Having trouble deciding between Yelp vs Google reviews to bring in the customers?
Sustaining a business isn’t easy. People will check your business out of curiosity in the beginning, but there’s no guarantee they’ll come back for more.
There are two ways a business can go about getting more customers after their opening.
One way is to provide a unique service that no other place has. Thinking of any unique concept is hard nowadays, though. This makes the second choice better, providing a review-worthy service instead.
Giving your customers the best service you can give is even more important today than it was before. This is because word-of-mouth marketing is more accessible to everyone. Anyone can leave a review on either Yelp or Google.
Which website should you focus on, though? Know which customer reviews are more important by reading what’s below.
Yelp Pros
This is a business directory service that uses crowd-sourced information. This means that their primary source of information comes from the users. This unique structure makes Yelp helpful in certain ways.
1. More Popular than Google for Reviews
Being a 10-year-old business means that many people will know about you. This is the best advantage that Yelp has over Google. Yelp established itself as the go-to website when you’re looking for reviews.
Having your business registered on Yelp will make it easier for people to find out about you. The platform also has over 100 million views every month. You’re guaranteed to have someone find out about your business on Yelp.
2. Easy Disputes for Inaccurate Reviews
There will be times when a review of your business will be inaccurate. This often happens when people review a business that shares the same name as yours. This can have people confused about your business when they look it up on Yelp.
What makes Yelp great is that they tackle the problem as soon as possible. They’ll remove any inaccurate comments and reviews of your business when you make a dispute. They also do this with negative reviews.
This only happens when the review is a blatant lie. Multiple negative reviews tackling the same subject is a telltale sign that you need to do something about your business. It also helps that Yelp updates their reviews as often as they can.
This will make it so they can remove comments that business owners dispute if they deem it so.
Yelp Cons
The unique system that Yelp uses also has some drawbacks.
1. Known as a Weapon for Customers Against Business Owners
Yelp’s reliance on customer reviews makes it possible for some people to use it as a weapon against the business. How it goes down is that users often pressure business owners into giving them special treatment. If they don’t get what they want, they will leave an over-the-top negative review.
Most people and Yelp customer support know about this. These kinds of reviews often get removed as soon as Yelp knows about them.
The time it spends on the platform means that the business still gets bad flak, though. This can steer potential customers away when they read about it.
2. Unpredictable Review Algorithm
Having people leave a review on a platform is often a good thing, never a bad thing. When millions of people leave reviews on the same platform, though, it can start spelling trouble.
With the hundreds of reviews on popular business, knowing which ones to display is often Yelp’s problem. Most reviews don’t get displayed at all regardless of whether they’re positive or negative.
3. Iffy Agreement Terms
Before you can have your business up for reviews on Yelp, you must go into an agreement with them. This is understandable so you know what their terms are. Some terms make no sense for a healthy business relationship, though.
Yelp having the right to end your listing any time is an example of this. This puts your business in a delicate position when you sign with Yelp.
Google Review Pros
The leading search engine also has a page dedicated to reviews for businesses. There are noticeable differences when you first go to their review page. These differences can help your business more than Yelp.
1. Superior SEO Values
What makes Yelp vs Google reviews different is the SEO values these reviews offer. Google is the best search engine today. This is because of the number of users it has doing searches on their platform.
This allows businesses registered in Google to thrive. Google has a Google My Business feature for you to register your business in. Having your business listed here makes it easier for their algorithm to find your business when someone searches for topics relevant to your business.
2. More Honest Reviews
What’s great about Google reviews is that they come from honest people. They’re also more accurate than their Yelp counterparts. This is because Google does a better job of filtering the reviews that come in their way.
This is possible because Google gets to know businesses more than Yelp does. Google vets a website to know what service they provide. They also look into whether they’re a legitimate business.
Google also checks the reputation of the business when tackling negative reviews. This allows them to know if there’s any truth to the review. You get more Google reviews that can help your business regardless of what they are.
Google Review Cons
Most of the issues that Google encounters are technical. These issues make it harder for them to put new updates in place. Here are more of the problems you may notice when you register for Google to get reviews.
1. Slower Updates on Reviews
Listing on Google means it may take longer to get new reviews. This is because Google has fewer visitors than Yelp does. This issue stems from having Yelp be more popular than Google today.
Google and other pages that Google manages show promise, though. There’s a trend of them getting more traffic and visits in recent times. They can become a better platform for listing your business soon enough.
2. Business Navigation is Confusing
Another issue with Google is navigation. Checking out a related business is hard through Google My Business. Google’s algorithm is imperfect in this area since they prioritize displaying businesses that are closer to the user.
This can cause you to lose potential customers. You may lose them to a business that has a loose connection to their initial search only because they’re closer.
Take Away
Both platforms are great for your business. Yelp may be better if you will update your look on the regular. The faster updates will make it easier for customers to know you’re the business they’re looking for.
Google is better for your business if you’re looking to increase your SEO score. This makes it a better platform for a long-term plan.
Choose Between Yelp vs Google Reviews Today
Which between Yelp vs Google reviews matter more? That depends on what your plan for your business is. List your business on the right platform today!
Getting good reviews is only the beginning, however. If you want to succeed, there are more marketing tactics to master. For more guides like this, you can always read our other posts here!