diff --git a/kubernetes/loculus/templates/_common-metadata.tpl b/kubernetes/loculus/templates/_common-metadata.tpl
index 1b43039f7..ee7ebc8d1 100644
--- a/kubernetes/loculus/templates/_common-metadata.tpl
+++ b/kubernetes/loculus/templates/_common-metadata.tpl
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ fields:
     displayName: Submission ID
     type: string
     header: Submission details
-    enableRegex: true
+    enableSubstringSearch: true
   - name: isRevocation
     type: boolean
     notSearchable: true
@@ -186,8 +186,8 @@ organisms:
   {{- if .autocomplete }}
   autocomplete: {{ .autocomplete }}
   {{- end }}
-  {{- if .enableRegex }}
-  regexSearch: {{ .enableRegex }}
+  {{- if .enableSubstringSearch }}
+  substringSearch: {{ .enableSubstringSearch }}
   {{- end}}
   {{- if .notSearchable }}
   notSearchable: {{ .notSearchable }}
diff --git a/kubernetes/loculus/templates/_siloDatabaseConfig.tpl b/kubernetes/loculus/templates/_siloDatabaseConfig.tpl
index d5a80bccd..bc22a36fd 100644
--- a/kubernetes/loculus/templates/_siloDatabaseConfig.tpl
+++ b/kubernetes/loculus/templates/_siloDatabaseConfig.tpl
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
   {{- if .generateIndex }}
   generateIndex: {{ .generateIndex }}
   {{- end }}
-  {{- if .enableRegex }}
+  {{- if .enableSubstringSearch }}
   lapisAllowsRegexSearch: true
   {{- end }}
 {{- end }}
diff --git a/kubernetes/loculus/values.yaml b/kubernetes/loculus/values.yaml
index e22f200c5..ce5f3cf92 100644
--- a/kubernetes/loculus/values.yaml
+++ b/kubernetes/loculus/values.yaml
@@ -446,19 +446,19 @@ defaultOrganismConfig: &defaultOrganismConfig
         displayName: Isolate name
         header: Sample details
         ingest: ncbiIsolateName
-        enableRegex: true
+        enableSubstringSearch: true
       - name: authors
         displayName: Authors
         type: authors
         header: Authors
-        enableRegex: true
+        enableSubstringSearch: true
         truncateColumnDisplayTo: 15
         ingest: ncbiSubmitterNames
       - name: authorAffiliations
         displayName: Author affiliations
         generateIndex: true
         autocomplete: true
-        enableRegex: true
+        enableSubstringSearch: true
         truncateColumnDisplayTo: 15
         header: Authors
         ingest: ncbiSubmitterAffiliation
diff --git a/website/src/types/config.ts b/website/src/types/config.ts
index 3da5bc2f1..a46d794c6 100644
--- a/website/src/types/config.ts
+++ b/website/src/types/config.ts
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ export const metadata = z.object({
     hideOnSequenceDetailsPage: z.boolean().optional(),
     header: z.string().optional(),
     rangeSearch: z.boolean().optional(),
-    regexSearch: z.boolean().optional(),
+    substringSearch: z.boolean().optional(),
 });
 
 export const inputField = z.object({
diff --git a/website/src/utils/search.ts b/website/src/utils/search.ts
index def24b5fd..97288f13d 100644
--- a/website/src/utils/search.ts
+++ b/website/src/utils/search.ts
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ export const getLapisSearchParameters = (
         Object.entries(fieldValues).filter(([, value]) => value !== undefined && value !== ''),
     );
     for (const field of expandedSchema) {
-        if (field.regexSearch === true && sequenceFilters[field.name] !== undefined) {
+        if (field.substringSearch === true && sequenceFilters[field.name] !== undefined) {
             sequenceFilters[field.name.concat('.regex')] = makeCaseInsensitiveLiteralSubstringRegex(
                 sequenceFilters[field.name],
             );