diff --git a/synapse/storage/user_directory.py b/synapse/storage/user_directory.py
index 650c49982d..ebcc8b9633 100644
--- a/synapse/storage/user_directory.py
+++ b/synapse/storage/user_directory.py
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ from ._base import SQLBaseStore
 from synapse.util.caches.descriptors import cached, cachedInlineCallbacks
 from synapse.api.constants import EventTypes, JoinRules
 from synapse.storage.engines import PostgresEngine, Sqlite3Engine
+from synapse.types import get_domain_from_id, get_localpart_from_id
 
 
 class UserDirectoryStore(SQLBaseStore):
@@ -50,26 +51,39 @@ class UserDirectoryStore(SQLBaseStore):
             sql = """
                 INSERT INTO user_directory
                     (user_id, room_id, display_name, avatar_url, vector)
-                VALUES (?,?,?,?,to_tsvector('english', ?))
+                VALUES (?,?,?,?,
+                    setweight(to_tsvector('english', ?), 'A')
+                    || to_tsvector('english', ?)
+                    || to_tsvector('english', COALESCE(?, ''))
+                )
             """
+            args = (
+                (
+                    user_id, room_id, p.display_name, p.avatar_url,
+                    get_localpart_from_id(user_id), get_domain_from_id(user_id),
+                    p.display_name,
+                )
+                for user_id, p in users_with_profile.iteritems()
+            )
         elif isinstance(self.database_engine, Sqlite3Engine):
             sql = """
                 INSERT INTO user_directory
                     (user_id, room_id, display_name, avatar_url, value)
                 VALUES (?,?,?,?,?)
             """
-        else:
-            # This should be unreachable.
-            raise Exception("Unrecognized database engine")
-
-        def _add_profiles_to_user_dir_txn(txn):
-            txn.executemany(sql, (
+            args = (
                 (
                     user_id, room_id, p.display_name, p.avatar_url,
                     "%s %s" % (user_id, p.display_name,) if p.display_name else user_id
                 )
                 for user_id, p in users_with_profile.iteritems()
-            ))
+            )
+        else:
+            # This should be unreachable.
+            raise Exception("Unrecognized database engine")
+
+        def _add_profiles_to_user_dir_txn(txn):
+            txn.executemany(sql, args)
             for user_id in users_with_profile:
                 txn.call_after(
                     self.get_user_in_directory.invalidate, (user_id,)
@@ -160,8 +174,8 @@ class UserDirectoryStore(SQLBaseStore):
             sql = """
                 SELECT user_id, display_name, avatar_url
                 FROM user_directory
-                WHERE vector @@ to_tsquery('english', ?)
-                ORDER BY  ts_rank_cd(vector, to_tsquery('english', ?)) DESC
+                WHERE vector @@ plainto_tsquery('english', ?)
+                ORDER BY  ts_rank_cd(vector, plainto_tsquery('english', ?)) DESC
                 LIMIT ?
             """
             args = (search_term, search_term, limit + 1,)
diff --git a/synapse/types.py b/synapse/types.py
index 445bdcb4d7..111948540d 100644
--- a/synapse/types.py
+++ b/synapse/types.py
@@ -62,6 +62,13 @@ def get_domain_from_id(string):
     return string[idx + 1:]
 
 
+def get_localpart_from_id(string):
+    idx = string.find(":")
+    if idx == -1:
+        raise SynapseError(400, "Invalid ID: %r" % (string,))
+    return string[1:idx]
+
+
 class DomainSpecificString(
         namedtuple("DomainSpecificString", ("localpart", "domain"))
 ):