diff --git a/app/controllers/SearchController.php b/app/controllers/SearchController.php
index e1588d8e3b..978200c8c4 100644
--- a/app/controllers/SearchController.php
+++ b/app/controllers/SearchController.php
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ class SearchController extends BaseController
         $subTitle = null;
         $rawQuery = null;
         $result   = [];
-        if (!is_null(Input::get('q'))) {
+        if (!is_null(Input::get('q')) && strlen(Input::get('q')) > 0) {
             $rawQuery = trim(Input::get('q'));
             $words    = explode(' ', $rawQuery);
             $subTitle = 'Results for "' . e($rawQuery) . '"';
diff --git a/tests/functional/SearchControllerCest.php b/tests/functional/SearchControllerCest.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..973b2c54ab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/functional/SearchControllerCest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+<?php
+
+/**
+ * Class SearchControllerCest
+ */
+class SearchControllerCest
+{
+    /**
+     * @param FunctionalTester $I
+     */
+    public function _after(FunctionalTester $I)
+    {
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @param FunctionalTester $I
+     */
+    public function _before(FunctionalTester $I)
+    {
+        $I->amLoggedAs(['email' => 'thegrumpydictator@gmail.com', 'password' => 'james']);
+    }
+
+    public function index(FunctionalTester $I)
+    {
+        $I->wantTo('search for "salary"');
+        $I->amOnPage('/search?q=salary');
+        $I->see('Transactions');
+        $I->see('Results for "salary"');
+
+    }
+
+    public function indexNoQuery(FunctionalTester $I)
+    {
+        $I->wantTo('Search for empty string');
+        $I->amOnPage('/search?q=');
+        $I->see('Search for &quot;&quot;');
+
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file