As a business owner, you know that online reviews are essential. They can help customers decide whether or not to visit your business, and they can influence your ranking on search engine results pages.
But should you focus on Yelp reviews or Google Reviews? In this blog post, we’ll compare Yelp and Google reviews and help you decide which one is best for your business.
The Uses of Yelp and Google
When a customer searches your business on Google, your Google reviews are prominently displayed alongside the other business information. When your business is searched on Yelp, the consumers are specifically searching for reviews and certain types of new local businesses.
Pros of Yelp Reviews
Yelp, which has been operating for a long time, has several advantages:
Strong Branding
Yelp has been for over a decade and gets over 100 million page visits every month. The site was created mainly as a location for individuals to read and publish reviews, giving it a solid foundation. Even its algorithm is tailored to this end.
People are still eager to visit Yelp to learn about the experiences of others with a particular company. Therefore, Yelp reviews will give prospective consumers insight into how your company operates. You may quickly file complaints about false reviews.
It is typical for individuals to post incorrect evaluations. These may be rivals seeking to harm your business or consumers who mistake your company for another with a similar name. Due to the significance of internet reviews to the success of your organization, you should act swiftly to repair the negative evaluations.
Fortunately, Yelp makes this simple. You need merely file a dispute for the moderators to delete the review.
Related: Local Online Marketing Tips You Need To Know
Cons of Yelp Reviews
Reviews on Google are not filtered like those on Yelp
In contrast to Google Reviews, Yelp is notorious for removing testimonials on occasion. If you write a review for a company on Yelp, you may not see that review in the future. Yelp appreciates removing bogus, fraudulent, or dishonest reviews. This may seem hopeful, but Yelp is not usually reliable.
Google, however, does not remove many testimonials. This means you do not have to worry about obtaining a large number of reviews concurrently while using Google to collect them. Google assists you in retaining your delighted customers and testimonials.
Yelp Raise Numerous Trust Concerns
When comparing Yelp and Google reviews, the issue of veracity is crucial. It is simple to discover rumors concerning the following:
- People who write phony Yelp reviews for money
- Numerous consumers often criticize the Yelp review recommendation program.
In the future, the identified trust issues with Yelp Reviews suggest that Google reviews may carry more weight than Yelp testimonials.
Whoever Has a Google Account May Leave a Review
When comparing the two sites, the user-friendliness and accessibility of Yelp vs Google Reviews is another thing to consider. To post a review on Yelp, a Yelp account is necessary. In order to escape censorship of the new review, they will also require a few recommendations and friends.
In the meanwhile, anybody with a Google account may make a recommendation for your business on Google. This means that everybody who has ever seen a YouTube video or used Gmail is eligible.
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Related: The Impact of Online Reviews and the Statistics to Prove It
Pros of Google Reviews
Google Enables You to Request Testimonials
According to Yelp’s policy, companies cannot request consumer testimonials. Yelp states that companies should not request for customer testimonials and let the reviews come organically.
Google’s stated policy, however, permits companies to solicit evaluations from their consumers. Google not only allows you to seek reviews but also simplifies the process by actually providing a link to get additional testimonials.
Google Reviews Contribute to Local SEO
Local search engine optimization is of the highest significance for business owners. Local SEO enables your company to rank at the top of search engine results pages when someone in your service area searches for your type of business.
Local SEO customer engagement depends heavily on Google Reviews.
Reviews on Google influences a business’ ranking since they are one of the most reliable indicators of customer satisfaction.
However, Yelp Reviews do not immediately affect your SEO results. This implies that even if you have many Yelp reviews, your business may not appear in local searches conducted by prospective clients.
Google Reviews Increases Traffic and Leads
When reviewing Yelp reviews and Google reviews, it is essential to assess the influence of the testimonies on prospective clients. Even if your firm is not rated at the top, the testimonies posted on Google will attract calls and hits. Google reviews from clients is a perfect approach to generate calls and clicks for your company, even if your custom-designed business website is not ranked first on Google.
Google Reviews are often featured more prominently than Yelp reviews. This implies that even if you have a significant number of 5-star Yelp ratings, potential clients may be unaware that your company is a top company in your industry.
Less Competition
According to the Yelp Factsheet, more than 244 million reviews will have been written by June 30, 2020. For a long time, Yelp was the go-to resource for researching local companies. Several businesses invested considerable effort to boost their quantity of assessments for this reason.
Google evaluations are far less positive. Even major players in your market may have fewer evaluations than a company that was just recently founded. This indicates that your odds of outperforming large firms on Google Reviews are much greater than on Yelp.
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Cons of Google Reviews
Google, like Yelp, has its share of disadvantages. They consist of the following:
Slow Revisions to Reviews
Like Yelp, where a review appears immediately after the client posts it (assuming it is not blocked away), Google reviews take a little longer to appear. This problem originates from the declining popularity and volume of Google reviews.
With the increased popularity and traffic of Google reviews, Google is putting more technological muscle into the reviews area and working on its algorithm so that reviews will begin to appear as soon as users leave them.
The Google Algorithm Gives Location Precedence
When you search for a company, Google will display local companies. For a local company owner, this may be detrimental, as firms with a tenuous link to the original search may rank higher due to their proximity to the searcher.
It Is Difficult to Delete False or Bad Reviews
As suggested, erasing bad or misleading Google reviews is more difficult than on Yelp. You can acquire more favorable ratings and hide the negative ones.
Tips on Getting Additional Reviews
Greater exposure on Yelp and in Google search engine results may come from an increase in reviews, so long as they are not mostly negative. Possessing a suitable number of reviews on your Yelp business page may also provide your company with the social proof required to instill consumer trust and cultivate client loyalty. This results in an increase in traffic (online and offline) and sales
Instead of aggressively chasing reviews, focus on promoting your Yelp and Google presence. Your message should be quite clear: “Check out our reviews on Yelp/Google.”
Include a link to your Yelp and Google business pages on your website. Include the same link in your social media accounts and email signature. Consider marketing your Yelp and Google presence with printed material such as business cards, pamphlets, stickers, etc. Simply adhere to Yelp and Google’s standards on the use of logos, reviews, and star ratings.
Yelp vs. Google Reviews: Our Final Verdict?
Both Google and Yelp reviews are critical, but for different reasons. For starters, Yelp is great for finding local businesses because it specializes in that area. However, regarding product searches, Google is the reigning king. So if you want to increase your online visibility for a specific product or service, make sure your business has a strong presence on Google My Business.
Of course, that doesn’t mean you should neglect your Yelp page – far from it! Maintaining a healthy mix of positive reviews on both platforms will help you attract more customers and boost your sales.
