How to Build a Sales Navigator Search URL by Hand (2026)

A repeatable search has two parts: the words you want to match and the filters you select in LinkedIn. Keep both. This guide builds a keyword URL by hand, then shows how to turn it into a reviewed search you can save or share.

If you want the URLs prepared for you, use the existing Sales Navigator URL Generator. Its location and industry/company inputs also become keywords; review the search and select native filters afterward.

Anatomy of a LinkedIn search URL

A standard People-search starting URL uses https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/people/?keywords= followed by the encoded query text. The Sales Navigator starting pattern used by our generator places that text in a keywords value inside its query parameter. The worked example below contains both complete URLs.

Those keyword links do not include every search choice. A Current company selection, location, current-role scope or lead-list filter is a separate condition. After selecting the filters in the interface, keep the resulting URL rather than replacing it with the simpler keyword-only link.

The operators LinkedIn actually supports

For Boolean search, LinkedIn documents these building blocks:

• OR accepts alternatives: sales OR marketing.
• AND combines requirements: sales AND SaaS.
• NOT excludes a term: sales NOT recruiter.
• Straight quotation marks keep a phrase together: "customer success".
• Parentheses group alternatives: (sales OR marketing) AND director.

Type AND, OR and NOT in capitals. Use ( ), not square brackets [ ] or braces { }. LinkedIn does not support wildcard * searches; use explicit word or title variants instead.

Sales Navigator's Boolean guide also specifies straight quotes and parentheses. If your editor converts quotes into curly marks, replace them before searching. Keep the query short enough to inspect and test it in the field you intend to use.

Build and troubleshoot the query

1. Put alternative titles in an OR group. Start with two plausible titles. AND between title phrases requires both in the matched text; that can narrow the search more than you intend.
2. Add one requirement at a time. Check the title-only results, then add a business keyword or native filter. If useful people disappear, undo the last change and inspect why.
3. Test exclusions against actual profiles. Try the search without the NOT group before keeping it. A relevant person can mention an earlier recruiting role or other excluded term.

If a search is empty or too narrow, check straight quotes and balanced parentheses, remove the last filter, and shorten the query. Standard LinkedIn also offers conversational search: its People-search guide says that mode does not support quotes. Use the Boolean approach for the examples here.

A worked example, start to finish

Suppose you want to review customer-success leaders at SaaS businesses in Berlin. Start with two title phrases and the SaaS keyword. Here is the complete Boolean text to select and copy:

("Head of Customer Success" OR "Director of Customer Success") AND SaaS NOT (intern OR assistant)

The example exclusions are choices for this brief, not a default for every search. Test the query without them too. Berlin is deliberately absent: select the native location or Geography filter after opening the search. SaaS remains a text keyword; it does not verify the company's business model or select an Industry filter.

1. Encode only the query text

Encode once so that quotes become %22 and spaces become %20. Do not encode the whole URL, and do not encode an already encoded value. This is the result of encodeURIComponent for the text above:

(%22Head%20of%20Customer%20Success%22%20OR%20%22Director%20of%20Customer%20Success%22)%20AND%20SaaS%20NOT%20(intern%20OR%20assistant)

2. Add the URL structure

Standard LinkedIn People-search URL:

https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/people/?keywords=(%22Head%20of%20Customer%20Success%22%20OR%20%22Director%20of%20Customer%20Success%22)%20AND%20SaaS%20NOT%20(intern%20OR%20assistant)

Open the standard LinkedIn example.

Sales Navigator keyword starting URL:

https://www.linkedin.com/sales/search/people?query=(spellCorrectionEnabled:true,keywords:(%22Head%20of%20Customer%20Success%22%20OR%20%22Director%20of%20Customer%20Success%22)%20AND%20SaaS%20NOT%20(intern%20OR%20assistant))

Open the Sales Navigator starting example. Confirm the query in the search interface. If the URL pattern is not accepted, paste the plain Boolean text into Keywords and continue there.

3. Keep the final filtered search

Apply Berlin in the available native location/Geography filter. Add a Current company or Current job title requirement when the brief needs one, then review the returned people. In Sales Navigator, use its Share search option when available, or copy the final search URL. Record the Boolean text, selected filter values and review date beside the link.

A bookmark reruns a search; it does not freeze membership. Your colleague's account, visibility and later profile changes can produce a different list.

When Sales Navigator is worth it, and when it is not

Start with standard People search if it supplies the people and filters your task needs. LinkedIn documents native Locations, Current company and Industry filters there. You do not need a Sales Navigator seat merely to construct a standard search URL.

Choose Sales Navigator when its particular filters solve a remaining task. Its current filter definitions distinguish Current job title from Past job title, Geography from company headquarters location, and current company from past company. Company headcount, seniority and lead/account lists can also matter for the brief.

For the Berlin example, a person-location requirement belongs in Geography, while a headquarters requirement belongs in Company headquarters location. A title entered as a keyword can appear elsewhere in a profile; use the current-title field when that distinction matters. Review the resulting profiles before deciding which route is adequate.

Limits to design around

LinkedIn Help currently describes different viewing limits by product. These figures were checked on 18 October 2026:

A displayed count is not a promise that every matching person is visible or exportable. Refine an oversized audience by a real role, territory or account requirement, keep the source for each subset and review overlap before combining it.

The commercial-use limit is separate. LinkedIn says free monthly usage resets on the first of the calendar month and that selected paid plans increase searches and views. Follow your account's messages; a hand-built URL does not remove that limit.

From a reviewed search to your first app CSV

1. Open and review the source. Check the actual people, current roles and companies against your brief. Hold false positives out of the usable audience.
2. Create your Leadsforlinked account and verify email. The Free offer is 100 profiles total, no card, released in batches of 20 at a 60-minute interval. Use the countdown in your account.
3. Install and sign in to the extension. In the app, open Extension and follow its Chrome Web Store link. Return to the reviewed search and choose the first 20 and an audience in the import controls.
4. Inspect the app audience, then export CSV inside the app. Check the actual headers and values before extending the job. Company and other fields can be blank; more rows do not repair missing fields.

Use the generator's first-20 steps or the existing extraction guide for the handoff. Standard LinkedIn is supported for this search route; Sales Navigator is optional.

Choose the next paid job from what remains: Basic at €4.99 monthly lists unlimited extraction, CSV export and audiences. Starter at €29 monthly adds one connected LinkedIn account, campaigns, inbox, Kanban CRM and analytics. Diamond Pro at €79 monthly adds sourcing/scoring, AI Hunter and AI Responder. The Free profile offer does not include a trial of those paid features. Compare current platform plans.

Sources checked for this update

LinkedIn's Boolean, filter and limit documentation linked above was checked on 18 October 2026. The URL payload is a worked construction using the existing generator's keyword pattern; it is not a completed search or extraction test. Open the search and verify its applied query and filters before relying on it.

FAQ

Do I need Sales Navigator to build a search URL?

No. You can build a standard LinkedIn People-search URL with a keywords parameter. Sales Navigator needs its own access and offers different filters and visibility. Choose the route that fits your task; the same Boolean text does not guarantee the same people in both products.

How do I encode the Boolean string in the URL?

Write and check the plain Boolean text first, then encode that text once with encodeURIComponent. For example, a straight quotation mark becomes %22 and a space becomes %20. Keep the URL path, parameter names and Sales Navigator query wrapper separate from the text you encode. Encoding already encoded text changes %22 into %2522.

Does adding Berlin or SaaS apply location and industry filters?

No. Berlin and SaaS inside the Boolean text are keywords. Select a native location or Geography filter for the location requirement, and inspect the available Industry, Current company or Current job title filters for the other requirements. Recheck the resulting profiles.

How many results can one LinkedIn search show?

Limits depend on the product and account. LinkedIn Help currently documents up to 250 results across 25 pages for Basic search, and up to 2,500 lead results across 100 pages or 1,000 account results across 40 pages in Sales Navigator. These are viewing limits, not guaranteed matches or export quantities. Commercial-use limits are separate.

Can I save and reuse a search URL?

Yes. After applying native filters, copy the resulting search URL or use Sales Navigator Share search when available. Save the Boolean text, selected filters and review date beside it. Reopening a search reruns it for the current account and data; it does not preserve an identical set of people.