Search & Filtering

Help Visitors Find What They Need

Search & Filtering gives your directory visitors powerful tools to discover the right listings in seconds. With instant autocomplete suggestions, typo-tolerant full-text search, and deep filtering, even directories with tens of thousands of listings feel effortless to navigate.

Instant Autocomplete

As soon as a visitor starts typing, suggestions appear right below the search box — no page reload, no waiting. They can pick a result and jump straight to the listing, or press Enter to see the full results page.

• Appears after two characters are typed
• Shows a thumbnail, name, category, and location for each suggestion
• Matched words are highlighted so it is clear why each result was found
• Typo-tolerant — a small spelling mistake still finds the right listing
• Keyboard-friendly — arrow keys to browse, Enter to open, Esc to close
• Mobile-friendly — the suggestion panel adapts to small screens
• Enabled by default — can be switched off per directory in Settings → General Settings → Search & Filtering

Powerful Full-Text Search

• Searches everywhere that matters — listing name, description, address, category, tags, email, and phone number
• Smart ranking — matches on the listing name surface first, followed by description, category, and tag matches
• Typo tolerance — a misspelled word still finds the right result
• Near-instant — results load in milliseconds, even on large directories

Filtering

• Category Filtering — filter by category and subcategory with a clean sidebar or dropdown interface
• Tag Filtering — narrow listings by tags for specific attributes or qualities
• Custom Field Filters — any custom field can be turned into a filter (dropdowns, checkboxes, date ranges, price ranges, and more)
• Multi-Filter Support — visitors can combine multiple filters at once to narrow results precisely
• Sort Options — sort by newest, name, rating, or any custom sort order you define
• URL-Based Filters — filter selections are reflected in the URL, making filtered views shareable and bookmarkable
• Real-Time Results — filters update results instantly without full page reloads

Filter Types

• Dropdown Select — single or multi-select dropdowns for predefined options
• Checkboxes — toggle-style filters for boolean attributes like "Free Trial" or "Open Source"
• Date Range — filter by date fields like launch date or deadline
• Price Range — min/max sliders for numeric fields like pricing or ratings
• Text Search — keyword search across listing content

How It Works

1. Add custom fields to your listings and mark them as filterable.
2. Filters automatically appear in the sidebar or filter bar on your directory page.
3. Visitors combine search and filters to find exactly what they need.

Works Across All Templates

Search and filtering is built into every template — Default, Aurora, Stellar, Restaurant, Events, Jobboard, Whimsy, Modern, and all others — and adapts to each layout, whether it is a sidebar, top bar, or dropdown-based interface.