LinkedIn for Android and iOS now lets you search by topic, article, or hashtag

LinkedIn has updated the search tool across its iOS and Android apps to now include content-based results. The company introduced its content search feature that facilitates queries based on any topic or articles published on the professional social network, both by third parties or other members.

The feature is currently only available on mobile and to English speaking members, although the company promises that in the “upcoming weeks and months” it will be rolled out to everyone.

Considering LinkedIn’s goal of being a place where its 450 million members can share knowledge, opinions, and perspectives, facilitating discovery is key. Previously, it was rather difficult to look for articles or updates that members posted on specific topics — such as livestreaming, business, cloud computing, or virtual reality — it sometimes required going to an individual’s profile to view the content. LinkedIn’s mobile app was limited to showing you things like profiles of members and companies, groups, and schools.

Starting today, members can search by keywords, such as “driverless cars” or “augmented reality.” Included in the results page will not only be things like “jobs requiring the skills of augmented reality” or “people with the skills,” but also posts written specifically about the topic.

Another win for members is the ability to search based on hashtag. Not only can you query using a hashtag in the search bar, but if you find a hashtagged post, tap on it to discover similar posts. If you add a hashtag to your post, it will be available to the public by default, but you can modify your privacy settings to prevent this.

LinkedIn said that these search enhancements are just the beginning, but it’s an important step to make sure that its entire library of knowledge is being indexed and made available to more users. Right now, only a quarter of the 450 million members visit the social network monthly, but increasing access to more information could help improve engagement.