Visitors find partners on your directory page with a search box, filters and a Sort by menu, and they move through the results page by page. This article explains each part, which partners appear, and the optional extras PartnerPage support can turn on. It is for vendors who want to know what their visitors see.
Applies to: vendors (visitors don't log in) · Availability: all directories. The Available experts only toggle, the page size picker, the Featured section, the matchmaking card and Find with AI are available on request.
The directory page at a glance
From top to bottom, your directory page shows:
Your own sections, such as a hero, set in Customizations > Branding and layout.
The Featured section, when you feature partners.
The partner list, with the filters beside it and the search box, Sort by and the availability toggle above it.
Your last section, if you added one.
Search
The search box ("Search partners or keywords") sits above the partner list. Search works like this:
Suggestions as visitors type. Up to 6 matching partners appear under the box, with their logo. Clicking a suggestion opens that partner's profile.
Full results. Pressing Enter shows every match in the list, with a line such as "12 results for "email"".
What it searches. Partner names, headlines and descriptions, keywords, and the names of the filter options each partner has.
Order. While a search is active, the list is sorted by Relevance, best matches first. Clearing the search goes back to your default sort.
If your navigation bar has Show search field turned on, visitors can also search from the top of every page. Clear all removes the search and every filter at once.
Filters
Your filters appear beside the partner list. A visitor picks options to narrow the list:
Options in the same filter widen the results: Spanish or French.
Options in different filters narrow the results: Spanish and Retail.
A filter only lists options that would still return partners with the visitor's other choices. A filter with nothing left to pick is greyed out.
Each chosen option shows as a tag above the results.
Sort by
The Sort by menu changes the order of the list. It starts on the default sort you choose in Customizations > Configuration. See Choose how partners are sorted.
Available experts only
When availability is turned on for your directory, partners can say whether they're accepting new clients, and the list shows an Available experts only toggle. The toggle starts switched on, so visitors first see only partners who are accepting new clients. When a visitor switches it off, the other partners appear faded, with "Not accepting new clients" on their card. Apps aren't affected by the toggle.
Pages and page size
The list shows 30 partners per page, with numbered pages below it. When the matchmaking card is on, it takes the first spot on each page, so each page shows one partner fewer, such as 29 partners plus the card. With the page size picker, available on request, visitors choose 30, 60 or 120 results per page under Results per page:.
The search, filters, sort and page number are kept in the page address, so a visitor can share or bookmark a filtered list.
Featured section and matchmaking card
The Featured section is a carousel of the partners you mark as Featured, above the full list. It shows Public partners only, in random order. See Feature partners on your directory.
When matchmaking requests are on, a matchmaking card is the first card in the list. It invites visitors to ask your team to find a partner for them and opens your matchmaking form. You set its title, text, image and button in the directory page's Main section in Branding and layout: see Change page layouts and sections and Handle matchmaking requests.
Find with AI
Find with AI, available on request, adds a Find with AI button at the bottom right of the directory page. It opens a chat, "Find a partner with AI", that:
Asks the visitor to pick an option in each of the filters PartnerPage support chose for it.
Asks "What do you need help with?".
Asks the visitor to confirm they're not a robot.
Suggests partners, each with a short reason. Each suggestion opens the partner's profile in a new tab.
Contact PartnerPage support to turn it on and to choose the filters it asks about.
Which partners appear
A partner's status decides when visitors can find it:
Status | In the list |
Public | Always |
Searchable | Only after the visitor searches or picks a filter |
Hidden | Never |
Inactive | Never |
Apps, when your directory lists them, appear next to partners and follow the same statuses. Clicking an app's card opens the app's own website. See Partner profile statuses: Public, Searchable, Hidden, Inactive.
Common questions
Why can't visitors find a partner?
Check the partner's status first: a Searchable partner appears only after a search or filter, and Hidden or Inactive partners never appear. If your directory has the availability toggle, check whether the partner is accepting new clients, because the toggle starts switched on. Last, check the visitor's filters: the partner must have an option in each filter they picked.
Why does a search show a partner whose name doesn't match?
Search also looks at headlines, descriptions, keywords and filter options. A partner whose description or filter options contain the words appears in the results, after the closest name matches.
Can I hide the search box or filters on my website?
When you embed the directory with the PartnerPage widget, you can hide the search box, Sort by, the filters and the availability toggle. See Embed your directory on your website.