How Yext Makes Local SEO a Breeze

Local SEO should be a top priority for your business and Yext is the listings answer made for today

Key takeaways:

• Local search is crucial for you to connect with customers near you who need your services.
• Directories showcase your business to these customers via local SEO.
• While you can manually submit your website to multiple directories, you can also avoid headaches, different fees, and time-consuming tasks by using Yext instead

As a business owner, you know that digital marketing and SEO are crucial to finding new customers and connecting with the right people. Local SEO is a huge piece of this customer acquisition puzzle. Local search marketing allows you to appear to customers who are close by, looking for quick answers to their problems. To be effective with local search, you need to ensure your local listings are always up to date, accurate, and complete.

This guide will walk you through why local search and directories are so important and how Yext can help you manage it all.

How important is local search?

Local search marketing, or local SEO, ensures that you connect with customers in your area. When a person searches for services like yours on Google, you want them to see your business right away. Local SEO is a specific type of SEO that focuses on getting you ranked in your area.

Studies have shown just how much local search can impact brands.78% of local mobile searches result in an in-store purchase. With the right approach to local search, you'll see more traffic, more conversions, and more revenue. According to Yext data, businesses that have complete location listings get 52% more clicks just from local search.

Put simply, local search gets you noticed by local customers who are actively seeking services and products in your industry.

What are directories?

Whether you're just starting out with a new website or you're trying to revamp your SEO approach, one of your first steps should be to submit your website to directories. This way, when someone searches for a service in your area, your business appears.

A directory is comprised of local listings where consumers can find you. Your listing will include your business's name, address, phone number, website, description, and other information relevant to your customers. Examples of common local business directories are:

• Google My Business
• Facebook
• Yelp
• Apple Maps
• Bing
• HubSpot

As with most search considerations, Google is going to be the number one place you're trying to get your listing noticed since most online users go there first to find something.

One option for submitting your website to these sites is to go to each directory and submit your information manually. The other is to allow a tool like Yext to take care of it for you. Let's walk through both scenarios.

Challenges of submitting to directories manually

You may think, "why should I use a service when I can submit to directories myself?" While you can do it manually, there are some key challenges to be aware of before you start. You may be required to get site approval before submitting to each directory, which can take a while and involve several back-and-forth exchanges.

You also have to manage several different platforms which may have different requirements about what you need to submit and consume your time.

With all these moving parts, it can be a big challenge to make sure that your listing data is always accurate and up-to-date across directories.

In addition, if you need to change your address or phone number down the road, you'll have to go back to all of these directories once again to submit the changes. Needless to say, it can be quite the headache.

Using let Yext do the heavy lifting

Instead of trying to do it yourself, you can use a tool like Yext which will make the process much easier, faster, and more cost-effective. Yext is the only official partner for Yahoo business listings. Yahoo charges you a fee to list your business, so the cost of Yext in comparison is quite cheap. While Yext is a paid service, it's important to recognize that some of these other directories also require you to pay, so you would be saving those fees when you use Yext.

Yext allows you to keep your listings updated on all directories, big and small, with one touchpoint that you don't have to go out of your way to maintain. Its tools will help you get recognized on Google Maps, Apple Maps, Amazon Alexa, Big, Waze, and more.

Another benefit of Yext is that you can integrate the tool with other platforms so that updates are made automatically and your listings always stay current. Yext helps you add content like logos and photos to your listings to make them complete and appealing to customers. You can also track metrics through the dashboard like clicks, conversions, and impressions to monitor your performance.

It's clear that Yext, the only official partner for Yahoo business listings, is the way to go for local SEO. It lets you manage all of your local directory listings in one place without hassle.

Where Bolles Media fits in

At Bolles Media, we offer a host of digital marketing services to help you grow your business. We'll consult with you about how to stand out from your competitors, guide you to improve your SEO approach, and help you create or improve a business website.

We understand just how important local search marketing is to getting your business noticed and improving your overall online presence. A big part of that is making sure that your listings are always accurate, up-to-date, and complete.

Do a local SEO data check to scan for your business's local listings for free. Fill out our form to see if your business is displaying correctly to the most popular listing websites, including Google My Business, Facebook, and more.