Yext - Introduction & Setup

Owned by Reina Underwood
Last updated: May 05, 2022
6 min read

Yext is a data management tool that is designed to keep track of a business’ location-related information on multiple directories. Through Yext, a business can sync all of its information on multiple directories.

A business might want to sync the following information through Yext:

  • Business name, address, and phone number.

  • Business hours, products, services, menus, and calendars.

  • Coupons.

  • Business categories.

At LeadVenture, we utilize Yext to connect and maintain our client’s directories. Depending on your task, you may need to set up a Yext account before proceeding with other work.

How To Set Up a Yext Account

1. Log into Yext using your username and password.

2. You should now see “Dealer Spike” and “TCS” listed as customer names. Click New Customer Location.

3. The next page will ask you for Account and Location ID.

  • These numbers can be found on the Client Tracker for Dealer Spike, and in Dynamics365 for ARI.
    Note: The Account and Location ID can be the same number.

  • Once information has been entered, click Continue.

4. The next page will ask for some basic information about the dealer. This information is obtained through the dealership’s website.

The main name of the business. If this is a dealer that has multiple locations and the location is included, you may omit the location. For example, JD Equipment - Wilmington should appear as JD Equipment.
The main category of the dealership’s primary inventory. You will be able to add more categories later. Example: You encounter a dealership that sells boats, ATVs, and SxS. To determine the primary category, look at the front page, their inventory, and their name.
Note: This section auto-fills. Typing “Boat” or “ATV” will give you a list of options to choose from.

5. Next, you will need to select the service. What you choose will depend on if they have reputation management services with LeadVenture.

  • If they do, choose the Knowledge Engine Ultimate option.

  • If they do not, choose the Knowledge Engine Professional option.

  • Click Continue.

6. On the next screen, use the dealership’s website to fill out all required spaces marked with an orange asterisk ( * ).

Note

  • If your dealer has more than one location, you will need to make a profile for each location.

  • When choosing the dealer’s categories, make sure they’re broad and encompass as much as possible. While it is okay to list a dealership under more than one category, be careful how many you list. Too many categories can hurt a listing.

  • The bottom of the page will ask you for a store ID. This is not necessary. You do not have to enter anything there.

7. After all required fields are filled out, click Add Location.

8. Once a new profile is set up, select Knowledge Manager at the top left. Search for the profile you have just created. You now need to add a service to the account in order to bring up the Optimization Progress bar.

The next page will take you to the knowledge manager. This is where you will fill out as many of the fields as you can. Use the dealership’s website to gather your information. Don’t worry about the stuff that is not immediately available. The SEO Reps will work on filling in the gaps as their SEO campaign progresses. Here are some helpful tips on finding as much info as possible.

 

  • Business name, category, address, and phone number are on the dealer’s website.

  • The featured message could be something simple like “Call or Stop By Today,” but it’s best to go with a more personable call to action type of statement, or if the dealer is running a monthly special like “15% off Wakeboards in June” go with that.

  • Business description is usually best taken from the first few sentences of a dealer’s About Us section.

  • Business hours are located in the Map & Hours section of a given website. If a dealer has special hours like, “Saturday by appointment only,” list it as closed in the “Business Hours” section, then in “Additional Hours Info” write out “Saturday by Appt Only.”

  • Holiday hours, if available, should also be able to be located in the Maps & hours section of a website.

  • Payment methods, if available, can usually be found at the bottom of the homepage on a dealer’s website.

  • A contact email can usually be found on the “Contact Us Page.” A lot of dealers are choosing to go with a form to fill out over giving an email address, so finding one might not always be possible.

  • App information, if the dealer has an app can usually be located at the very top or bottom of the homepage along with all of the other social media links.

  • When it comes to photos and videos, there’s a high probability that things like business logos or intro videos might not be easily found. Some places to check for these include, "About Us" pages, Event Pages, blogs, etc.

  • The entire section of Enhanced Content Lists is a section that can be skipped. It most likely won’t be used.

  • The “Year Established” can likely be found in the “About Us” section on a dealer’s website. It might even be able to be located on the homepage in the company’s logo, or near it at the very top of the homepage. It could also be in some of the introductory text on a dealer’s homepage.

  • Products and brands can be found on the dealer’s inventory list pages. If a dealer only has one or two units of a product or brand, it’s not necessary to list out. Stick with ones that have 3+ items available.

  • Check the “Parts and Service” section, usually found in the top navigation bar of a dealer’s website to see if they list any specific information about the services they offer.

  • Specialties could also potentially be found on the services page. Maybe even on the homepage.

  • Associations is a section typically reserved for business partnerships and/or co-op situations, or other groups a dealer belongs to. It’s where you would list out parent companies or partnerships a dealer has. For some dealers you can find this information directly next to their logo on the homepage. Others it might be listed in the about us, or even parts and services pages.

  • If a dealer communicates in more than one language, you might be able to find that info on the homepage or in the about us section.

  • Keywords should be pretty straight and simple. Stick with things like “motorcycles” or “RVs” or whatever they sell to get a broad basic start on them. The rep will fill out the rest that they will tailor specific for the dealer.

  • The Google My Business fields will automatically be filled in once we link their profile with their GMB account. Same with the GMB attributes.

  • Facebook photos and info will also auto populate once the accounts are linked.   

  • Uber, Internal Use Only, and the Knowledge Assistant sections can be skipped.

  • The most likely place you will find a dealer’s competitors is on the first page of their client sheet. Check there, and list any that are listed.

  • For the search tracker, you will want to do the following.

    • “Intelligent Search Tracker Enabled” switch to “Yes” then hit save.

    • “Intelligent Search Tracker Frequency” choose “Monthly (Every 4 Weeks)” then hit save.

    • “Location Keywords” select both boxes, hit save.

    • Skip “Custom Keywords” for now. We won’t know these until talking with the dealer and getting to know them and their business a little more.

    • “Query Templates” choose KEYWORD, KEYWORD CITY STATE, KEYWORD in CITY, and KEYWORD near me. Hit save.

    • Alternate names and websites are typically most common with dealers who have multiple locations and different sites for each location. The best way to find this information is by checking the homepage to see if they have other locations or sites listed.

    • For Tracking Sites, choose all four options and then hit save.

For additional help on Yext, please see Yext Help

 

Next Step: Generating Client Outreach Link