diff --git a/service/configurations/placeholder.js b/service/configurations/placeholder.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..631b64b4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/service/configurations/placeholder.js
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+const _ = require('lodash');
+
+function PlaceHolder( baseUrl ){
+  this.baseUrl = baseUrl;
+}
+
+PlaceHolder.prototype.getName = function() {
+  return 'placeholder';
+};
+
+PlaceHolder.prototype.getBaseUrl = function() {
+  return this.baseUrl;
+};
+
+PlaceHolder.prototype.getUrl = function(req) {
+  return `${this.baseUrl}/search`;
+};
+
+PlaceHolder.prototype.getParameters = function(req) {
+  const parameters = {
+    text: req.clean.text
+  };
+
+  if (_.has(req.clean, 'lang.iso6393')) {
+    parameters.lang = req.clean.lang.iso6393;
+  }
+
+  return parameters;
+};
+
+PlaceHolder.prototype.getHeaders = function(req) {
+  return {};
+};
+
+// export
+module.exports = PlaceHolder;
diff --git a/service/http_json.js b/service/http_json.js
index ac1db802..969c5baf 100644
--- a/service/http_json.js
+++ b/service/http_json.js
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ module.exports = function setup(serviceConfig) {
       method: 'GET',
       url: serviceConfig.getUrl(req),
       qs: serviceConfig.getParameters(req),
-      headers: serviceConfig.getHeaders(req)
+      headers: serviceConfig.getHeaders(req) || {}
     };
 
     const do_not_track = isDNT(req);
diff --git a/test/unit/run.js b/test/unit/run.js
index 4fb1e5a2..878a1b58 100644
--- a/test/unit/run.js
+++ b/test/unit/run.js
@@ -81,6 +81,7 @@ var tests = [
   require('./sanitizer/search_fallback'),
   require('./sanitizer/wrap'),
   require('./service/http_json'),
+  require('./service/configurations/placeholder'),
   require('./service/mget'),
   require('./service/search'),
   require('./service/interpolation'),
diff --git a/test/unit/service/configurations/placeholder.js b/test/unit/service/configurations/placeholder.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..cb1191bb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/unit/service/configurations/placeholder.js
@@ -0,0 +1,94 @@
+module.exports.tests = {};
+
+const PlaceHolder = require('../../../../service/configurations/placeholder');
+
+module.exports.tests.all = (test, common) => {
+  test('getName should return \'placeholder\'', (t) => {
+    const placeholder = new PlaceHolder('base url');
+
+    t.equals(placeholder.getName(), 'placeholder');
+    t.end();
+
+  });
+
+  test('getBaseUrl should return value passed to constructor', (t) => {
+    const placeholder = new PlaceHolder('base url');
+
+    t.equals(placeholder.getBaseUrl(), 'base url');
+    t.end();
+
+  });
+
+  test('getUrl should return value passed to constructor', (t) => {
+    const placeholder = new PlaceHolder('base url');
+
+    t.equals(placeholder.getUrl('this is not an object'), 'base url/search');
+    t.end();
+
+  });
+
+  test('getParameters should return object with text and lang from req', (t) => {
+    const placeholder = new PlaceHolder('base url');
+
+    const req = {
+      clean: {
+        text: 'text value',
+        lang: {
+          iso6393: 'lang value'
+        }
+      }
+    };
+
+    t.deepEquals(placeholder.getParameters(req), { text: 'text value', lang: 'lang value' });
+    t.end();
+
+  });
+
+  test('getHeaders should return empty object', (t) => {
+    const placeholder = new PlaceHolder('base url');
+
+    t.deepEquals(placeholder.getHeaders('this is not an object'), {});
+    t.end();
+
+  });
+
+  test('getParameters should not include lang if req.clean.lang is unavailable', (t) => {
+    const placeholder = new PlaceHolder('base url');
+
+    const req = {
+      clean: {
+        text: 'text value'
+      }
+    };
+
+    t.deepEquals(placeholder.getParameters(req), { text: 'text value' });
+    t.end();
+
+  });
+
+  test('getParameters should not include lang if req.clean.lang.iso6393 is unavailable', (t) => {
+    const placeholder = new PlaceHolder('base url');
+
+    const req = {
+      clean: {
+        text: 'text value',
+        lang: {}
+      }
+    };
+
+    t.deepEquals(placeholder.getParameters(req), { text: 'text value' });
+    t.end();
+
+  });
+
+};
+
+module.exports.all = (tape, common) => {
+  function test(name, testFunction) {
+    return tape(`SERVICE CONFIGURATION /placeholder ${name}`, testFunction);
+  }
+
+  for( var testCase in module.exports.tests ){
+    module.exports.tests[testCase](test, common);
+  }
+};
diff --git a/test/unit/service/http_json.js b/test/unit/service/http_json.js
index 98de94ce..b9c4d528 100644
--- a/test/unit/service/http_json.js
+++ b/test/unit/service/http_json.js
@@ -422,6 +422,50 @@ module.exports.tests.success_conditions = (test, common) => {
 
   });
 
+  test('getHeaders returning undefined should use empty headers object', (t) => {
+    const webServer = express();
+    webServer.get('/some_endpoint', (req, res, next) => {
+      t.equals(req.headers.dnt, '1');
+
+      t.deepEquals(req.query, { param1: 'param1 value', param2: 'param2 value' });
+
+      res.status(200).send('[1, 2, 3]');
+    });
+
+    const server = webServer.listen();
+    const port = server.address().port;
+
+    const logger = require('pelias-mock-logger')();
+
+    const serviceConfig = {
+      getName: () => { return 'foo'; },
+      getBaseUrl: () => { return `http://localhost:${port}`; },
+      getUrl: (req) => { return `http://localhost:${port}/some_endpoint`; },
+      getParameters: (req) => { return { param1: 'param1 value', param2: 'param2 value' }; },
+      getHeaders: (req) => { }
+    };
+
+    const service = proxyquire('../../../service/http_json', {
+      'pelias-logger': logger,
+      '../helper/logging': {
+        isDNT: () => { return true; }
+      }
+    })(serviceConfig);
+
+    t.ok(logger.isInfoMessage(new RegExp(`using foo service at http://localhost:${port}`)));
+
+    service({}, (err, results) => {
+      t.notOk(err, 'should be no error');
+      t.deepEquals(results, [1, 2, 3]);
+      t.notOk(logger.hasErrorMessages());
+      t.end();
+
+      server.close();
+
+    });
+
+  });
+
 };
 
 module.exports.all = (tape, common) => {