> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.shovels.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Building an Accurate Contractor Search

> This tutorial will help you build an accurate search query in Shovels Online to find Contractors.

When using **Shovels Online**, it can be difficult to know where to start, and what parameters are the best to use, and which might just add extra noise.

This tutorial is just one example, which will give you a template for building Contractor searches of your own.

In this example, we'll be looking for contractors in New England (for this case, let's look at Massachusetts), specifically those that specialize in `heat pump` installations in `residential` buildings.

For best results, we'll limit our search to contractors that have at least 10 permits on file and have been active in the last 6 months.

Let's get into it.

## <Icon icon="person-chalkboard" size="30px" /> Step-by-Step Tutorial

<Steps>
  <Step title="Log in to Shovels Online" titleSize="h3" stepNumber={0}>
    Log in with your username and password at [app.shovels.ai](https://app.shovels.ai).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select Geography" titleSize="h3" stepNumber={1}>
    Go to the "Filter By" bar on the left-side of the page, and select the "Search In `Geography` dropdown.

    Select "State".

    Then, in the "Choose State" field, type in `Massachusetts`.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select Date Range" titleSize="h3" stepNumber={2}>
    Go to the "Date Range" dropdown and select `Last 6 Months`.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select Financial Filters (Optional)" titleSize="h3" stepNumber={3}>
    In this example, we'll leave these filters blank.

    However, ou can always add them if you'd like to ensure that your searching for contractors with experience working on projects of a certain size, in either fees or market value.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select Building Filters (Optional)" titleSize="h3" stepNumber={4}>
    Click on the "Building Filters" dropdown to expand the list of filters.

    Select "Property Type" and choose `Residential`.

    As always, there are additional filters here, but we'll keep this example simple.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select Permit Filters (Optional)" titleSize="h3" stepNumber={5}>
    Click on the "Permits Filters" dropdown to expand the list of filters.

    Select "Categories" and choose `Heat Pump`. You can select multiple project categories here, but keep in mind that this will potentially limit the results.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select Contractor Filters (Optional)" titleSize="h3" stepNumber={6}>
    Click on the "Contractors Filters" dropdown to expand the list of filters.

    Select "Min Total Permits Count" and type `10`.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Get Results" titleSize="h3" stepNumber={7}>
    Click "Apply Filters" at the bottom of the Filters panel, and ensure that the tab for "Contractors" is selected.

    This will return a list of contractors that with experience working on heat pump installations in Massachusetts residential buildings in the last 6 months.

    From there, you can either export the entire list of results (up to 1000 results) as a CSV, or you can click into the details of an individual contractor to dig deeper about their work history and experience.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Adjusting Your Search

If you're not getting the results you want, then the next step will be to adjust your search filter selections. Depending on your use case, the necessary changes could be wide-ranging.

Below, we'll give you some basic examples of things you could adjust, in either direction.

* **Changing Geography**: If you have too many results, then you can narrow your search (or the reverse: expand your geographical area for more results).
* **Changing Date Range**: Similar to above, narrow or expand your results by changing how far back in time you're searching for.
* **Granular Permit Details**: If there are certain details that are usually included in the permit, such as keywords or specific brand name materials, etc, then you can search for these strings directly using the `Description` filter (Permits Filters > Description).
* **Specific Contractor Details**: If there are specific contractors or contractor types that you're searching for, such as `Company Name` or `Classification`, then those fields (under "Contractor Filters")can be used to more accurately target your search results.

## Additional help

If you run into any issues with your Contractor search, or anything else with Shovels Online, please reach out to us at [support@shovels.ai](mailto:support@shovels.ai) and we'll be happy to help.

Happy Digging!