Wouldn't it be easier to do something like

@search_keys = split /\s+/, $in{keywords};
foreach $key (@search_keys) {
    if (Check_Database($key)) { # checks if item num
        $page_content .= Get_Search_Results($key,"item_num");
    } else {
        $search_engine .= Get_Search_Results($key,"keyword");
    }
}
[download]