Reputation management is more important than ever for local businesses in today’s digital landscape. A company’s online reputation impacts how consumers perceive them and directly affects revenue. According to research, over 80% of consumers read online reviews before visiting or purchasing from a local business.
Having a strong online presence and positive reputation is crucial for gaining new customers and growing a loyal customer base. However, managing an online reputation takes strategy and the right tools. This is where reputation management software comes in handy for monitoring reviews, listings, and local search results.
In this article, we compare two of the top reputation management platforms—Yext and Birdeye. We break down the key features, pricing, ease of use, support, and suitability for multilocation businesses. The goal is to provide small business owners with a comprehensive comparison to select the best software for managing their local reputation.
Yext Features
Yext offers a robust set of features to help businesses manage their online presence and reputation. Some of the key features include:
- Listings management: Yext has powerful listings management capabilities, allowing businesses to syndicate their business information to over 100 directories, maps, social networks, and more from one central dashboard. This helps ensure NAP (name, address, phone number) consistency and makes it easy to update critical business info like hours and addresses across the web. According to Yext, with their listings management, businesses can expect to see a 20% increase in foot traffic.
- Review generation: Yext offers review generation features to help businesses proactively collect customer feedback and reviews. This includes review links, email collection forms, and partnerships with major sites like Google, Facebook, and Yelp to publish reviews directly on their platforms. Having more positive online reviews can boost local SEO as well as conversion rates. G2 crowd notes review generation as a key Yext capability.
- Analytics dashboard: The Yext platform includes an advanced analytics dashboard that provides real-time insights into customer searches, questions, and behavior. Businesses can see analytics on search impressions, calls, store visits, website clicks, and more. The dashboard allows businesses to identify opportunities and optimize their listings and sites. As described on their site, Yext analytics deliver actionable insights.
Birdeye Features
Birdeye offers a robust set of features to help businesses manage their online reputation and customer experience. Some of the key features include:
- Review management: Birdeye makes it easy for businesses to monitor reviews across over 100 sites like Google, Facebook, Yelp, and more. Businesses can respond to reviews publicly or privately, analyze sentiment, and track review volume and ratings. Birdeye offers review-generation tools to help get more customer feedback.
- Live chat: Birdeye provides website live chat to help businesses engage website visitors in real time. Agents can chat with multiple customers simultaneously. Chat transcripts can be saved and analyzed to improve customer service.
- Multilocation support – Birdeye is designed for multilocation businesses like franchises and chains. It allows management of all locations from a central dashboard. Businesses can customize settings and access at a per-location level.
Other notable features include reputation alerts, social media management, surveys, SEO tools, analytics, and more. Birdeye aims to provide an all-in-one solution for local search marketing and customer experience.
Pricing Comparison
Yext offers three pricing tiers for its reputation management software:
- Basic: $199/year
- Advanced: $499/year
- Premium: $999/year
Birdeye’s pricing is more tailored to each business, but they offer three packages as well:
- Starter: $299/month
- Professional: $399/month
- Enterprise: $499/month + Custom pricing
When comparing the two on pricing, Birdeye offers more affordable options for small businesses just getting started with reputation management. Their starter plan is almost half the cost of Yext’s basic plan. However, Yext’s premium plan offers more advanced features that Birdeye’s enterprise plan may not match.
Overall, Birdeye seems to provide better value for money for small businesses, while Yext is more suited for larger brands needing expansive reputation-management capabilities. The pricing and features should align with each business’s specific needs and budget.
Ease of Use
When it comes to ease of use and user interface, both Yext and Birdeye aim to provide intuitive platforms that are simple to navigate. However, reviewers tend to give Birdeye higher marks when it comes to overall usability.
Yext offers a clean, modern interface that allows users to access key features like listings management, reviews, and analytics from a single dashboard. The platform is designed to be user-friendly even for those without technical expertise. However, some users report that Yext can feel a bit rigid and less customizable than other solutions.
Birdeye gets stellar feedback on usability, with reviewers highlighting the platform’s flexibility and easy-to-use interface. Users praise Birdeye for offering custom dashboards, ability to tailor workflows, and powerful features that are still intuitive to navigate. The visual interface makes it simple for users to monitor reviews, insights, and manage interactions across locations.
When it comes to implementation, Birdeye is regarded as quicker and easier to get up and running compared to Yext. Birdeye offers guided setup with support to start using the software faster. Yext may require more hands-on configuration during initial setup before users can utilize the full platform. Reviews suggest Birdeye offers a noticeable edge for usability and user experience.
Overall, Birdeye is widely considered simpler to use, with more customizable options, while Yext offers a straightforward interface that follows a more standardized format. For maximum usability and faster implementation, Birdeye appears the better choice for ease of use.
Support and Onboarding
Yext offers phone, email, and chat support during business hours as well as an online knowledge base. They also provide onboarding specialists to help new customers get set up. However, some users report lengthy support wait times.
According to one review, “The onboarding process was smooth, but after launch the support has been very poor.”
Birdeye provides 24/7 support via phone, email, chat, and social media. They also offer white-glove onboarding with a dedicated success manager. Birdeye users consistently praise the level of support and onboarding provided.
As one user said, “The onboarding process was phenomenal. My success coach walked me through every step and continues to be available when I have questions.”
When it comes to ongoing support and helping customers get results, Birdeye seems to provide a better experience based on user reviews. Their 24/7 availability and one-on-one success managers set them apart from Yext’s more limited support options.
Multilocation Businesses
Yext provides solid capabilities for multilocation businesses through its Yext Listings platform. Key features include the ability to manage all locations from a central dashboard, local listing distribution to 100+ sites, and location pages that can showcase addresses, hours, photos, and more for each location.
However, Birdeye is designed from the ground up with multilocation businesses in mind. It offers tailored solutions for franchises and chains to manage online reputation and listings across all locations. This includes features like cross-location review management, local SEO tools, chat for individual locations, and custom location pages. Birdeye also provides location-level analytics and reporting.
Overall, Birdeye offers a more robust and specialized platform for brands with multiple locations. While Yext works well for simple multilocation needs, Birdeye provides enterprise-level capabilities that are better suited for large franchises and chains.
User Reviews
When comparing Yext and Birdeye, looking at user reviews can provide helpful insight into the pros and cons of each platform. According to G2, Birdeye has a significantly higher user satisfaction rating than Yext.
On G2, Birdeye has 644 reviews and an average rating of 4.71/5 stars. Users praise Birdeye for its excellent customer service, user-friendly interface, and robust features. Some of the pros mentioned include easy review management, detailed analytics, and multilocation support. Some cons are the learning curve for new users and occasional bugs.
Yext has 110 reviews on G2 with an average rating of 4.27/5 stars. Users like Yext’s strong SEO capabilities, listing management, and reporting. However, some of the cons mentioned are the clunky interface, complex pricing, and subpar support. There are also complaints about inaccurate business listings.
Based on the user reviews, Birdeye appears to have higher overall customer satisfaction compared to Yext. Birdeye is praised for its usability and support, while Yext gets more mixed reviews. When choosing between the two platforms, the user feedback is worth considering.
Another Alternative
Choosing a reputation management platform is a crucial decision for businesses looking to enhance their online presence and customer feedback management. Here’s a comparison highlighting why someone might choose ReputationStacker over Birdeye and Yext:
ReputationStacker
1. Simplicity and Ease of Use:
- User-Friendly Interface: ReputationStacker is designed with a straightforward and intuitive interface, making it easy for businesses to set up and start managing their online reputation without extensive training.
- Automated Review Requests: The platform automates the process of requesting reviews from customers, saving time and ensuring a steady stream of feedback.
2. Cost-Effectiveness:
- Affordable Pricing: ReputationStacker often offers more competitive pricing compared to Birdeye and Yext, making it a cost-effective solution for small to medium-sized businesses.
- No Long-Term Contracts: Many users appreciate the flexibility of month-to-month plans without being locked into long-term contracts.
3. Focus on Reviews:
- Specialized Review Management: While other platforms may offer a broader range of services, ReputationStacker focuses specifically on review generation and management, providing specialized tools to enhance and manage customer reviews efficiently.
Choosing ReputationStacker may be beneficial if:
- You are looking for a straightforward, easy-to-use platform focused on review generation and management.
- You prefer a more cost-effective solution with flexible pricing options.
- You want to streamline the process of collecting and managing customer reviews without the need for extensive additional features.
Choosing Birdeye may be beneficial if:
- You need a comprehensive reputation management platform with advanced features beyond just review management.
- You want detailed analytics and reporting on customer sentiment.
- You require integration with various third-party applications.
Choosing Yext may be beneficial if:
- You need robust local listings management to ensure consistent business information across the web.
- You are looking to enhance your local SEO and improve your visibility in search engine results.
- You want to leverage advanced SEO tools and rich listings to attract more local customers.
Ultimately, the choice depends on your business needs, budget, and the specific features you value most in a reputation management platform.
