A search template lets you save frequently used search criteria in your user account. This means you do not have to put together the same search again each time. If you enable email notifications for a template, you can also receive notifications about new adverts that match the saved criteria.
What a search template saves
A search template retains the criteria from the search you save. These may include the search term, the type currently in use and a selected category. When you open the template later, these criteria are used again.
Before saving, therefore, check that you have chosen the correct search scope. A search on the home page is global. By contrast, a search on a search or results page is restricted to the type currently open. This choice affects which adverts may later match your template.
Creating a search template
First, set up the search as you would like to reuse it in future:
- Open the appropriate type if necessary.
- Enter a clear search term.
- Select a category if necessary.
- Check the results displayed. If they are too broad or too narrow, adjust the criteria before saving.
- Then select ‘Save search’.
The template is saved in your user account. You can find your saved searches under ‘Favorites → Search templates’ and open them again there.
Enabling email notifications for a specific template
Saving a search template alone does not automatically turn on notifications. Under ‘Favorites → Search templates’, turn on the switch next to the template you want. Only when the switch is on can emails be sent about newly published adverts that match the saved criteria.
A notification alerts you to a potentially matching new advert. It does not mean that every detail of the offer meets your expectations. You should therefore always open and review the advert yourself.
Delivery may not occur immediately after publication and cannot be guaranteed for every matching advert. Among other factors, the saved criteria, delivery by your email provider or a message being classified as spam can affect when you see an email.
If no notification arrives
First, check the following points:
- Is the switch turned on for the correct search template?
- Are the saved criteria perhaps so narrow that no new matching advert has been published since then?
- Is the message in the spam or promotions folder of your email inbox?
- Is the email address saved in your user account reachable?
Also open the template manually. This lets you check the current results independently of an email.
Adjusting search criteria or deleting a template
If the results are consistently too broad or too narrow, run the search again with the changes you want and save it as an appropriate template. Remove a template you no longer need under ‘Favorites → Search templates’ by selecting ‘Delete’. If you have several similar templates, check which of them are still needed so that you do not receive multiple notifications about almost the same search.
If you no longer want emails about a template, turn off the associated switch. The template then remains saved so that you can open it later, but it does not trigger email notifications.
A search template and search history are not the same
A search template saves deliberately selected search criteria and can be used for email notifications when its switch is on. Search history, by contrast, only shows recently used search terms so that you can run them again more quickly. An entry in your search history creates neither a template nor a notification.
To learn how to view or remove earlier search terms, see Manage search history – view and delete recent searches.
