Whether you’re a small business owner or an up-and-coming corporate executive, search engine optimization (SEO) should be a part of your marketing strategy.
There are a variety of different SaaS (software-as-a-service) tools out there for SEO solutions, each of which purports to solve all of your problems; however, it’s important to find the right tools that fit your business’ or clients’ SEO needs!
We’ve tested Moz and Yext (the two most well known SaaS tools) and put them head to head so you don’t have to. With the right tools behind your business, you’re guaranteed to succeed against even the fiercest competition!
Why Do I Need It?
One of the most important questions you may ask is “do I really need this?” Well, our answer would have to be a resounding YES!
SEO management tools like Yext give you the ability to manage your businesses online reputation with just the click of a button. In an instant you’ll be able to manage all of your online reviews across major directories, remove duplicate business listings, correct any inconsistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) data, and add your business to the 100’s of directories available in the Yext PowerListings Network.
Let’s also not forget about the power of Moz Pro. With Moz you’ll be able to manage your location data, track keywords, and discover link building opportunities. While Moz isn’t quite as robust in some ways as Yext, if you have a little bit more technical knowledge about SEO and understand the dos and don’ts of the practice, then Moz Pro may be the right fit for you!
Take it for a Test Drive
Moz offers a 30 day trial period which will help you learn a little more about the platform. With this trial you’ll have access to Moz’s many tools such as their Keyword Explorer (keyword research and targeting tool), Open Site Explorer (for finding link-building opportunities), and MozBar (Moz’s free browser extension that provides access to link metrics and site analysis tools).
Sadly, Yext does not offer a trial period; however, for those of you who are interested in their services you can scan your business for free with our Local Optimization Scanner! With this demo you’ll receive a walk through of the platform and gain a greater degree understanding of just what it is that a proper SEO strategy can do for your business.
The Price Is Right
A Moz Pro subscription retails for around $99 a year. With this subscription you will gain access to all of the features stated above, whereas an Yext Powerlistings plan will cost you $199 a year for the starter package with only a 27% optimization rate (and almost $1,000 a year when purchasing the premium package!).
Although the price difference may seem astronomical, keep in mind that Yext maintains your listing’s status for you on all major directories (Bing, Facebook, Foursquare, Google, and Yahoo). Moz submits to some of the same directories as Yext, but you won’t be able to manually submit to many of the directories in Yext’s portfolio (e.g. Yahoo) because a large number of the sites exclusively allow Yext to manage their local listings.
Getting Help
Whether you decide to go with Moz or Yext, you will have 24/7 support for your needs. Moz has Local Enterprise Support Specialists that will offer their help when available, as well as the Moz Help Hub (provides guided walk-throughs and Q&A’s), and the Moz community (open forum where you can seek help from other Moz Pro users).
Yext support is not available 24/7, but you can seek support from any of their specialists by phone or email, check out their webinars, and, best of all, use the Yext Knowledge Center (a support hub with how-to articles and insights).
Conclusion
Moz and Yext both have certain attributes that make them desirable; however, it’s up to you to decide which one you think is the right fit for you.
Yext allows you to have full control over your online presence in an instant, which is perfect when you’re too busy worrying about the day to day to worry about how you’re being represented online. However, even though Yext may override any inconsistent data, when you decide to end your subscription, your information will be taken back to its original state. With Moz, any information submitted is almost indefinitely permanent and you’ll have access to the many tools the platform provides.
When signing up for a trial or demonstration make sure to take our advice into consideration. We think you’ll find that implementing the right SaaS for your business can generate life-changing results!