In today’s competitive landscape, knowing how to get your business noticed on Yelp is essential. You need to know how to get my business on Yelp. You must create a robust presence to rank highly in Yelp search results. However, achieving this requires a solid understanding of how the algorithm operates.
What is the Yelp Algorithm?
It is the system Yelp put in place to analyze reviews and reviewers. It helps users find helpful and relevant content by filtering out unreliable reviews. It prioritizes genuine reviews while filtering out those deemed not credible such as:
- Fake reviews
- Biased reviews
- Solicited reviews
- Plagiarized reviews
- Profane reviews
- Promotional content
- Reviews written by business owners or employees
What Influences Yelp Rankings?
1. Quality and Quantity
Understanding how do I get my business on Yelp also means understanding the importance of reviews. In Yelp, quality and quantity matters. The quality and number of reviews affect rankings. Yelp’s algorithm prioritizes well-written reviews. Furthermore, receiving a steady amount of positive reviews would signify that the business is active and trustworthy.
2. Review Recency
When you get my business on Yelp, understand that new reviews are more important than old ones. Yelp’s algorithm wants fresh recommendations. A business with no recent reviews will eventually disappear to the recesses of Yelp’s search results.
3. Author Activity
The reviews from active users hold more weight than those who rarely leave reviews. Those who are known to leave detailed and balanced reviews are seen as credible sources by the algorithm. This is why Yelp pages with reviews from “Elite” users tend to receive high ranks on Yelp search results.
4. Completeness of Business Information
When searching the web for information about how do I get my business listed on Yelp, it is always advised to provide complete business information. Why? Aside from providing target customers thorough information, it helps in making the profiles rank high. The more detailed and accurate the information on the page are, the higher the ranks it can receive.
5. Consistent Information on Other Platforms
Yelp’s algorithm would cross-reference information about the business with other platforms like Facebook, Google, and others. Any inconsistent details like differing business hours, address, or contact information can tank the page’s credibility. This leads to losing rank and visibility.
6. Customer Engagement
Interaction with customers also affects the page’s visibility. The algorithm favors businesses that professional respond to customer reviews. Therefore, responding to both positive and negative reviews will help in how to get my Yelp review recommended and make the page appear on the top.
7. Use of Specific Keywords
Reviews that use specific keywords used in search queries can help enhance the business’ visibility on Yelp. For example, if a restaurant often receives reviews mentioning “family-friendly” or “best restaurant in town”, the restaurant will receive a higher rank when searching using those terms.
Misconceptions About The Algorithm
1. Paid Ads Guarantee High Ranks
Some businessmen want to know how to get my business listed on Yelp because of the business features of Yelp. One of those features is Yelp Ads. Yelp Ads is a unique feature that helps businesses reach more customers on Yelp. Even so, it does not guarantee high ranks. Paid ads do not influence organic rankings because sponsored results are separate from organic results.
2. It is Okay to Ask Reviews
Yelp never encourages businesses to ask for reviews. Yelp would flag any review that their system deemed as solicited. System sees solicited reviews as biased and unreliable. Instead, it is best for businesses to deliver excellent products, services, and experience to encourage positive reviews.
3. Yelp Can Easily Delete Negative Reviews
Yelp does not delete reviews. It is in their policy to show all reviews provided that they comply with Yelp’s content guidelines – negative reviews included. Yelp aims to maintain transparency, providing users a complete view of businesses.
However, Yelp does have measures and a meticulous evaluation process to remove flagged reviews. It only applies to reviews that clearly violated Yelp’s guidelines – like hate speech, politically inclined reviews, explicit content, or solicitation. Yelp would not remove legitimate negative reviews just because the business disagrees.
How to Improve Yelp Visibility
1. Optimize the Yelp Profile
- Completely provide the information and ensure it is up-to-date.
- Add a clear profile picture or logo of the business.
- Add multiple photos of the business, including products and services.
- Write a compelling description about the business.
- Add contact details and operating hours.
- Double check for accuracy.
2. Encourage organic reviews – Deliver a remarkable service that will leave a memorable experience to your customers. This will naturally encourage them to leave a feedback. It is also possible to use subtle ways to encourage reviews like:
- Displaying Yelp stickers.
- Adding Yelp links to socials, website, and email signature.
3. Engage customer reviews – Responding to customer reviews shows that the business cares about what their customers experience. It also shows responsibility and professionalism. When responding to customer reviews, the business should:
- Respond promptly and professionally.
- Always thank customers for their feedback.
- Address concerns in a friendly manner.
- Avoid getting argumentative or defensive.
- Add context to responses.
4. Regularly add photos – Always adding new photos to the page will dramatically boost the visibility. Photos, particularly high-quality images, will make the profile more engaging. Images of a clean storefront and happy customers are impactful in not only improving the page’s visibility but also in helping users make informed choices.
5. Stay active on Yelp
- Always check the profile regularly for new messages or reviews.
- Promptly respond to customer inquiries.
- Update operating hours, services, or menu when necessary.
- Inform customers of special promotions.
6. Do not overload on keywords – Keywords may help improve visibility but too much can harm a Yelp profile. Overloading keywords would make the page appear unnatural to both the users and Yelp’s algorithm. Create a profile that looks authentic and balanced.
Yelp’s algorithm is complex. However, the underlying principle prioritizes authenticity, engagement, and relevance. Understanding these factors together with the strategies we have suggested above can help businesses improve their visibility on Yelp.
Keep in mind that knowing how do I find my reviews on Yelp and creating a Yelp profile is not enough to help a business thrive in Yelp. It is important to exert effort to maintain an active presence and build trust by providing excellent customer experience.