +55,12 @@ $search-border-radius: 4px;
   column-gap: 24px;
 }
 
-.app-search-feedback {
+.app-search-hint,
+.app-search-error {
   position: absolute;
   gap: 4px;
   padding-left: 17px;
   margin-top: 4px;
-}
-
-.app-search-hint,
-.app-search-error {
   font-size: 12px;
 }
 
diff --git a/projects/aca-content/src/lib/components/search/search-input/search-input.component.spec.ts b/projects/aca-content/src/lib/components/search/search-input/search-input.component.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..49cd97418
--- /dev/null
+++ b/projects/aca-content/src/lib/components/search/search-input/search-input.component.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+import { ComponentFixture, TestBed } from '@angular/core/testing';
+import { SearchInputComponent } from './search-input.component';
+import { NO_ERRORS_SCHEMA } from '@angular/core';
+import { MatError } from '@angular/material/form-field';
+import { By } from '@angular/platform-browser';
+import { ReactiveFormsModule } from '@angular/forms';
+import { AppTestingModule } from '../../../testing/app-testing.module';
+import { SearchInputControlComponent } from '../search-input-control/search-input-control.component';
+
+describe('SearchInputComponent', () => {
+  let fixture: ComponentFixture<SearchInputComponent>;
+  let component: SearchInputComponent;
+
+
+  beforeEach(async () => {
+    await TestBed.configureTestingModule({
+      imports: [AppTestingModule, ReactiveFormsModule, SearchInputComponent, SearchInputControlComponent],
+      schemas: [NO_ERRORS_SCHEMA]  
+    }).compileComponents();
+
+    fixture = TestBed.createComponent(SearchInputComponent);
+    component = fixture.componentInstance;
+
+    // (component as any).searchInputControl = mockControl;
+    fixture.detectChanges();
+  });
+
+  describe('Validation Behavior', () => {
+    function getFirstError(): string {
+      const error = fixture.debugElement.query(By.directive(MatError));
+      return error?.nativeElement.textContent.trim();
+    }
+
+    it('should show required error when field is empty and touched', () => {
+      component.searchInputControl.searchFieldFormControl.setValue('');
+      component.searchInputControl.searchFieldFormControl.markAsTouched();
+      fixture.detectChanges();
+
+      const error = getFirstError();
+      fixture.detectChanges();
+      expect(error).toBe('SEARCH.INPUT.REQUIRED');
+    });
+
+    // it('should not show error when field has value', () => {
+    //   mockControl.searchFieldFormControl.setValue('test');
+    //   mockControl.searchFieldFormControl.markAsTouched();
+    //   fixture.detectChanges();
+
+    //   const error = fixture.debugElement.query(By.directive(MatError));
+    //   expect(error).toBeNull();
+    // });
+
+    // it('should not show error when field is untouched', () => {
+    //   mockControl.searchFieldFormControl.setValue('');
+    //   mockControl.searchFieldFormControl.markAsUntouched();
+    //   fixture.detectChanges();
+
+    //   const error = fixture.debugElement.query(By.directive(MatError));
+    //   expect(error).toBeNull();
+    // });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/projects/aca-content/src/lib/components/search/search-input/search-input.component.ts b/projects/aca-content/src/lib/components/search/search-input/search-input.component.ts
index 204998302..ebec77c0a 100644
--- a/projects/aca-content/src/lib/components/search/search-input/search-input.component.ts
+++ b/projects/aca-content/src/lib/components/search/search-input/search-input.component.ts
@@ -203,6 +203,12 @@ export class SearchInputComponent implements OnInit, OnDestroy {
   searchByOption() {
     this.syncInputValues();
     this.has400LibraryError = false;
+
+    const searchTerm = this.searchedWord?.trim();
+    if (!searchTerm) {
+      return;
+    }
+
     if (this.isLibrariesChecked()) {
       this.hasLibrariesConstraint = this.evaluateLibrariesConstraint();
       if (this.onLibrariesSearchResults && this.isSameSearchTerm()) {