You want people to be able to easily search for your business, more importantly, you want that information to be correct. With new directory listing apps and websites being created every day it’s nearly impossible to claim each one, not to mention the headache of logging into each one should your business hours change slightly. There has to be an easier way.
Luckily for you, there is a remedy for all your directory worries. Say goodbye to the methods of the past and embrace new modern methods of A.I. management. Say hello to Yext.
What The Heck Is Yext?
Yext lets companies manage their digital presence across 100+ map, app, search engine, web pages, and directory listings in the Knowledge Network.
The Digital Presence Manager scavenges the world wide web, gathering intel and ensuring your business’s information is up to date and of the highest quality.
Is your office manager always stressed out trying to remember everywhere your business or practice is listed? Yext offers an easy user experience that allows you to update the pages on your site and social media accounts. Simply log in to Yext and you can update your business hours, upload a new logo, or begin a new marketing promotion all within one management system.
Want to list your business in a new directory? Yext can handle that too! The system holds the power to automatically list your business on its entire Knowledge Network. This not only allows local customers to look your business up by name, it, in turn, drives up your ‘local business rankings’ on Google, boosting SEO.
What Are The Benefits?
Yext has some incredible benefits, all of which continue to help your online presence even after you cancel the service.
- Yext matches your chosen business information across 100+ platforms and creates a master lock on that information so outside sources cannot alter it.
- Serves as one central hub for business information, making changes simple and instant. As a business owner, you're able to choose the information you want to be listed, ensuring that it is correct.
- Yext consolidates and removes multiple listings for the same business. Have a new doctor join the practice but a listing still exists with a retired doctor’s name? Yext takes care of this without you needing to change anything other than your Yext portal template.
- Yext provides local listing analytics showing you how often your business is searched for online. Giving you affordable search engine optimization and the ability to better understand and change your search engine results.
- Allows you to create “Enhanced Listings” with photos, promotional specials, menus, biographies, etc.
Sounds too good to be true, we know, but the benefits are real and permanent. Any changes or listing consolidations made while using Yext remain even after canceling the service, except for enhanced content which does cease as these directories often do not promote this information themselves.
I'm Not Sure Yext Is For My Business...
If you are worried if Yext may not be right for you, don’t worry, being cautious is good business sense. While Yext is great for most businesses, it certainly doesn’t benefit all. Yext does not cover EVERY directory platform, the list is ever-growing and improving and you should be sure that your listings will be serviceable.
Nothing in this world is free, and while Yext’s services and time-saving benefits are seen as invaluable by most. For some, it could be seen as an expenditure that is not worth the price. As a business owner, you will have to consider whether it will be worth your precious budget dollars.
Research Yext and weigh your options and current position. If you are a smaller local business just starting out, it may be in your best interest to spend a few hours manually listing your information with larger directories.
However, if you are the owner of a medium or larger established business Yext could be your new directory best friend. This is especially true if you’re opening a new location or moving your business.
Ask yourself: Would your company benefit from having enhanced listings for a larger online marketing strategy? Do you want to include promotions, videos, staff biographies, client project photos, and more? This is a feature in which the DIY listing often requires additional fees, but Yext offers this in your yearly fee. Enhanced listings boost your SEO and can direct more traffic to your website.
Keeping track of where your business is listed online and that those listings are correct is time-consuming and difficult. While you can manage this on your own, Yext is the most time-efficient and cost-effective way to maintain control of your business listings across the web.
This article was originally published on July 2, 2020, and was updated on October 21, 2021, for context and clarity.
