The Ad Net! Search Tips Page

Here are a few tips to help you use the powerful search features provided on The Ad Net. Understanding how the database handles your search request will enable you to get the results you are looking for from your searches.

Why do you recommend only using one or two words in an item search?

You can actually use up to 100 characters in most item searches. However, entering several words can reduce the number of ads you will see. For example; if you are searching the 'Antiques' section for an antique Polaroid camera, you could enter 'antique polaroid camera' in the item field and this would only return ads in which the user has entered that phrase in the item field when placing the ad. If a person who is selling what you want has called the item 'Polaroid camera', you would not see the ad in this case. The system simply takes the phrase you enter and looks for any occurance of that string of characters in the item, or category fields.

Using the above example, any of the following shorter search phrases would have found the sellers ad; 'polaroid camera' , 'polariod' , 'camera' , or even 'polaroid cam' or 'roid cam'. In short, if what you enter appears anywhere in the item or category field, you will see the ad. Thus, a search for 'camera' would return all ads for cameras (you wouldn't want to enter 'cameras' because only this would only return ads where the seller included the 's'). Further, a search for 'cam' would return all ads for cameras, but would also return ads for 'camcorders' 'cam shafts' 'campers' ect...

The table below lists possible results of various search phrases in the Miscellanous section.

Search Phrase

Possible results returned

'Yardman Riding Lawnmower'

'Yardman Riding Lawnmowers and accessories'

'18hp Yardman Riding Lawnmower'

'Lawnmower'

'John Deer Riding Lawnmower'

'lawnmower engine'

'parts for lawnmowers'

'Lawn'

all of the above, plus

'Lawn Tractor'

'new Lawn mower'

'Lawn and Garden supplies'

In another example, a user was searching for an antique 'Jack-in-the-box'. The problem was that a seller of this item had not included the hyphens that the buyer was entering in the search phrase. The ad was easily found by simply leaving the Item field blank and entering 'toy' in the category field, and then browsing through many toy ads. We were also able to go straight to the ad by entering 'jack' in the item field.

You can see from these examples how you can use multiple words, single words, and parts of words in your search either increase or decrease the number of results returned. If you don't get enough ads, shorten the phrase. If you get too many ads that are not related, try adding a word to the phrase.