Yelp vs. Google Reviews: Where to Spend Your Efforts

Managing your online reputation involves managing the reviews that customers leave, and Yelp and Google are two of the top places to find these types of reviews. However, managing reviews can be time-consuming, and when you're short on time, it's important to know where to spend your efforts to maximize results. Both Google reviews and Yelp reviews offer several benefits that can be worth your efforts. But which one is right for you? Here are a few aspects to consider.

The Differences: Yelp and Google Reviews

Google is considered a massive search engine that pulls from all types of sources, including social media, whereas Yelp is similar to a huge online bulletin board. In order for a consumer to leave a review on a particular business they visited, they must first sign up for Yelp's app or website. Afterwards, they are free to leave feedback on the place and even provide pictures if they want. While Google provides consumers with the same ability to leave reviews, the business will need to first follow a few easy steps on the Google business site before consumers can begin to leave their reviews.

[RELATED: Want to add Google reviews to your website? Here's how!]

Yelp only allows full access to review content directly from its site or app if users want to view the location. Yelp also incorporates a health score for restaurants and other places to quickly show consumers the location history of health inspection. On the other hand, Google incorporates their search results with reviews, giving the consumer a wider scope of information.

But Both Review Platforms Share a Few Similarities

Both Google and Yelp help provide social proof, as they are some of the best platforms for consumers to leave feedback on a businesses compared to social media platforms. When it comes to new reviews for businesses, in the past couple of years Yelp has seen an increase of over 50 percent growth each year for their users leaving new reviews. Google first started at only one percent growth in 2013 but saw almost 300 percent growth for new reviews in 2016 alone.

Based on the growth percentage from both platforms, it is very clear that businesses can't ignore the value that Google and Yelp bring. Managing both review locations is thankfully free for businesses to do with just a few easy steps. However, it will require time and effort to monitor and act upon anything that might be negative towards your company.

Yelp reviews continue to grow each year and the tools it gives you to attract new and old customers to keep coming back are an ideal resource to leverage. But it's worth managing Google reviews, too. In the past couple of years, the growth the company has seen in reviews is off the charts and shows no sign of slowing down. Yet, choosing either platform requires knowing what your business requires to be successful. Consider whether your patrons are flocking to Google over Yelp and vice versa. Knowing this information can be beneficial in knowing where to start directing your efforts.

The Bottom Line

While Yelp and Google offer different advantages and disadvantages when it comes to reviews, neither trumps the other on every aspect of its platform. Instead, knowing where to spend your efforts largely relies on knowing what your business needs. By first understanding your business needs, you can choose the best review platform that works for you.

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