Exlcude or exact phrase in front end searches?

[kapearl]

I'm using the clean URLs plugin, if that has anything to do with it, but my members/visitors are finding the search function to not be very effective. It searches for all terms, no relevancy in result display. I have search tips on the search page but so far the only one I can offer is to use the the most unique term possible and exclude any common words because it searches for all of them.

Previously, we used quotes for searching an exact phrase and minuses for excluding a word. Is anything like this? Or any advice I can pass on to members outside of minimizing words and using only unique terms?

 

[Basti]

By default the search takes each word ( space seperated text at least 3 chars long, strip 1 and 2 char words ) and looks for each of the words in member title and description. This behavour can be pretty much changed from the ground up, or a completely new search can be build or extending the current.
By the default the form also strips out any special characters and converts them to minus because the search term is displayed in url. So0 that leaves out your minus and quote thingy


Your needs really ask for a extending of the form itself if you ask me. Some radio buttons maybe, drop explaining alltogether, people generally not read or understands things anyway.
- search in title, description or both?
- use exact or global matching?

Something like that. special signs to exclude a word, sounds a bit useless to me, why type the word then?

 

[kapearl]

I like your suggestions. Giving them parameters is much better then trying to get people to follow directions. How would I go about adding that? And is there a way to have premium members show up at the top of search results?

 

[Basti]

Well, likee always its a plugin -.- and yes, premium could be first to appear

 

[kapearl]

I have search_search_query_inner.php in a plugin to extend the search. What would I add there, if that's the correct file, to sort premium members first in a search result?