You might be frothing to give something to the person who wrote a essay-length, glowing review. You may be chomping at the bit to respond to that 1-star reviewer who, for lack of a better word, is an idiot. Yelp for Small Business: Best Practices for Responding to Reviews If you’ve already claimed your business page, make a habit of refreshing (if necessary) any information you’ve posted every few months. As you create your business page, it’s a good practice to take a look at the pages of local businesses-including your competitors- that you’re familiar with offline to see how they represent themselves online. Users frequently search on Yelp-think of cravings like “late-night breakfast”-and information on your page is featured in Google search results so, well-written copy can help more people discover you. When you write the ‘about’ section for your business, think specifically about relevant keywords customers might be searching for that could lead to your page. Photos are crucial-beautiful visuals are a powerful and simple way to create a positive first impression. Take some time to make your business page comprehensive, adding any information that might be useful for potential customers. Most importantly, claiming your page and creating an account with Yelp allows you to to respond privately and publicly to customers who have posted reviews about your business. Claiming your page allows you to upload photos, add external links to your website and social media profiles, and add crucial information like your phone number, menu, hours and specials. The first step for a small business on Yelp is to claim your business page (if you haven’t already done so). Yelp for Small Business: Putting Your Best Foot Forward 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.
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