If your website has high content and you want the users to use the search feature of the website to effectively find the material they want, you will have to make the search bar more prominent.

Eg: Checkout the Google.com & Personalized page. You can put as many blocks on the personalized tabs however the search bar still remains at the top encouraging you to use it.

You will notice many sites have Search Box big and prominent, mainly to encourage users to search the content. If the site is easy to use, Visitors tend to bookmark it and come again.

So work on your search box and use it effectively