Yelp facts that business owners need to know (but many don’t).
You can listen to a business owner’s rant by simply popping some popcorn and casually mentioning Yelp.
Just the mention of the name of this controversial company can trigger a variety of emotions, often negative and sometimes even despairing.
Business owners are at best frustrated by the number of calls they get. Worst of all, they’re receiving negative reviews that they don’t know how to deal with.
Many multi-location franchises and franchises use Yelp to increase their presence. I can tell you that it is not always necessary to despair. Yelp is more than a simple platform. It’s a tool that you can use to your advantage.
These five facts about Yelp can help you transform your despair into determination to make Yelp a positive asset that benefits the business.
1. Fluid is the filter
Yelp’s Automated Recommendation Software has been rebranded as the Yelp Filter. This is the most frustrating part about Yelp. Yelp reviews are often posted on Yelp for only a few days before disappearing.
These reviews are hidden in the “not recommended” section. They can’t be seen easily. However, this does not affect the overall Yelp score.
These filtered reviews can be found at the bottom of this page. Look for the light gray text that refers to them.
A filter can be both a blessing or a curse. Some of your best reviews might slip through the filter. On the other hand, it is possible for some 1-star reviews to slip through the filter.
It is painful to lose 5-star reviews. But, if something gets caught in the filter, there is still hope. The filter is fluid so any initial review can be pulled out.
Although Yelp has since removed much of the documentation on this topic, they have stated that every Yelp review was automatically evaluated by Yelp’s recommendation software. This evaluation is based on user activity, quality, reliability, as well as user activity. These reviews are often from active Yelp users.
This is the key phrase and what you can do about it.
If you are able to identify the customer who posted a positive review through the filter, you may be able to reach out and tell them that their review was hidden because they aren’t active on Yelp. You (and other employees!) can also add them to your friends list and mark their reviews useful and cool.
We found that positive reviews can be de-filtered to pull up to 20% of 5-star reviews from the filter in years past.
However, these engagements have been less effective in recent years. However, Yelp will still highlight positive engagements with your profile.
2. Be careful when talking about Yelp with customers
Yelp’s communication policy regarding how businesses can request reviews has been poor in the past. People will claim that Yelp doesn’t allow reviews.
Yelp actually has pages that indicate the position.
But, years ago, I emailed Yelp to ask if businesses could ask customers to leave reviews on Yelp.
These mixed messages can confuse business owners. Our advice to clients looking to get Yelp reviews:
* Do not ask customers, subscribers to your mailing list, family members, or friends to review your business.
* It is not a good idea for your staff to compete to get reviews.
* Do not ask for customer reviews after asking customers to give feedback via surveys or contact forms. Although it may seem tempting to ask customers for reviews, this is against Yelp policy and unfair to other businesses.
* Do not offer discounts, freebies or payment in return for reviews. This will offend savvy consumers as well as be illegal. You cannot also offer users incentives to remove reviews. Yelp offers a Consumer Alerts program, which posts a pop-up on business pages informing people when they learn of this type of activity.
If you are happy with a customer, it is natural to ask them for a review. Our clients are advised not to request reviews in writing.
It is important to understand how to use Yelp in conversation, even if it is a verbal one.
It may be a good idea to tell happy customers to go to their Yelp page to leave feedback, rather than saying “Please visit our Yelp Page and leave your 5-star review.”
It is a bad idea to ask for positive reviews via text, email, or verbal. You should also not offer any incentive in exchange for a review.
Avoid having customers leave reviews on Yelp about your store. This could lead to the review being flagged.
3. Flagging works, and you can request a re-review
When I receive a negative review about a business that I work with, I first examine the content to determine if it violates Yelp’s Content Guidelines. Although not all reviews are in violation of them, it’s worth giving it a try if you find anything that is.
The Content Guidelines are concise and easy to understand. When I flag a review, I find myself often quoting parts of the guidelines to request its removal.
Flagging is my chance to be an armchair lawyer. I will write a convincing case, using evidence from the review as well as text from the content guidelines to make a persuasive plea for the removal.
If you have highlighted a violation, you’ll receive an email with your initial report. It will say, “Thanks!”
In case they don’t respond to you with a status update or an email, this email will provide you with a tracking number. You can also send them a follow up with that number.
After Yelp has determined whether or not to remove the content, they will send one the two follow up emails as shown below.
If you disagree with the final decision of the reviewer, you can request a review by going to Yelp’s Questionable Content page. Here you can enter your case number and explain why you aren’t satisfied with any comments.
Continuing with the legal analogy, you can consider this escalated appeal an Appeals/Supreme Court decision. You must present a compelling case to reverse the ruling. They will likely agree with you.
Although the success rate here is lower, they will re-review positions and reverse them if there is compelling appeal.
4. It is important to understand the environment. It is not black and white.
Many business owners and marketing managers have great angst about Yelp, but they don’t use it. As there is no better way of understanding the platform and its users, I encourage them to create a profile and to get involved.
According to “The Art of War,” “Know your enemy.” (Indeed many business owners and marketing directors consider Yelp the adversary!)
Yelp will help business owners see the small things that can make a difference in a customer experience standpoint. This new lens can be applied to their business and made improvements to ensure future Yelp reviews are positive.
Yelp businesses are known for their great customer service, generous returns policy, friendly staff and cleanliness.
All business owners should take advantage of all Yelp has to offer. Your Yelp rep can host Check In offers to help you generate more reviews. They can also see who customers are at the location and can therefore keep your page from being removed from Yelp’s filter.
Yelp encourages all users to download their mobile app and to use it. This is why check-ins could increase customer engagements on your pages.
5. Sales contacts can do much more than just sell you ads
Yelp’s sales team can be aggressive, sometimes to aggressive. Yelp’s sales team can make busy business owners mad by calling them weekly to inquire about advertising opportunities on the platform. We’ve discovered that their willingness to have a conversation can work in your favor.
One example was a company who had relocated their office just blocks away. Yelp decided to close their Yelp page about their previous address and create a new one.
Their previous page had over 50 reviews and a 4 star rating. To resolve the issue, we tried every possible route recommended by Yelp.
We brought up the problem with the sales team who were eager to help. It was resolved in a matter of days. We did not promise anything to the salesperson. We just brought up the issue and told them that advertising would not be discussed until they fix something wrong with our business.
Another case involved a company whose corporate headquarters were on Yelp. Although their business locations may be listed on Yelp for their specific businesses, the corporate headquarters of their company services no customers and should not have a Yelp profile.
We tried to get Yelp removed the page but were repeatedly denied. The issue was then discussed with our Yelp advertising rep. They took down the page.
Talking to your Yelp rep about a problem you are having with your Yelp profile is a good idea.
What should you do next?
Get active on Yelp. You can create a profile and download the mobile app if you don’t already have one. Yelp loves seeing people use the app, as we’ve mentioned before. Start looking into businesses and writing reviews.
It is worth taking the time to create a Yelp strategy. While you can triage existing reviews and do some preliminary work, you need to create a plan for how you will gain new 5-star reviews over time. To reach your goals and milestones, you can use the Yelp improvement calculator.
Analyzing customer touch points is also a good idea to make sure they are handled in a positive way to encourage organic reviews.
Google has forced Yelp to appear in search results. If you don’t already have one, you should start to develop a Yelp strategy.
This article was written and researched by Samantha Hughes.
The post 5 Yelp facts business people should know (but many don’t) was first published on MarTech.