We know how important it is for you to find the right freelancer for your project the first time around. Our search functions are important tools for doing that, and we understand that the better you know them, the more effectively you can use them.
We can’t reveal everything about how search functions work because doing so could make it easier for some users to artificially boost their rankings, but we can share some tips and tricks for maximizing our Advanced and Boolean search functions.
How Search Works
When you search for freelancers, our algorithm uses both platform-generated data — things like number of completed projects and client feedback — and freelancer-generated information such as descriptions of their offered services. Read more about how search works and best practices here.
You can search with your own keywords or use the ones that are automatically suggested when you begin typing in the search bar.
Advanced Search
Our Advanced Search function applies Boolean logic to your search keywords to optimize your results. Boolean search is a type of search allowing you to combine keywords with operators such as AND, NOT, and OR to further produce more relevant results.
If you’re familiar with utilizing Boolean functions in searches, you may do so directly in the search bar on your home page. Otherwise, go to the search section of the Talent page and click on the Advanced Search link to open the menu. We currently support the following functions:
- All of these words — This search function will show you profiles that include all of the keywords you input, regardless of what order they appear in. If you search “content marketing writer,” results will only include profiles that include the words “content,” “marketing,” and “writer.”
- Any of these words — This search function will show you profiles that include at least one of the keywords you input. If you search “content marketing writer,” results will include profiles that include the word “content,” “marketing,” or “writer,” or combinations thereof.
- The exact phrase — Just as it sounds, this search function will show you profiles that include your input keyword(s) exactly as you entered it. If you search “content marketing writer,” results will only include profiles that use that exact phrase word-for-word.
- Exclude these words — If the results you get with other functions are too broad, you can try excluding unwanted keywords. For example, if you’re looking for a blog writer but searching “content marketing writer” results in too many webpage writers, you can input “webpage” into this box. Profiles that include the word “webpage” will be filtered out of your results.
- Title search — This search field is an “any of these words” search function, but limited to profile titles. If you title search for “content marketing writer,” your results will include profiles with the word “content,” “marketing,” or “writer” in the title.
You can use these different Advanced Search fields separately or in various combinations.
If you use Boolean operators — NOT, AND, and OR — directly in the search bar, you must type them in all uppercase letters for them to work. Please note that +, -, and ! operators are currently not supported. No Boolean operators are supported in Proposal Manager.
