The main issue is that since you are using %searchterm% you aren't getting any real use out of indexes as you would when using something like searchterm%. You

The main issue is that since you are using %searchterm% you aren't getting any real use out of indexes as you would when using something like searchterm%. You could have a second table that has permutations of the data allowing indexing of the content, but your records would increase dramatically in that second table; i.e. | id | link_id | url_permuted | +----+---------+--------------+ | 1 | 1 | oogle.com | | 2 | 1 | ogle.com | | 3 | 1 | gle.com | | 4 | 1 | le.com | This would allow you to search by searchterm% while gaining use of indexing... Not sure if this is the most elegant solution to your current problem though - and it could result in multiple hits to the same record...