Yelp: How to Get Good Reviews
06 Apr, 2015 |
Local businesses are often dependent on good reviews. Customers seek the opinion of others through word of mouth, social media and, of course, rating sites like Yelp. A single bad review can influence someone to avoid that business altogether, which is why it is important for businesses on Yelp to learn how to populate their page with excellent reviews.
This may seem difficult since reviews cannot be controlled or predicted. However, there are a few measures that can be taken to boost your chances of getting more feedback; and hopefully, it will be good.
1. Respond to every review.
When customers see that you genuinely value their honest opinions and acknowledge reviews regularly, they will feel more inclined to share their experiences. Thank them for their feedback and encourage them to come again. If it’s negative, let them know you will address that issue and then take care of it to the best of your ability. Don’t forget to vote for the reviews. They’re more likely to show if they are voted as useful and/or funny.
2. Move positive reviews out of the filter.
Yelp has a filtering system that hides reviews that they believe are spam or fake. Sometimes great reviews get stuck in the filter and you’ll want them to be seen by others. While you can’t forcibly move those reviews out, you can reach out to the Yelpers who left the review. Follow Yelpers who give you positive reviews and thank them for sharing. Then politely encourage them to be more active on Yelp by adding a profile picture, checking into more places, adding more friends, etc. When Yelp sees that the Yelper is a real person leaving an honest review and they intend to interact more on Yelp, they will likely pull the review out of the hidden filter to be seen by everyone.
3. Ask friends and family to review your business.
Reaching out to people you already know is an excellent way to ensure several positive reviews. If you’ve just created your Yelp page, make sure this is one of the first things you do so that the crucial, initial reviews are good.
4. Recommend Yelp to your customers.
There are several ways you can subtly suggest that customers pass on the good word about your business. If they complement you in person, recommend that they share their experience on your page. Put up a sign at your location to let people know that you’re on Yelp. You can also hyperlink your page into your email signature with a request to “Check us out on Yelp!”
Building an influential profile on Yelp takes time. By implementing these suggestions, you’ll be able to boost your page. But more than anything, make sure you are actively working to improve your business in any way you can. The good reviews will likely flow in as a result.
