Now that Google Tags has been retired, what’s happening to the product that was almost entirely modeled on it: Yext Tags? It’s still around. However it turns out that Yext had coincidentally renamed the product “PowerListings” just before Google shuttered Tags.
The emphasis of the product has shifted from the “tag” message (e.g., “20% off”) to the listing content itself. The ability to add and change messages across site remains, however. Here’s the promotional copy from the Yext site:
Yext PowerListings are enhanced local listings on 10 premium sites such as Yahoo!, MapQuest, Citysearch, and Yelp. PowerListings allow you to control your basic listing information (name, address, phone number, categories) and gain additional visibility with enhanced content (description, hours, logo, photographs, and highlighted tag) on each site. With PowerListings, you get control over your information (change anytime!) and additional visibility to internet searchers (you’ll stand out with an extra highlight!).
- Adds missing listings or corrects wrong listings. Basic info includes name, address, phone number and business categories.
- Enhanced listings include photographs, business descriptions, bios and a special extra Tag icon in search results.
- Track clicks and impressions to your listings on each site Setup takes just minutes and your listings will be up in no time
The “power” in PowerListings resides in the near real-time ability to change data across a range of sites (above). If a change is made to an address, phone number or other categories of information that change shows up in almost real time on the other sites.
Yext CEO Howard Lerman took me through this. I made a change to the tag message for Martha’s Country Bakery and we saw it show up instantaneously across multiple sites. It was impressive.
Business owners can buy sites a la carte (e.g., Yahoo but not Yellowbot) or they can buy the “complete package,” which includes all the sites. There’s a monthly subscription fee (billed annually) for each of the sites. Fees vary slightly but most are $7.50 per month. Buying all the available sites costs a little over $600 per year. But Yext is running a substantial discount (perhaps in perpetuity) if business owners or their reps buy the complete package.
Missing from the list of local sites are obviously Google and YP.com. Foursquare is another that might now merit inclusion in the list. We can debate others.
It strikes me however that PowerListings, for most SMBs, is kind of a “no brainer” because of its simplicity, low-cost and ability to control listings across a range of local sites. It’s also something I would think that local SEOs would want to do on behalf of their clients. Obviously even broader coverage would make the product better.
If this had been the product Google was selling (distribution/visibility across multiple sites) it would have survived. Google might also want to take a look at Yext as a potential acquisition target, with its visibility, reputation and PPCall products. These would help Google round out its SMB toolset, which right now includes only Boost and Offers.
Yext has raised just under $30 million from investors.
April 29th, 2011 at 8:52 pm
Where do the the Yext advertisers rank in the results listing on each of the publishers? I would assumed they rank behind the publishers’ own advertising and in front of the free listings.
April 29th, 2011 at 9:32 pm
I didn’t survey each of the sites to check the position of these listings relative to others.
May 3rd, 2011 at 7:07 am
you can see more detailed info about Power Listings on http://powerlistings.net
they have added google enhanced local listings which differs it from yext
May 9th, 2011 at 11:57 am
[...] week ago I wrote about how Yext Tags had become Yext PowerListings. Now the company is making this program available to resellers — apparently in response to [...]
May 17th, 2011 at 4:27 am
also.. anyone else found some similar services they have tried?
August 22nd, 2011 at 4:30 pm
[...] and shifted the emphasis from offers and promotions to listings distribution. As I wrote back in April: The “power” in PowerListings resides in the near real-time ability to change data across a [...]
September 12th, 2011 at 3:02 am
In response to Kurt, yes there is at least one other service that’s competition to Yext. It’s called NetCare and the service includes a facebook page, 350 directory listings, and is offered through AdzZoo. Not surprisingly, the price is higher and the overall value is greater and certainly seems to justify the price.
Google “boost” has now become Adwords Express and is focused mostly on Google results.
As an affiliate of AdzZoo, my opinion is that there is such a need for this marketing there should be plenty of users for all these services.
September 18th, 2011 at 5:51 pm
[...] Our goal with the PowerListings product for SMB’s is two-fold: 1) Make it very simple for SMB’s to sign up for the product on their own without any handholding from sales reps (see: here) 2) Save SMB’s time and money by letting them manage their business listings from one easy-to-use dashboard (see: here) [...]
September 26th, 2011 at 7:03 pm
I signed to Yext. Unfortunately I now have duplicated accounts on citysearch, etc – this means twice as much work for monitoring reviews.
September 26th, 2011 at 7:28 pm
You have two listings now on each of these sites?
September 28th, 2011 at 6:34 pm
I’m curious if it created two listings on those sites as well. That was one concern I had. I’m also curious as to where the PowerListings fall within these sites if anyone knows.
October 25th, 2011 at 6:45 pm
Curious as to whether anyone has signed up as a Reseller and what the experience has been?
jgr
October 26th, 2011 at 12:43 pm
Other than the instant updating for some sites (Yext does not say it will instant update all sites or which sites are updated instantly) I cannot find any benefit that a SMB could not do themselves. Most SMBs do not need to update their information because it doesn’t change so paying $400 (discounted rate) to do something that you may never need and could do yourself in under an hour seems rather foolish.
October 26th, 2011 at 2:16 pm
Rohdewarrior, I signed up for the reseller account and have had some success with it. It’s $149/year but you get a free listing for your own business, then a discounted price of $379 for listings that you sell. I charge a $95 set up fee and then $43.75/month. I make about $240 off of each customer. I’m pretty new to it, so I only have myself and 2 other customers signed up at this time. A few tech problems but with a phone call or an email they were able to fix the issues pretty quick. I’m happy with it so far but am interested at the end of my year what the stats will look like for actual hits on my site and my customers sites. Let me know if you have any other questions.
November 17th, 2011 at 4:58 pm
And what if you already have listings on all of those sites already and don’t plan / expect to update your address, phone, etc. Then what’s the benefit?
November 17th, 2011 at 5:10 pm
There isn’t one then
December 6th, 2011 at 7:42 pm
Wait so Yext goes and claims the listing from my behalf on these sites? What if I have already claimed it?
December 6th, 2011 at 8:09 pm
If you already claim it, yext doesn’t do anything with it. I have had mine since mid september and according to their reports it has driven 76 people to my site. I got a few jobs out of it so for me it was worth it. I am also a reseller for them and my one client has 40 page views since the end of October. He’s pretty happy.
December 6th, 2011 at 8:18 pm
@Matt so Yext can still update my listings even if i have claimed it?
December 6th, 2011 at 8:18 pm
@Matt so will I still be able to manage the claimed listing thru Yext?
December 12th, 2011 at 5:12 pm
[...] Yext Tags Survives, Now ‘PowerListings’ [...]
December 12th, 2011 at 10:39 pm
[...] Superpages, and others. Later on, after the demise of Google Tags, Yext started promoting their PowerListings, which was very different from the initial product. The paid service included a unified center, [...]
January 31st, 2012 at 8:48 pm
Hi everyone! I am starting a small handyman business and want to have some kind of web presence locally. My website is being built as we speak. I am a low level end user so I am definately not technology or net savy. Yext sounds like a great plan, but since I am just starting out I can not afford to pay the upfront fees of yext all at once ( I could if it were monthly). Is there a way to promote a business locally for less until I can afford to subscribe to yext? I am very sincere so if you respond please be constructive
Thanks. Have a great day!
Gerhard
February 2nd, 2012 at 6:38 pm
Gerhard, I came across this article searching for reviews of Yext since I’m having a hard time seeing the benefits for SMB’s to pay for this service. You can in fact set up all these listings yourself for free. You will need to set aside maybe half a day to complete the work but it will give you a quick online local presence. The process on each site is pretty simple, just keep in mind to fill in as much information as you can. I’ve been workign on a blog post about how to get started with your google places listings, it may be a good place for you to start: http://onlinemarketinginsider.wordpress.com/. Good luck and feel free to contact me if you need help!
February 5th, 2012 at 5:21 am
hey is this going to get my local listings up i want to get this but i dont want to pay the $500 so im going to just do the re seller
February 5th, 2012 at 2:51 pm
@ Evy. Hi thank you for your thoughtful response. I am still going to keep checking on ways to promote locally and inexpensively until I can afford to subscribe. I will contact you if I need help. Thank you for your kind answer.
Gerhard
February 12th, 2012 at 2:49 pm
Do you know what happens if you cancel the service after the first required year? I heard if you don’t stay with them they put “do not follow” tags on your listings. I want to make sure my client’s listings will remain as they were listed with Yext even if they don’t choose to continue to have those listings managed.
March 5th, 2012 at 5:40 pm
THE MISSED POINT: Your right, it appears to be a no brainer until you call them and really understand what the service does. Seem logical to manage and have YEXT.com cover all the domains.
After following this string and please correct me, if I am mistaken but YEXT.COM PowerListings is actually a dangerous venue. OK, lets say I purchase there $499 complete package, which is an annual rate and over the course of the year – through there dashboard update and really make the this service work on all the sites . According to the contact I have made with them, they would create the accounts for your business and control them for the year while you feed them and build the information.
BUT if you do not elect to renew after the 12 month period, they go into the account and delete everything that you worked on over the last 12 months and they still have the claim on the account and listing which you paid for and nurtured over the past 12 months. There system basically forces you to pay the annual fee – today which is $499 but no telling what they could or might charge in the future. I was not able to find anywhere on there site that it will also be $499 each year for the next how-ever many years.
Once again, please let me know if I am wrong but this seems nuts – you pay them to create value for your site and through efficiencies create good seo, information and referral links but if you don’t renew – they delete everything you did for the last 12 months. Also, if you already have an account – they will duplicate one and basically “own you” in the future.
Thank you in advance for anyone that can show me on there website or contracts that this is not the case. OK, $499 is not bad (~$42 per month) to have good access but in reality the “long-term” value proposition of them owning your feeds – seems to be scary and even worse, if you have a business that pulls a lot of traffic – nothing stops them from offering that to a competitor.
Please tell me if I am incorrect. But the bottom line is, after 12 months and you do not renew your annual contract. Everything that was entered will be removed. Also there is no guarantee that you will still be be able to get the annual contract for $499.
March 17th, 2012 at 10:03 pm
SJ, I was told by the salesperson that I would be contacted prior to the end of the one year contract to see if I wanted to continue the service. I was also told that the rate I purchased at was a set rate and would not be higher in the future. If I choose not to renew next year the information will stay the same, nothing will be delete, I just loose my ability to change information myself. I have gone through the process with Yahoo, Yelp, Superpages, Citysearch, Yellowbook and others. It is time consuming, you have to generate a password for each account, and it is frustrating. You have to wait up to 2 weeks to see if the information is listed. The info is picked up by new providers and sometimes is not always translated properly. I moved my business over 4 years ago and for the life of me I am unable to delete or change the information. I am anticipating some changes in the near future with my biz, and appreciate being able to advertise new info on all the sites with one short session at my computer. Our time is valuable. I will definitely read the contract and see that the features the salesperson promised are in writing, I suggest others do the same. PS Don’t be afraid to ask for a better rate-no ask no get!
March 18th, 2012 at 12:51 am
Great discussion guys. I posted back in October how I was a reseller. I still only have myself and one other client. After reading some posts I got scared and called yext. They assured me 100% that if my client or myself should ever cancel, the only information that will be lost will be the enhanced listing ability that Yext has. Example: I listed my business on yahoo by myself, then signed up with Yext. With Yext I get a cool little “banner ad” to display any sales or specials” and a few other goodies. If I cancel with Yext my listing will revert back to how it looked before Yext. Yext doesn’t have control over the listing or any of that stuff. If you can swing the reseller option for $149.99 for the year I say give it a shot. Like Cindy, I decided to restructure my business a few months ago and it was SO nice just signing into Yext, changing my website, business hours, specials, pictures and videos once and Yext took care of the rest. Just my thoughts.
March 18th, 2012 at 1:06 am
@Matt, the concern I have is that statement:”If I cancel with Yext my listing will revert back to how it looked before Yext.” That sounds like more than you are losing “enhanced listing ability.” If you didn’t already have a listing claimed, does it revert back to no listing? Also, do they give you the login info for all your listings so you can change them if you don’t sign up with them the next year? . I called Yext and tried to get them to answer specific questions like this and they were evasive and said they would have someone call me back. This happened twice, and I wasn’t called back. I’m still skeptical.
April 5th, 2012 at 2:32 pm
[...] Superpages, and others. Later on, after the demise of Google Tags, Yext started promoting their PowerListings, which was very different from the initial product. The paid service included a unified center, [...]
April 18th, 2012 at 12:14 am
I just signed up for two of my locations for computer repairs stores. I had listing on about 5 of the 30 sites yext updates. I was told by the sales reps that yext gives you premium listings on all these sites which you would have to pay each site for. I will post back after monitoring click throughs. I have not made listings on each of these sites due to time contraints.
May 14th, 2012 at 9:19 pm
Local listings are key these days and especially Google Places. While Yext does not currently have a relationship with Google to support creation/updates of Google Places pages, the secondary effect of having consistent listings across the 35 Yext Power Listing sites, each of which will count as a Google Places citation. The ability to maintain all listing from one dashboard could be a huge time saver, with some value adds for “premium” features such as listing photos/special offers. I am strongly considering Yext Power Listing package, but am concerned about what happens to the business listings on the partner sites once the annual service period expires and not renewed. The impact to our business, eBiz ROI, Inc., could be large since it is already listed on many/’most of the Yext Power Listing sites. We absolutely DO NOT want to have duplicate business listings, lose control of existing listings or have the links from those existing profiles become no-follow links if we decide not to renew with Yext after the service term expires. The Yext PowerListings Terms and Conditions are silent on business listing “ownership” for those local business listings created and maintained through the Yext interface and those local business listing that pre-exist the Yext service when the service term expires. In fact, the Yext T&Cs don’t distinguish between those two different types of business listings. Anyone have experience from a similar context? The other question is how does Yext map your business category to each local business listing, each with their own category taxonomy? Some offer fill in the blank with others limiting to a list of available categories to chose from. Thanks for sharing.
July 27th, 2012 at 7:21 pm
Has anyone gotten an answer on the ownership issue.
It seems to me:
-it seems there is little incentive to stay signed up beyond 1year changing your specials, which is significant
-unless their model is truly creating a base to sell to Someone
I am a novice at this, a dentist who has just moved and under my old business name has excellent placement. The net result being if you put my name in, the Old location shows up many times before the new.
I also am not listed in my new location on white pages, etc and still on my new.
I went to white pages but couldn’t find how ro change it.
I am wondering the best approach
-
August 2nd, 2012 at 9:34 pm
Fascinating information. I’m so glad I found this. I, too, am considering becoming a reseller because it sounds like a great way to hit a bunch of local search engines with a single entry. I do not see a complete list of all search engines that a part of the Yext package on the Yext webside, and therefore don’t know if the list can be customized for specific industries (forgive me if it’s already been addressed here and I missed it). It seems like once you’ve got the information/pix/etc. in hand, it should be relatively easy to cut and paste to get all the specific search engines you want. $499 a year is a lot of dough, especially for micro-businesses that want to be noticed on the web but don’t have that kind of money to shell out. Thanks for whatever feedback you can provide.
August 17th, 2012 at 7:52 pm
I been studying Yext closely for a minute, and im really considering bringing this to our clients. However; hearing about the powe listing price, I’m wonder how my user will see that. Most are small and very young businesses with minimal advertising budget. I want to be clear on price, if someone could help me.
August 20th, 2012 at 8:01 am
I am cleaning up the online business listings for one of my clients. He had hired Main Street Hub to manage his online business listings and paid them a few hundred dollars per month for the service. I believe Main Street Hub was using a third-party service (possibly Yext). He cancelled the agreement with Main Street Hub and asked me to claim and clean up his business listings (most of them had incorrect information). I am also setting up the online business listings for another one of his businesses.
Here is my insight: It is easy to claim and set up a new business listing in Google, Bing, Yahoo, Yelp, etc., but it can be very difficult to claim a business listing that has already been claimed and then remove false information. I have had to communicate with customer service people at a few of these sites and they have been helpful (some more helpful than others), but it has taken a few hours of work for each claimed listing to reclaim it for the business owner and correct false information.
Based on the comments that I read here and my own experience, I strongly recommend that a business owner claim and set up the business listings on the sites that are most important to the business (e.g. Google, Bing, Yahoo, Yelp, Citysearch, Yellowpages, Superpages, Patch, etc.). Don’t let a third-party company control any of the business listings. I also recommend setting up a dedicated e-mail address to be used for all online business listing accounts so that the owner can monitor activity very easily with that one e-mail account. As noted in earlier comments, there are variations in the content that is allowed or requested for each site, and I have found that it is very helpful to have the business owner involved in providing the information to make sure the content is accurate and optimized for each site.
August 20th, 2012 at 2:41 pm
Parker:
Thanks for your comments and advice. I’m sure that many local SEOs would agree.
August 22nd, 2012 at 2:47 am
Sorry for my English… I wondering if when we try to do the listings buy ourselves, these companies (business directories / listing) will need to contact me back by phone to confirm that I am the owner of the business…? Please, tell me if any of you have ever do this manually and what percent of them do call you by phone to confirm the ownership. I will really appreciate any help on this.
Thank you
August 22nd, 2012 at 3:34 am
Ricardo, Confirmation by phone is the normal process for verification for the business listing sites. An automated phone call is placed by the site to the phone number provided in the business listing and an automated message provides a code that then must be entered online through a website browser (usually the webpage has a button to initiate the automated call and an entry box to enter the code, and there is generally a short window of time to enter the code after the call has been initiated). Some sites offer additional methods: 1) confirmation by mail (a postcard is mailed to the business address with a code that then must be entered online through the account dashboard for verification), 2) confirmation by e-mail (an e-mail message is sent to the business e-mail in the business listing for verification). I hope this answers your question.
October 29th, 2012 at 8:14 pm
So, it would seem it is worth the effort to handle this yourself and not give up any control of the listings. In the long run, small businesses are made successful by sweat equity and long nights in the office. You can buy success but it costs a ton of $$$ and doesn’t last as long. Thanks for the comments to this article and good luck!