Here’s How You Can Get Better Yelp Reviews
Getting good reviews on consumer review sites, such as Yelp, is one aspect that business owners need to focus on. Good customer engagement and good reviews help establish your business’s reputation. These also give you a better look into areas you can improve on, such as your customer relations, services, and the reputation management techniques you’re employing.
Want to learn how to get 5-star Yelp reviews and make your business more visible to consumers? Here’s a handy guide on how to get better Yelp reviews for your business.
Why Yelp?
Yelp is a platform that helps consumers find and actively engage with local businesses through detailed reviews. Over the years, Yelp’s users have contributed more than 200 million reviews for a wide variety of small and local businesses. Even in 2020, it still has a sizeable online presence, with it being one of the most visited websites in the U.S. (44th) and having an average of 92 million mobile users monthly.
With 85% of consumers trusting online reviews and turning to them before making a decision, having good reviews on Yelp is crucial. Getting more positive reviews means that your business will become more visible to more people, and in turn can influence purchasing decisions that lead to more sales.
How to Get Better Yelp Reviews
Consider the Timing
Asking customers to leave a review at the right timing can greatly improve your chances of getting a better rating. After a transaction is usually ideal.
Respond to Yelp Reviews Appropriately
When you get a negative review, try asking the customer what the problem was. Empathize with their experience and encourage them to leave an honest but constructive review. Address their concerns and let them know that their opinions are valid and understood. This can become an opportunity for you to turn them into satisfied customers who are then more inclined to try again and hopefully leave a better review.
If you get positive feedback, encourage your customers to share their experience in a positive review on Yelp. Don’t be afraid to tell them why leaving a good review is important and how it can positively impact your business.
Make Leaving a Yelp Review More Accessible
You can utilize Yelp’s resources to optimize how patrons can leave a review:
- Use a Yelp QR code to help make leaving reviews more convenient.
- Promote your Yelp page and ask for reviews across various social media platforms.
- Generate a Yelp link and add it to your publications.
- Utilize Yelp’s website badge and put it on your website.
Avoid Buying Yelp Reviews
Not only is buying Yelp reviews illegal, but it will also put you at risk of losing all of your existing Yelp reviews. Yelp also established a review policy that implement filters to hide fake reviews or reviews that violate their terms.
Read Up on Yelp’s Guidelines
Doing your research on Yelp’s guidelines will go a long way. Check that you’re following their branding style guide and use this to your advantage.
Use an Online Review Management Platform
Reviews911 can help you get better reviews more efficiently. Their review management platform sends your customers a 1-5 rating they can choose from, then asks them to choose an appropriate rating. If you get a rating that’s 3 stars or lower, your customers won’t be redirected to a review page. If they rate you higher, they will be redirected to a page where they can leave a review.
Getting good reviews on Yelp doesn’t have to be challenging, and it will be easier to get the results you want if you are proactive in generating positive reviews.