diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/search/store/actions.js b/app/assets/javascripts/search/store/actions.js
index ee5e778f63d6c47c1b2a383b49d4ff32b6c65f61..be64a9278e30c2705d7649ab8aba76a3c6d464ef 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/search/store/actions.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/search/store/actions.js
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ export const fetchProjects = ({ commit, state }, search) => {
     );
   } else {
     // The .catch() is due to the API method not handling a rejection properly
-    Api.projects(search, { order_by: 'id' }, callback).catch(() => {
+    Api.projects(search, { order_by: 'similarity' }, callback).catch(() => {
       callback();
     });
   }
diff --git a/spec/frontend/search/store/actions_spec.js b/spec/frontend/search/store/actions_spec.js
index 9f8c83f28737e48c796a827ba6e7f274e3f27aa8..b50248bb2955a1ff64f7c35a1700a9864f8a875c 100644
--- a/spec/frontend/search/store/actions_spec.js
+++ b/spec/frontend/search/store/actions_spec.js
@@ -142,7 +142,13 @@ describe('Global Search Store Actions', () => {
         actions.fetchProjects({ commit: mockCommit, state });
 
         expect(Api.groupProjects).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
-        expect(Api.projects).toHaveBeenCalled();
+        expect(Api.projects).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+          state.query.search,
+          {
+            order_by: 'similarity',
+          },
+          expect.any(Function),
+        );
       });
     });
   });