diff --git a/app/assets/stylesheets/partials/_search.scss b/app/assets/stylesheets/partials/_search.scss
index ee25cfa9..bc2f517f 100644
--- a/app/assets/stylesheets/partials/_search.scss
+++ b/app/assets/stylesheets/partials/_search.scss
@@ -9,7 +9,9 @@
   padding: 2.4rem 2rem 1rem 2.4rem;
 
   details {
-    margin-top: 1rem;
+    &:first-of-type {
+      margin-top: 1rem;
+    }
 
     .field-container {
       margin-top: 1rem;
@@ -78,16 +80,16 @@
 
   #geobox-search-panel,
   #geodistance-search-panel {
-    label::after {
-      color: $red-muted;
-      content: '*';
-    }
     .geo-label,
-    .geo-desc {
+    .geo-desc,
+    .hint {
       display: block;
+      color: $black;
+    }
+    .geo-label {
+      font-weight: $fw-bold;
     }
     .geo-desc {
-      font-size: $fs-xsmall;
       margin-bottom: 2rem;
     }
     #maxLat-desc,
diff --git a/app/javascript/search_form.js b/app/javascript/search_form.js
index c11cb8a6..2521876f 100644
--- a/app/javascript/search_form.js
+++ b/app/javascript/search_form.js
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ function disableGeobox() {
     field.setAttribute('aria-required', false);
   });
   geobox_label.classList = 'closed';
-  geobox_label.innerText = 'Bounding box search';
+  geobox_label.innerText = 'Geospatial bounding box search';
 };
 
 function enableGeobox() {
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ function enableGeodistance() {
     field.setAttribute('aria-required', true);
   });
   geodistance_label.classList = 'open';
-  geodistance_label.innerText = 'Close geospatial distance search';
+  geodistance_label.innerText = 'Close distance search';
 };
 
 
diff --git a/app/views/search/_form.html.erb b/app/views/search/_form.html.erb
index fa35c0ea..9f9db14a 100644
--- a/app/views/search/_form.html.erb
+++ b/app/views/search/_form.html.erb
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ if params[:advanced] == "true"
   search_required = false
 end
 
-geobox_label = "Bounding box search"
+geobox_label = "Geospatial bounding box search"
 geobox_label_class = "closed"
 if params[:geobox] == "true"
   geobox_label = "Close bounding box search"
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ end
 geodistance_label = "Geospatial distance search"
 geodistance_label_class = "closed"
 if params[:geodistance] == "true"
-  geodistance_label = "Close geospatial distance search"
+  geodistance_label = "Close distance search"
   geodistance_label_class = "open"
   geodistance_required = true
   search_required = false
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ end
         <input id="geobox-search-field" type="hidden" name="geobox" value="<%= params[:geobox] %>">
         <fieldset>
           <legend>Search within a geospatial bounding box</legend>
+          <p>All fields in this section are required</p>
           <div class="gridband layout-2c">
             <div class="field-wrap grid-item">
               <label class="geo-label" for="geobox-minLongitude">
@@ -59,9 +60,10 @@ end
                      class="field field-text <%= "required" if geobox_required %>" 
                      id="geobox-minLongitude" name="geoboxMinLongitude" value="<%= params[:geoboxMinLongitude] %>"
                      <%= 'required="required" aria-required="true"' if geobox_required %>
-                     aria-describedby="minLong-desc" placeholder="E.g., -73.507239">
+                     aria-describedby="minLong-desc">
               <span class="geo-desc" id="minLong-desc">
-                A decimal between -180.0 and 180.0 (Western hemisphere is negative)
+                A decimal between -180.0 and 180.0 (Ex: -73.507239)
+                <span class="hint">Western hemisphere is negative</span>
               </span>
             </div>
             <div class="field-wrap grid-item">
@@ -72,9 +74,10 @@ end
                      class="field field-text <%= "required" if geobox_required %>" 
                      id="geobox-minLatitude" name="geoboxMinLatitude" value="<%= params[:geoboxMinLatitude] %>"
                      <%= 'required="required" aria-required="true"' if geobox_required %>
-                     aria-describedby="minLat-desc" placeholder="E.g., 41.239083">
+                     aria-describedby="minLat-desc">
               <span class="geo-desc" id="minLat-desc">
-                A decimal between -90.0 and 90.0 (Southern hemisphere is negative)
+                A decimal between -90.0 and 90.0 (Ex: 41.239083)
+                <span class="msg-required">Southern hemisphere is negative</span>
               </span>
             </div>
             <div class="field-wrap grid-item">
@@ -85,9 +88,10 @@ end
                      class="field field-text <%= "required" if geobox_required %>" 
                      id="geobox-maxLongitude" name="geoboxMaxLongitude" value="<%= params[:geoboxMaxLongitude] %>"
                      <%= 'required="required" aria-required="true"' if geobox_required %>
-                     aria-describedby="maxLong-desc" placeholder="E.g., -69.928713">
+                     aria-describedby="maxLong-desc">
                <span class="geo-desc" id="maxLong-desc">
-                 A decimal between -180.0 and 180.0 (Western hemisphere is negative)
+                 A decimal between -180.0 and 180.0 (Ex: -69.928713)
+                 <span class="hint">Western hemisphere is negative</span>
                </span>
             </div>
             <div class="field-wrap grid-item">
@@ -100,7 +104,8 @@ end
                      <%= 'required="required" aria-required="true"' if geobox_required %>
                      aria-describedby="maxLat-desc" placeholder="e.g., 42.886759">
                <span class="geo-desc" id="maxLat-desc">
-                A decimal between -90.0 and 90.0 (Southern hemisphere is negative)
+                A decimal between -90.0 and 90.0
+                <span class="hint">Southern hemisphere is negative</span>
               </span>
             </div>
           </div>
@@ -113,6 +118,7 @@ end
         <input id="geodistance-search-field" type="hidden" name="geodistance" value="<%= params[:geodistance] %>">
         <fieldset>
           <legend>Search within a distance of a geographic point</legend>
+          <p>All fields in this section are required</p>
           <div class="gridband layout-2c">
             <div class="field-wrap grid-item">
               <label class="geo-label" for="geodistance-latitude">Latitude</label>
@@ -121,9 +127,10 @@ end
                      id="geodistance-latitude" name="geodistanceLatitude"
                      value="<%= params[:geodistanceLatitude] %>" aria-describedby="lat-desc"
                      <%= 'required="required" aria-required="true"' if geodistance_required %>
-                     aria-describedby="lat-desc" placeholder="E.g., 42.279594">
+                     aria-describedby="lat-desc">
               <span class="geo-desc" id="lat-desc">
-                A decimal between -90.0 and 90.0 (Southern hemisphere is negative)
+                A decimal between -90.0 and 90.0 (Ex: 42.279594)
+                <span class="hint">Southern hemisphere is negative</span>
               </span>
             </div>
             <div class="field-wrap grid-item">
@@ -133,9 +140,10 @@ end
                        id="geodistance-longitude" name="geodistanceLongitude"
                        value="<%= params[:geodistanceLongitude] %>" aria-describedby="long-desc"
                        <%= 'required="required" aria-required="true"' if geodistance_required %>
-                       aria-describedby="long-desc" placeholder="E.g., -83.732124">
+                       aria-describedby="long-desc">
               <span class="geo-desc" id="long-desc">
-                A decimal between -180.0 and 180.0 (Western hemisphere is negative)
+                A decimal between -180.0 and 180.0 (Ex: -83.732124)
+                <span class="hint">Western hemisphere is negative</span>
               </span>
             </div>
             <div class="field-wrap grid-item">
@@ -146,7 +154,7 @@ end
                      <%= 'required="required" aria-required="true"' if geodistance_required %>
                      aria-describedby="distance-desc" placeholder="E.g., 160mi">
               <span class="geo-desc" id="distance-desc">
-                Include units; e.g., '100km' or'50mi' (default unit is meters)
+                Distance is in meters by default; add other units if preferred (Ex: '100km' or'50mi')
               </span>
             </div>
           </div>