For any major advertising or marketplace platform, searching for ads is significantly faster by using filters. The exact filters available depend on the platform, whether it's an ad management tool like Google Ads, a social media site like Facebook Marketplace, or an e-commerce site.
How to use filters for faster ad searches
Here is a general, step-by-step process for most platforms:
- Navigate to the ad search or management page. For an advertiser, this is typically an Ads Manager or account dashboard. For a consumer on a marketplace, this is the search bar at the top of the page.
- Locate the filter options. On most sites, a "Filters" button or drop-down menu is located near the search bar.
- Apply filters based on your criteria. The most common and useful filters include:
- Text/Keywords: Search for specific words or phrases in the ad title or description. For precise results, use quotation marks around the exact phrase.
- Date Range: Find ads posted within a specific timeframe, such as "Today," "Last 24 hours," or a custom date range.
- Location: Limit search results to a specific region, city, or distance from a given address.
- Price Range: View items within a minimum and maximum price point.
- Item Condition: Search for items that are new, used, or refurbished.
- Category: Narrow results by the type of product, such as "electronics," "furniture," or "apparel".
- Save your filters for future use. Many platforms let you save a set of filters for easy access during subsequent searches, which saves you from having to set them up repeatedly.
Refine your results further. For complex searches, many systems allow you to layer multiple filters to create very specific search criteria.