How do I interpret the matching keywords that display at the bottom of every bid match opportunity?

At the bottom of every bid opportunity your clients see, matching keywords are listed. In some circumstances, keywords that did not directly cause the match are listed here as well. The presence of these "indirect" keywords sometimes creates confusion for you and your clients. Read on to learn exactly how these "matching" keywords are generated by Softshare's system.

As shown in the next graphic example, the search statement of select floppy is the cause of the bid match. “Floppy” is highlighted in blue within the text of the bid notice and anyone glancing at this bid opportunity can quickly determine the cause of the match.

But what happens when we qualify our search statement with a second keyword: select floppy<1u>drive?

This statement searches for the keywords “floppy” and "drive" in close proximity. But notice how, in the following graphic example, the keyword “drive” is highlighted three times throughout the bid notice, but only one of these occurrences is within one word or less of “floppy.” This is the standard operating procedure for Softshare’s search engine: even though it is the combination of “floppy” and “drive” that caused the match, Softshare still highlights every individual occurrence of both keywords. At a glance, it may look like “drive” is responsible for the bid match, but upon closer inspection, you can see that “floppy” is present as well.

Things get a little trickier when we add another keyword onto our statement: select floppy<1u>(drive? or diskette?).

Take a look at the third graphic example. “Diskette” is highlighted twice, but neither occurrence appears within one word or less of “floppy.” The keywords “floppy” and “drive” in combination are still the cause of the match; however, because the keyword “diskette” is part of the search statement, Softshare’s search engine also highlights its occurrences—even though “diskette” played no role in causing the match. In addition to highlighting keyword occurrences individually, Softshare also lists matching keywords individually (e.g. Matching Key Words: floppy; drive?; diskette?;). Keywords are listed individually even when, like the previous two examples, it is a combination of keywords that caused the match.

While it’s helpful to quickly see all relevant keywords in an article, it can be misleading to your clients who may be trying to figure out the exact cause of a match. For this reason, we recommend that you always provide your clients with copies of their profiles. Profiles are easily forwarded from client records.

For more information on keyword searches, download the Softshare 'CATS Bid Match Guide PDF, which provides a comprehensive discussion of the entire Softshare Bid Match program.

Want more? Browse our extensive list of Softshare 'CATS FAQs.