Yelp boasts almost 150 million unique monthly users and practically a quarter million unique reviews–numbers that rival Google and Facebook for reviews.
According to a recent survey,
89 percent of consumers relied on online reviews before buying a product. That number jumps even higher when it comes to local–97 percent read reviews for local businesses. But 68 percent, don’t trust a high review rating unless there are a lot of reviews.
Why is that? Turns out, people like, use, and trust Yelp. SurveyMonkey says that 97 percent of people purchase after visiting Yelp, with 90 percent doing so within a week. So yes, Yelp reviews can make a big difference in the life of your business and the only thing better than a few Yelp reviews are a lot of Yelp reviews.
Here’s how to get them in, in 5(.5) easy steps:
1. Claim your listing.
The first step to mastering Yelp is to “claim your business listing.” Doing so gives you control over your post, allows you to add pictures and videos, empowers you to respond to reviews, and lets you showcase your business in the best possible light. Remember, your Yelp listing is a digital storefront, so make it inviting and informative.
Take, for example, a restaurant–the most commonly viewed small business type on Yelp–once it claimed its listing, could post its menu, and post pictures of its food, drinks, and dining room. Yelp says that users spend 2.5 more time on pages with pictures. The restaurant could post its phone number, link to its site, and information.
The other best practice when claiming your Yelp page is to search engine optimize it because of the huge number of clicks that Yelp gets. By so doing, your business can get an extra search-engine-optimization-umph that it otherwise would not normally have.
2. Ask for reviews.
My book The Small Business Bible, has more than 200 reviews on Amazon, and 75 percent are five-star reviews. Conversely, most books on Amazon have fewer than 10 reviews. How did I get so many? Most came because I asked for them. When people email me and mention that book, I always ask for a review, “good or bad!” I then include a link to the book. Turns out, people like to help.
You can do the same on Yelp.
You have seen those stickers in restaurants, bars, and retail store windows that say, “People love us on Yelp” or “Find us on Yelp.” Why is that? Those small business owners are asking for your review. You can request your own “Find us on Yelp” sticker here.
Finally, email your list, linking to your Yelp page. As you well know, your list is one of your most valuable business assets. These are the folks who like you most and who have opted in to hear from you. They are the most likely customers to give you a good review.
So turn to your five-star customers to give your business five-star reviewers. And probably, all you need to do is ask.
3. Embrace the feedback loop.
Responding to reviews, positive and negative alike demonstrates your commitment to customer service and builds trust. When faced with negative reviews, respond professionally, address the issues constructively, and offer solutions. Maybe surprisingly, it turns out that once someone gets a solution to the negative issue they posted about, they will often delete the negative review.
On the other hand, one thing that really works, that really encourages people to give you a good review, is to share other positive reviews. You can share them on your website, on your social pages, via your newsletter, and in your shop.
4. Offer exclusive deals.
One key to getting more Yelp reviews is to get more people on your Yelp page, right? And how do you do that? Discounts. Offer deals, sales, and discounts on that page. People will go to that Yelp page to get the deal and then hopefully review you while they are there.
5. Advertise.
Yelp ads are pay-per-click, meaning, you pay only once someone goes to Yelp, sees your ad, likes it, and clicks on it. That’s a warm lead, my friend. Even better, Yelp ads are placed above regular search results, so they are the first thing someone sees on a particular page.
5.5 Here’s what not to do.
Never buy Yelp reviews because you will be punished by Yelp once Yelp discovers them, and it will discover them. If Yelp determines that you did buy phony reviews, it will post a consumer alert on your page and possibly refer you to the Federal Trade Commission.
The problems with Yelp are two-fold:
1. Yelp offers advertising services to businesses, allowing them to pay for increased visibility and other features. These ads look organic and are paced above the real rankings, so people may see ads for your competitors before they see your great organic reviews. Second, some small business owners contend that the Yelp algorithm prioritizes negative reviews over positive ones.
The bottom line is that with a few tweaks, Yelp can become one of your main sources of new business.
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