A successful strategy on Yelp doesn’t require spending any money, and is an opportunity for your interactions with your customers to positively represent your business. No matter your small business, making Yelp work for you is important. It’s a common misconception that Yelp is only for restaurants, when by category they are the second most reviewed business category (18%) behind shopping (22%) and above home and local services (13%). Harvard University Professor Michael Luca showed in a 2016 paper that a one-star increase in Yelp rating lead to a 5-9% increase in revenue for independent restaurants in Washington State, and experientially, we’re all familiar with the search for a new place to eat or shop that starts in the Yelp app. Many small business owners are frustrated with Yelp for these reasons, but the site is far too important to ignore. Yelp has also come under fire from class action lawsuits around aggressive advertising sales practices, which were dismissed in 2011. It’s also the first step for angry or dissatisfied individuals looking to vent about a recent experience with a business they perceived as negative. With over 115 million total reviews and 145 million monthly users, the user-generated recommendation site has become the first step for potential customers looking for trusted information about a new retail store, restaurant or service. If you’re a small business owner, at this point you’re probably familiar with Yelp.

Should i be a yelp reviewer