Yelp vs. Google Reviews Which is Better for Local Businesses
Online reviews are crucial for local businesses. With 82% of consumers reading online feedback on companies, products, and services, and with customers relying on testimonials before trusting a brand, businesses must manage their online reviews well.
Getting positive reviews, of course, has a slew of benefits, such as driving better search engine results, frequent recommendations, a larger customer base, and increased revenue. Star ratings help shape how customers perceive your business. The higher your star rating, the more trustworthy your business comes across to customers.
Negative reviews, meanwhile, can put off as many as 94% of customers. Also, how you respond to reviews, whether they’re good or bad, can also impact your company’s reputation.
When it comes to review websites, we have two main platforms: Yelp and Google Reviews.
Yelp vs. Google Reviews: Their Pros and Cons
Yelp is one of the most popular review sites, having over 178 million unique visitors monthly across different platforms and 184 million reviews worldwide.
This review website has been around for over a decade and is primarily geared toward local businesses. Yelp for Business lets business owners add or claim and manage a free listing. You can add photos to highlight your offerings. This interface also lets you interact with page visitors, giving you the opportunity to convert them into customers.
With Yelp for Business, you can give quotes, allow customers to set an appointment, and entertain queries via your business page.
Like any other platform, Yelp does have its disadvantages. With this platform, business owners have no control over the reviews listed on their page.
Like Yelp, Google My Business lets you engage with customers via a free business listing. Through this, you’ll be able to connect with customers who’re using Google Search or Maps, allowing them to give you a call or leave a message or review. Having your business listed on Google My Business will also help improve your search result ranking on Google.
Lately, Google Reviews has gained traction and has surpassed Yelp in terms of having the highest number of new reviews, with the latter’s growth slowing since 2014. Google takes up 57.5% of all the reviews worldwide, and with Google being the top review site, 63.3% of users are more likely to check reviews on the site before doing anything else.
Google, however, has fewer reviews than Yelp, and navigating the platform can be a bit tricky.
Yelp vs. Google: How Do You Choose?
Both platforms have their pros and cons, and you don’t necessarily have to choose one over the other. Google Reviews is steadily growing in popularity, while Yelp Reviews is still being viewed as a reputable source for local business information. Why not use both?
For business owners, using and maintaining two review platforms can prove to be difficult, especially when you’re also running a business. Using an online review management tool can help you keep track of reviews on various platforms.
Reviews911 allows you to take better control of your business by giving you a platform where you can manage all of your reviews in one place. It assists you in generating and monitoring feedback. The platform also makes it easier for you to respond to these reviews.
Start improving your brand’s online reputation by using a dependable tool that’s designed to make review management easier for business owners. See what Reviews911 can do for you today.