CVDM is innovating to put its member companies further in the spotlight. A smart search is now available directly on the homepage, open to everyone, making it easier than ever to discover member companies.
In short: until October 31, semantic search surfaces every member company, free and paid alike. Starting November 1, only paid memberships (Visibilité and Maillage) will remain findable through it. The member directory itself stays browsable by everyone, at all times, that doesn't change.
Instead of filtering by category or exact keyword, you simply type what you're looking for, in a sentence. For example: "custom furniture manufacturer in Quebec," and the directory surfaces the most relevant companies, not just a list based on keyword matches.
Until October 31, this semantic search surfaces every member company, free and paid alike. Starting November 1, on the homepage, it will only surface companies at the Visibilité and Maillage tiers.
The member directory itself isn't changing: it remains browsable by everyone, at all times, regardless of tier. What becomes exclusive to Visibilité and Maillage members after October 31 is showing up in semantic search results directly on the homepage, an option that didn't exist before. Inside the member space, once logged in, semantic search continues to surface every company, regardless of tier or date.
This new public visibility benefits businesses looking for a partner first and foremost, but it also opens the door to an audience CVDM doesn't actively court, and one that's real nonetheless: CVDM remains, at its core, a business-to-business matchmaking tool, but close to 10% of the requests we've received since the start of the year come from individuals looking for a product for personal use. The launch promotion lets every company respond to that starting now, without straying from our B2B mission.
This isn't just an intention. The Directory is already the most visited page on cvdm.org, with 5,700 views in June alone. And the page for submitting a matchmaking request climbed into the site's top 7 most visited pages in July, a clear sign that visitors aren't just browsing, they're taking action.
Another signal points the same way: visits coming from AI tools like ChatGPT are on the rise. CVDM has already surpassed, in just two months, the total number of such visits recorded over the entire previous quarter. There's no way yet to confirm this comes specifically from the new search feature, but it does confirm that CVDM's content is increasingly being picked up, no matter the entry point.
It's also a good example of what CVDM has been trying to do from the start: turn the data each company enters into its profile into concrete business opportunities, rather than letting it sit unused in a simple directory.
One nuance still matters: the more complete and up to date a profile is, the better its chances of showing up in the right search results, whether that's in the public directory right now or in whichever directory applies to you after October 31. A profile left half filled out, with a vague description of what the company offers or is looking for, will have a harder time making it through the search.
Until October 31, take advantage, your company shows up in semantic search for free, regardless of your membership tier. Want to stay that way after that date? The Visibilité and Maillage tiers are built exactly for that, turning a simple listing in the directory into real business opportunities, today and after the promotion.
Would you like to raise your company's profile within the Canadian manufacturing ecosystem, or explore new connection opportunities? Become a member !
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