How we rank results

HealthNaro is a directory. When you search or browse, we show clinics and practitioners in an order that is meant to help you, not to reward anyone for paying. This page explains how that order is set.

What decides the order of results

Results you see without choosing a sort option are ordered by these factors:

• Verification level. Listings with more documented checks are shown before listings with fewer. The label on each profile says exactly what has been checked. The lowest level is called "Public listing". Our verification policy explains each level.
• Relevance to your search. The words you type, the place, the specialty, the service and any filters you choose decide which listings appear at all. A listing that does not match your search is not shown.
• Distance, when you share your location. If you choose "near you", results are sorted by distance from the location you share. It is used only to sort that page.
• Alphabetical order. Where listings are otherwise equal, they appear in alphabetical order by name.

You can also sort by name or by newest listing. A profile that is more complete is easier for patients to assess, but completeness does not move a listing up the results.

What payment does not do

Payment never changes the organic order of results, and it never changes a verification level. A provider cannot buy a higher position in the list, a verification badge or a better label. Verification is based on documented checks, whoever the provider is.

Featured and sponsored

These are separate from the ordinary results and are always labelled.

• Featured listings are editorial selections. Each selection shows the criteria used and the date it was made. Featuring is not an endorsement and does not change a provider's position in search.
• Sponsored placements are paid. They are marked with the word "Sponsored" wherever they appear, and they do not change the order of organic results or any verification level.

Our advertising policy sets out the rules for paid placements.

Reviews and ratings

Patient reviews and star ratings, where a profile shows them, do not change the order of results. They are shown on the profile so that you can read them, nothing more.

Questions or concerns

If you think a result is wrongly labelled or placed, tell us through the report form or contact us.