> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.buildbetter.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Search Best Practices

> Tips and techniques for effective searching in BuildBetter

Get the most out of BuildBetter's universal search with these proven strategies. Search works across all your content types using simple text matching.

## Search Strategy Overview

BuildBetter uses case-insensitive text matching to find content across:

* **Recordings**: Titles and full transcripts
* **Documents**: Names and content
* **Chats**: Thread names and messages
* **People**: Names and email addresses
* **Companies**: Company names
* **Folders**: Folder names
* **Signals**: Context and summaries

## Effective Search Techniques

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Use Specific Terms" icon="bullseye">
    Search for exact names, topics, or phrases you know exist in your content
  </Card>

  <Card title="Try Variations" icon="arrows-rotate">
    If first search doesn't work, try synonyms or partial words
  </Card>

  <Card title="Filter by Type" icon="filter">
    Use content type toggles to focus on recordings, documents, etc.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Think Like Content" icon="lightbulb">
    Search for words that would actually appear in transcripts or documents
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Common Search Patterns

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Finding Recordings">
    **Good Examples:**

    * `customer onboarding` (finds calls about onboarding)
    * `Jane Smith` (finds all calls with Jane)
    * `pricing discussion` (finds pricing-related conversations)
    * `bug report` (finds calls where bugs were discussed)

    **Pro Tips:**

    * Search for participant names to find specific calls
    * Use topic keywords that were likely spoken
    * Search for company names to find client calls
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Finding Documents">
    **Good Examples:**

    * `product requirements` (finds PRDs)
    * `Q3 planning` (finds quarterly planning docs)
    * `user feedback` (finds feedback summaries)
    * `meeting notes` (finds generated meeting summaries)

    **Pro Tips:**

    * Search document titles or key content
    * Look for generated document types
    * Use project or feature names
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Finding People & Companies">
    **Good Examples:**

    * `john@company.com` (finds person by email)
    * `Acme Corp` (finds company)
    * `Sarah Johnson` (finds person by name)

    **Pro Tips:**

    * Use full names for better matches
    * Try email addresses if names don't work
    * Search partial company names
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Finding Signals">
    **Good Examples:**

    * `feature request` (finds request signals)
    * `integration feedback` (finds integration-related feedback)
    * `user complaint` (finds negative feedback)

    **Pro Tips:**

    * Search signal summaries or context
    * Use feedback categories
    * Look for specific pain points
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Content Type Filtering

Use the filter toggles to focus your search:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Select Content Types">
    Toggle on only the content types you want to search (recordings, documents, chats, etc.)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review Results">
    Results show match counts for each enabled type
  </Step>

  <Step title="Load More">
    Click "Load More Results" to see additional matches beyond the first 10
  </Step>

  <Step title="Refine Search">
    Add more specific terms or adjust filters if needed
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Search Limitations

<Warning>
  **Current Limitations:**

  * No boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT)
  * No advanced syntax (from:, type:, before:)
  * No exact phrase matching with quotes
  * No saved searches or search history
  * No fuzzy matching or typo correction
  * Simple text matching only (case-insensitive LIKE)
</Warning>

## Troubleshooting Common Issues

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="No Results Found" icon="search-slash">
    **Try These Solutions:**

    * Check spelling of search terms
    * Use simpler, more common words
    * Try partial words (e.g., "onboard" instead of "onboarding")
    * Remove unnecessary words
    * Search one concept at a time
    * Enable more content types in filters
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Too Many Irrelevant Results" icon="filter-slash">
    **Try These Solutions:**

    * Use more specific terms
    * Disable content types you don't need
    * Search for exact names or unique identifiers
    * Use longer, more specific phrases
    * Try different keywords
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can't Find Known Content" icon="eye-slash">
    **Possible Causes:**

    * Content type filter is disabled
    * Search term doesn't appear in title/transcript
    * Misspelling in search term
    * Content hasn't been processed yet

    **Solutions:**

    * Enable all content type filters
    * Try alternative terms
    * Check recent uploads (may still be processing)
    * Search for participant names instead
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Best Practices by Use Case

### Finding Specific Conversations

1. **Use participant names**: Search for attendee names to find their calls
2. **Try topic keywords**: Search for words that were likely spoken
3. **Filter to recordings only**: Disable other content types for focus

### Locating Documents

1. **Search document names**: Many documents have descriptive titles
2. **Use content keywords**: Search for key concepts within documents
3. **Filter to documents only**: Focus your search scope

### Finding Customer Information

1. **Search by email**: Most reliable way to find specific people
2. **Use company names**: Find all people from a specific company
3. **Try name variations**: First name, last name, or full name

### Discovering Insights

1. **Search signal summaries**: Use feedback categories or keywords
2. **Look for patterns**: Search for common pain points or requests
3. **Filter to signals only**: Focus on extracted insights

## Search Workflow Tips

<Check>
  **Start Simple**: Begin with basic keywords and refine based on results
</Check>

<Check>
  **Use Filters**: Always leverage content type filters to reduce noise
</Check>

<Check>
  **Try Variations**: If you don't find what you need, try different words
</Check>

<Check>
  **Think Literally**: Search for words that would actually appear in the content
</Check>

<Check>
  **Load More**: Don't forget to load more results if you don't see what you need
</Check>

## Performance Tips

* **Shorter queries** generally perform better than long ones
* **Specific terms** return more relevant results than generic words
* **Content type filtering** improves both speed and relevance
* **Recent content** appears first in results (sorted by creation date)

<Note>
  BuildBetter's search is designed for simplicity and speed. For complex queries or qualitative searches, consider using the AI chat feature which can understand intent and context better than text search.
</Note>