Yext For Local SEO

Local optimization is a crucial component of any SEO campaign. Establishing a local presence for a business is important because it will build authority and help the site perform well in its niche. One of the easiest ways to build a local presence is by providing proper name, address, and phone number (NAP) information to visitors via directories. Directories are powerful tools for placing a business’s contact information in the eyes of users who are searching for a specific product or service offering.

So how can you submit a business’s NAP information to directories? And how can you find which directories to submit to? The answer is Yext.

What is Yext?

Yext is an online tool that allows businesses to easily submit and/or edit business listings across the web. The Yext network is made up of directories, maps, and even apps, so finding the listings you want to manage is simple.

The beauty of Yext is its automation and consistency. The tool not only makes it easy to create business listings but it also helps ensure that listings throughout the network match with regard to NAP information, which is an important factor for building a business’s online credibility.

Features

With a visit to Yext.com, you can quickly perform a business scan to identify existing and missing business listings. From there, you can determine a business’s submission opportunities. With a Yext subscription, however, you’ll have access to these awesome features:

Listings – Dependent upon your subscription, Yext will allow you to easily manage the listings of multiple business locations from one main view. From the Location CMS, you’ll be able to customize the content of business listings across multiple channels.

Duplicate Suppression – Yext’s Duplicate Suppression option is extremely useful for minimizing the number of incomplete or incorrect business listings across the web. Yext will send notifications when duplicates exist, giving you the power to quickly eliminate unwanted information from floating around.

Social – Yext’s Social tool takes local optimization a step further. Similar to Listings, Social allows you to quickly and easily build your brand’s awareness in the social landscape. With the ability to share relevant local information, like store hours or one-day promotions, from one place, a business can easily become a topic that users become engaged with.

Analytics – Yext also provides an Analytics tool. From it, you can gain a better view of how a business’s listings are performing. For example, you can plot and review metrics such as number of profile views and number of featured message clicks. This tool provides insight that will help you plan future business listings and social shares accordingly.

Partner Community – One of the coolest features of Yext is the platform’s Partner Community. Within the partner community, users have access to a wide range of useful resources, including training videos, white papers, webinars, and more.

Yext Tips

If you decide to tackle local SEO with Yext as your right-hand, keep these tips in mind for the best experience:

• Become a Yext Certified Partner! Watch the training videos and complete the course. This will ensure that you know how to use each of Yext’s features. – Side note: Quite a few of us at Blueprint are Yext Certified and we enjoy sporting our Yext t-shirts. 🙂
• Always suppress duplicates when they exist. This will ensure that the business’s brand and contact information is portrayed in a clean, correct manner.
• Don’t forget about relevant industry-specific directories. Although the Yext network is very large, it doesn’t necessarily encompass every directory that a business may want to be a part of. Remember to submit business listings to industry-specific directories, as long as the contact information aligns with other directories across the web.

Whether you’re a SEO professional or a business with multiple locations, check out Yext to boost your local optimization!