Journal
Powerful Search Engines Made To Find Dentists in Canada
- February 11, 2013
- Posted by: Sharky Liu
- Category: Business Marketing 101
Perhaps there is no profession so perfectly suited to having its own search engine as is dentistry. Everybody needs a dentist, and yet, we all need one differently, ie in different places, at different rates, for different services, at different times. Collectively, our common hunt for a dentist is a small-scale version of the intensely competitive local search marketplace. As discussed in my article Find Me A Dentist, The Business of Finding A Dentist on the Web, in Jan 2013, the rise and fall of local dentist search engines ennobles of the Entrepreneur’s Dream, and celebrates humanity’s vision of a Utopian society made more effective by improved connectivity. This author believes the search for a dentist is the ‘bleeding edge’ of a collective desire for sociological, technological restructuring of society, starting in our own backyards, and local neighborhoods. That is why below you will find an example of this; some powerful search engines made to find dentists in Canada.
Find me a dentist
The text ‘Find me a dentist’ is a very active search term in part because lots of mobile devices use the term ‘me’ and ‘find’ as root commands for searches whereby they access Google search data, and the word ‘dentist’ as discussed earlier, is a quintessential search commodity and is the subject of many examples of why having a smart phone saves the consumer time and energy. Indeed so many business analysts hold up mobile phones using geo targeted coupons as the greatest consumer advantage of our time. So it has come to pass that Canadians searching the web for a local dentist soon discover lots of dental services locator in various platforms eager to help. These many different dental services locators gather data in several ways. The way in which they gather information is often the best means by which they can be categorized.
Social Networks gather data by osmosis
Facebook is directly targeting the search for a dentist with new feature called Graph Search. CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is actually the son of dentist Dr. Edward Zuckerberg and the video they use shows Graph Search project lead Lars Rasmussen explained how the shiny new Facebook tool will work using an analogy of searching for a dentist.
On some level, participation on Facebook actually causes people to seek out cosmetic dental services as they become more self aware and socially aware of others’ beautiful smiles. However I will agree with SMILE Canada and Dentistfind.com marketing managers who claim loudly that seeking out and using your friend’s dentist is actually a terrible way to find the best practitioner for your needs. They correctly reason that your friends’ situation will not reflect your different locations, service requirements, family size, dental plan insurance specifics and payment options.
Yelp, Gigpark, and Localfaves.com, and other local search directories all index dentists efficiently. However there is a fine line between a reputable local search engine with good index pages and expanding content, and a thin content directory that exists only to propel SEO campaign link lists – the magic ingredient appears to be human interaction and that can be 3rd party surfing metrics analysis or actual data entry in the form of user reviews. The more important the site, the better the citation link or NAP page reference name, address and phone number is passed to the client.
Below you could find five of the top dentist discovery services. These dentist discovery services get their data from a wide variety of sources, which include dental association information, yellow pages, and alumni records to give users not only a more accurate, but also a wider selection of dental practitioners. With Google at the forefront of the most streamlined search results, these dentist discovery services are continuously optimizing their databases to provide even better search results than Google.
HealthAware
HealthAware.ca, a free service that helps Canadians find dentists (as well as other health practitioners) and book appointments online. They’re big news in the start-up world and media darlings who know how to work the press. Last year for example the organization impacted mainstream media with the results of a popular survey they sponsored which showed that 70% of females in Ontario are responsible for making the healthcare decisions in their household. Nikolai Bratkovski the CEO of HealthAware went on the record saying, “Our study shows that women are the primary caregivers in Ontario households. The majority of these women are between 30–55 plus years of age and assume the responsibility of healthcare decisions for their children, siblings, spouses and parents.” And Nikolai’s designers really know how to please the ladies with their easy to use and rather stylish layout and user interface.
HealthAware homepage hosts a custom search engine specially designed to allow users to find dentists, chiropractors first, and then doctors and clinics with which they can currently book appointments. That’;s the big advantage – you can book an appointment at any time and don’t need to talk to anyone. Select desired specialty and location to find the one most convenient time and place for your next appointment. Click on the desired clinic, and proceed with the booking process.
The Ontario Dental Association, ODA
Established by Dr. Barnabus Day in 1867, even before Ontario was given its name, the Ontario Dental Association (ODA) is one of the most major players in dental services. Having 80% of dental practitioners as members, is committed to ensuring that patients are provided with the most up-to-date information on dentists. As their mandate states “This Association is instituted with the view of promoting professional and social intercourse among dental practitioners in the Province of Ontario, Dominion of Canada, and to encourage a disposition for investigation on their part in every direction which relates to the principles and practice of the profession and collateral science.”
YourOralHealth.ca is the website of ODA focused on providing useful information to consumers. From community water flouridation to how certain medical conditions could affect your smile, you are sure to find something that will raise your knowledge about not only your oral health, but also your overall body’s. That is one of the reasons why ODA’s YourOralHealth.ca is very well optimized in search engines. Other than that, hundreds of dentists, public schools, and communit programs have also linked their sites to YourOralHealth.ca
DentistFind.com
Dentistfind.com is a user-friendly website centered on mapping. Other than being easy, it is also pretty amusing to see the little pink man activate all of the dentists nearby, complete with their details, when you scroll him around the map. The blue pins that appear on the map are linked to the business notes at the left hand sidebar; each of these business notes gives a thorough description and full details of a dentist nearby. At first glance it’s easy to see which practitioners have paid to be optimized in the system as their profiles are decorated with informative videos.
Dentistfind.com’s website is made for Canadians to discover the available dentists within their selected area code. Unlike some of the other options listed here, this custom web search tool is built exclusively for dentists. The absence of registration and the need to fill out any form other than your area code makes Dentistfind.com the easiest way to find a dentist near you. After entering in your area code, all you have to do is click on the FIND A DENTIST button and watch the site breeze through all the heavy lifting and set the pink man marker in the center of the area you searched for and have the little blue pins positioned accordingly. Subsequently, you can also check the dentists’ hours, services, specialties, and even languages as you hover over the display. The interface is foolproof!
Other useful contents could be found below the map. There will be interesting articles in boxes that are sure to arouse readers’ interest. Scrolling further down, you will find a pool of additional services. To narrow down your search or if you are more used to the traditional search fields, there are three additional boxes at the bottom of the page, which you could use. Dentistfind.com also provides its users with a thorough list of specialists and their services such as Cosmetic Dentistry, Gum Reduction, Bridges, Teeth Whitening, Dental Bonding, and Veneers.
Smile Canada
Smile Canada is a marketing company for dental services in Canada. They help dentists and customers in Canada find each other to inspire their visitors to aspire for and maintain their maximum dental health. They are committed to educating consumers and bringing convenient ways for their users to search for and coordinate with nearby dental practitioners.
Smile Canada promises to outsmart Google by providing their users with an experience personalized to meet their dental needs. Smile Canada’s site is specifically geared towards the delivery of a fair understanding of the various treatments, procedures, and other dental services that are available to its users. They also have a special section devoted to kids’ dentistry where kids can can learn healthy dental habits through fun games.
Smile Canada users have the option to make use of the dentist search tool to find the specific professional or dental service they need, within their proximity. By providing more details, they can even find and read through the dentist’s bio, their specialty services, and the flexible payments and insurance options they offer. They have also included dentists’ office hours, maps, and driving directions for your convenience. You could also discover several useful information, such as the clinics’ waiting times on the special dentist review section that where you can read through other patients’ feedback.
Dental Referral
Although not as old as the ODA, Dental Referral has been around a long time and helped a lot of people; the dental referral service that still exists today has been in the business for more than twenty-four years. It has stuck around because of the hundreds of thousands of patients it has helped find dentists all over Canada and the United States that are the perfect for their needs. Dental Referral’s service promises to deliver ‘human tested results’ in a pledge to find users “…Not just any dentist but a top-rated local professional who’s been carefully pre-screened by us. In just seconds, we’ll match you with a dentist who offers the exact mix of dental treatments, office hours and payment options you’re looking for…” This is definitely more than what Google could deliver.
Dental Referral is aiming to be the most trusted online dentist directory dedicated to helping consumers find the best dentist and dental service options in their area. The website proudly claims that they give their users “so much more than the name and phone number of a local dentist.” Through their their toll-free number or online database, users will receive a complete scope on dentists and dental offices. From their education, specializations (such as whitening), current licenses, latest dental equipment and technology, types of sedation available, years in practice, and whether that they could accommodate emergency patients or not.
Dental Referral is free. There’s no charge, no obligation and never any fine print involved with finding a dentist through DentalReferral.com.
In summary, the business of capturing the search for a dentist is very competitive, and delivering high quality results in this niche is equally challenging. The future is going to be very interesting as more and more search traffic goes mobile, and social networks play a larger role in prioritizing friends’ data. One thing is certain is that the search for a dentist will continue to be the bleeding edge of local search innovation for some time to come.