Boolean Search - Clearcue Docs

Boolean search uses logical operators to combine or exclude search terms, giving you precise control over your results. Instead of relying on simple keyword matching, you can build complex queries that find exactly what you’re looking for.

Core Operators

AND

Finds results containing both terms.

sales AND marketing

Content	Matches?
”I work in sales and marketing”	Yes
”Sales is my passion”	No
”Marketing tips for startups”	No

Many search systems treat spaces as implicit AND, so sales marketing may work the same as sales AND marketing.

OR

Finds results containing either term (or both).

CEO OR founder

Content	Matches?
”I’m the CEO of a startup”	Yes
”As a founder, I learned…”	Yes
”The CEO and founder announced…”	Yes
”I’m a software engineer”	No

Use case: Capture variations, synonyms, or alternatives.

NOT (or -)

Excludes results containing the term.

developer NOT junior

developer -junior

Content	Matches?
”Senior developer position open”	Yes
”Looking for a junior developer”	No

Grouping and Phrases

Parentheses ( )

Group terms together to control logic order.

(CEO OR founder) AND startup

This means: must be CEO or founder, AND must include startup.

Content	Matches?
”CEO of a startup”	Yes
”Founder of a startup”	Yes
”CEO of a corporation”	No
”Startup tips”	No

Without parentheses, CEO OR founder AND startup might be interpreted as CEO OR (founder AND startup) — a different meaning entirely.

Quotes ” ”

Search for an exact phrase.

"looking for recommendations"

Content	Matches?
”I’m looking for recommendations on…”	Yes
”Looking for some recommendations”	No
”Recommendations I’m looking for”	No

Key difference:

Query	What it finds
`looking for recommendations`	All 3 words anywhere, any order
`"looking for recommendations"`	Exact phrase, words together in that order

Quotes on Single Words

With quotes — exact match only:

"hiring"

Without quotes — includes stemmed variations:

hiring

May match: hiring, hire, hired, hires, etc.

Query	Potential matches
`"app"`	app
`app`	app, apps, application, applications
`"develop"`	develop
`develop`	develop, developer, developers, development, developing

Combine Operators

Basic combination

(sales OR marketing) AND (manager OR director)

Finds: sales manager, sales director, marketing manager, marketing director.

Multiple OR groups

(AI OR "artificial intelligence" OR "machine learning") AND (agency OR consultant OR freelancer)

Finds content about AI services from agencies, consultants, or freelancers.

With exclusions

(developer OR engineer) AND (senior OR lead) NOT (junior OR intern OR entry)

Finds senior/lead developers, excludes junior positions.

Nested parentheses

((CEO OR founder) AND startup) OR ((VP OR director) AND enterprise)

Finds: startup CEOs/founders OR enterprise VPs/directors.

Operator Precedence

Without parentheses, operators are evaluated in this order:

" " (phrases) — highest priority
NOT / -
AND
OR — lowest priority

Example:

sales OR marketing AND manager

Is interpreted as:

sales OR (marketing AND manager)

Not as:

(sales OR marketing) AND manager

Always use parentheses to make your intent clear.

Common Mistakes

Lowercase operators

Lowercase and may be treated as a search term, not an operator.

Query	Result
`sales and marketing`	May not work
`sales AND marketing`	Correct

Missing parentheses

Query	Result
`CEO OR founder AND startup`	Unexpected results
`(CEO OR founder) AND startup`	Correct

Quotes on every word

Only use quotes for exact phrases or when you need exact word match.

Query	Result
`"looking" "for" "agency"`	Overly restrictive
`"looking for" agency`	Correct

Over-complicated queries

Start simple, add terms only if needed.

Query	Result
Complex query with 20+ OR terms	Hard to debug, slow
`("looking for" OR "recommend") AND ("AI" OR "AI agency")`	Simpler, easier to refine

Forgetting stemming

If you search develop, you’ll get developer, development, etc. Use quotes "develop" if you only want that exact word.

Build Your Query Step by Step

Identify your core concept

What are you looking for?Example: “People asking for AI agency recommendations”

List key terms

Break down into categories:

Intent: looking for, recommend, anyone know, suggestions
Topic: AI, artificial intelligence, machine learning
Type: agency, developer, consultant, company

Start simple

"looking for" AND "AI agency"

Expand with OR

("looking for" OR "recommend") AND ("AI agency" OR "AI developer")

Add exclusions if needed

("looking for" OR "recommend") AND ("AI agency" OR "AI developer") NOT job

Test and refine

Too many results? Add more specific terms.
Too few results? Remove restrictive terms or add OR alternatives.
Wrong results? Add NOT exclusions.

Quick Reference

Operators

Operator	Syntax	What it does
AND	`A AND B`	Both terms required
OR	`A OR B`	Either term (or both)
NOT	`A NOT B` or `A -B`	Exclude term
Quotes	`"exact phrase"`	Exact phrase match
Parentheses	`(A OR B) AND C`	Group terms

Quotes Usage

Usage	Effect
`word`	Word + variations (stemming)
`"word"`	Exact word only
`word1 word2`	Both words anywhere, any order + stemming
`"word1 word2"`	Exact phrase, together in order

Query Templates

Service/Agency Search

("looking for" OR "recommend" OR "anyone know") AND ("SERVICETYPE" OR "SERVICETYPE agency") AND (agency OR company OR freelancer)

Tool/Software Search

("looking for" OR "what tool" OR "best software" OR "recommendations for") AND ("CATEGORY tool" OR "CATEGORY software")

Pain Point Detection

("frustrated with" OR "struggling" OR "hate" OR "problem with") AND (TOOL OR CATEGORY)

Competitor Dissatisfaction

("switching from" OR "alternative to" OR "leaving" OR "disappointed with") AND COMPETITOR

Buying Intent

("evaluating" OR "comparing" OR "budget for" OR "planning to buy") AND (PRODUCT OR CATEGORY)

​Core Operators

​AND

​OR

​NOT (or -)

​Grouping and Phrases

​Parentheses ( )

​Quotes ” ”

​Quotes on Single Words

​Combine Operators

​Basic combination

​Multiple OR groups

​With exclusions

​Nested parentheses

​Operator Precedence

​Common Mistakes

​Lowercase operators

​Missing parentheses

​Quotes on every word

​Over-complicated queries

​Forgetting stemming

​Build Your Query Step by Step

​Quick Reference

​Operators

​Quotes Usage

​Query Templates

​Service/Agency Search

​Tool/Software Search

​Pain Point Detection

​Competitor Dissatisfaction

​Buying Intent

Core Operators

AND

OR

NOT (or -)

Grouping and Phrases

Parentheses ( )

Quotes ” ”

Quotes on Single Words

Combine Operators

Basic combination

Multiple OR groups

With exclusions

Nested parentheses

Operator Precedence

Common Mistakes

Lowercase operators

Missing parentheses

Quotes on every word

Over-complicated queries

Forgetting stemming

Build Your Query Step by Step

Quick Reference

Operators

Quotes Usage

Query Templates

Service/Agency Search

Tool/Software Search

Pain Point Detection

Competitor Dissatisfaction

Buying Intent