Search helps visitors find locations on your map. Use this guide to understand how search works and how to improve results.
How does search work?
When someone searches your map, Concept3D:
- Looks for matches in the location’s title, keywords, description, and category name
- Ranks matching results using your map’s Weights settings
- Applies any category Search Boost values to raise or lower whole groups of locations
Private, hidden, or non-searchable locations (and locations in those categories) do not appear in front-end search.
At a glance
| Setting | Where to find it | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Weights | Options → Finding places | Controls how much Title, Keywords, Description, and Category name count when ranking results |
| Search Boost | Category edit page | Raises or lowers all locations in that category (−3 to +3) |
| Searchable | Category edit page | Set to No to hide a category’s locations from search entirely |
| Search Help Text | Options → Finding places | Sets the placeholder text shown inside the search bar |
| Strict Search | Options → Finding places | Limits search to whole-word matches in title and keywords only |
What search looks at
By default, search checks four things on each location:
- Title: usually the strongest match
- Keywords: hidden from visitors; great for nicknames, abbreviations, and common misspellings
- Description: text in the location description
- Category name: if someone searches a category name (like “Parks”), locations in that category can return
Phrases: Searching “Convention Center” only returns locations that include both words.
Weights (map-wide)
Go to Options → Finding places → Weights to set how much each field counts:
- Title
- Keywords
- Description
- Category name
Defaults: Title 3 · Keywords 2 · Description 1.5 · Category name 1
- Higher numbers = more influence
- 0 = Excluded (that field is ignored in search)
- At least one field must be above 0, or search returns no results
- Only the proportions matter. For example, 6 / 4 / 3 / 2 behaves like 3 / 2 / 1.5 / 1
Changes apply when you save Options. You do not need to republish each location.
Important: Weights apply to normal search only. They do not apply when Strict Search is on.
Search Help Text
In Options → Finding places, use Search Help Text to set the placeholder text that appears inside the search bar. Use this to give visitors a short hint about what they can search for on your map.
Changes apply when you save Options.
Search Boost (per category)
On the category edit page, use Search Boost to adjust ranking for locations in that category:
- 0 (default): no change
- +1 to +3: raise ranking
- −1 to −3: lower ranking (locations still appear; they just rank lower)
Search Boost applies only to locations directly assigned to that category, not automatically to sub-categories. Set Search Boost on each sub-category you want to affect.
To hide a category from search completely, set Searchable to No. Search Boost does not hide results.
Important: Search Boost still applies when Strict Search is on.
Strict Search
Turn on Strict Search in Options → Finding places when you want fewer, closer matches.
With Strict Search on:
- Search looks at title and keywords only (not description or category name)
- Matching is whole-word (no partial matches). Searching “desk” can find “Information Desk,” but searching “info” will not, unless “info” is added as a keyword
- Multi-word searches expect each word to match
How Strict Search works with the other settings:
- Weights: do not apply
- Search Boost: still applies and can raise or lower matching results by category
Tip: Add keywords for short forms, abbreviations, and nicknames so visitors can still find locations under Strict Search.
Tips for better results
- Put the most important term in the title when it makes sense for visitors
- Add keywords for alternate names, abbreviations, and misspellings
- Use Weights to emphasize the fields that matter most on your map
- Use Search Boost to raise key categories (for example, Dining +2)
- Use Searchable: No for categories that should never appear in search
Frequently asked questions
Q: What makes a location appear in search?
A: Matches on title, keywords, description, and/or category name, unless that field is excluded in Weights, or the location/category is private, hidden, or non-searchable.
Q: How do I get a location higher in results?
A: Start with a strong title and keywords, then adjust Weights and/or raise Search Boost on its category.
Q: How do I keep a location out of search?
A: Set the category’s Searchable setting to No.
Q: Can I boost a whole category at once?
A: Yes. Set Search Boost on the category (−3 to +3). Use Searchable: No if you want it excluded entirely.
Other details
- CMS search still finds all locations for editors, even if they are hidden from the public map search.
- Each search result shows its category. Selecting it opens that category in the sidebar.
- If a visitor closes a result and opens search again, the previous search term and results usually remain.