How to Remove Yammer from SharePoint Search Results

As a digital professional, you might face the task of cleaning up your SharePoint search results to ensure that they are relevant and focused on your organization's needs. One common issue arises when Yammer, a social networking platform, appears in search results, leading to irrelevant content and a distracted user experience. This article provides a detailed guide on how to hide or remove Yammer from SharePoint search results using CSS.

Understanding the Problem

Yammer is often integrated into SharePoint to enhance communication and collaboration among employees. However, sometimes this integration leads to excessive search results, cluttered with Yammer content that may not be immediately useful or relevant to the user. For instance, if you perform a search query related to 'Project X', you might find that the results include Yammer discussions, posts, or media instead of relevant documents or files stored in SharePoint.

How to Remove Yammer from SharePoint Search Using CSS

The solution to hiding Yammer from SharePoint search results lies in the use of CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). By applying specific CSS rules, you can overwrite the default styles that display Yammer content in search results, effectively hiding it from view. Here’s how you can achieve this:

Identifying the Relevant CSS Classes

The first step is to identify the CSS classes used by SharePoint to display Yammer content in search results. From the given code snippet, we can see two relevant classes: h2 class and class _evento365_searchsearch encodeURIComponent_current.queryGroups._currentQueryState.k_blank />. These classes are used to style the heading and specific elements related to Yammer search results.

Creating the CSS Hiding Rule

To hide these elements, you need to create a CSS rule that targets these classes and sets their display property to none. This rule will effectively make the Yammer-related elements invisible without removing them from the search results entirely. Here is an example of the CSS rule you can use:

styleh2.yammer-heading {    display: none;}._evento365_searchsearchencodeURIComponent_current.queryGroups._currentQueryState.k_blank {    display: none;}/style

Remember to replace the class names with the exact ones used in your SharePoint environment, as they might vary slightly. You can inspect the elements in your browser’s developer tools to get the exact class names.

Applying the CSS Rule

Once you have the CSS rule, you can apply it to your SharePoint site by placing it in the appropriate location. If your SharePoint site uses a custom master page or a modern page, you can add the CSS rule within the head section of the page or under the Style Library.

Additional Tips for Effective Search Optimization

While hiding Yammer content is a useful step, it is not the only measure you can take to improve your SharePoint search experience. Here are a few additional tips:

Refining Search Queries

Ensure that your search queries are specific and clear. Use quotation marks to search for exact phrases and include relevant keywords to narrow down the search results. For example, use "Project X report" instead of just "Project X".

Using Managed Metadata

Implement a robust managed metadata system to categorize and tag your documents properly. This helps in improving the relevance of search results and making them more user-friendly.

Removing Redundant Content

Regularly assess and remove any outdated or redundant content from SharePoint. This not only simplifies the search process but also ensures that the latest and most relevant information is easily accessible.

Conclusion

Removing Yammer from SharePoint search results can greatly enhance the user experience and ensure that search results are more relevant and focused. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can leverage CSS to hide Yammer content effectively. Additionally, combining this with proper search query refinement, use of managed metadata, and regular content management will further optimize your SharePoint search functionality.