Have you been wanting to try out a newly opened restaurant nearby but aren’t sure if it’s worth it? Are you looking for recommendations to hire a plumber to finally fix that leak that’s been bugging you for weeks? If your answer is ‘YES’ to questions like this, then Yelp is something that could really come in handy.
I’ve been using Yelp to look for particular businesses and services in my locality. I believe that word of mouth is the best form of advertising so business reviews on the Yelp app really help me avoid establishments and service providers that offer unsatisfactory products and services.
In this article, I will discuss how useful the Yelp app is, its features, and what it can offer in terms of recommendations and reviews. If you want to know more about the Yelp app, continue reading below.
- About the Yelp App
- Useful Features of the Yelp App
- List Your Business on Yelp
- How to Download the Yelp App
- Yelp App Pricing and Costs
- How to Write a Yelp Review
About the Yelp App
Yelp is a service that publishes crowd-sourced reviews about businesses through its website and mobile app. While it’s most popular for its restaurant reviews, Yelp is also a great source of information on other local businesses.
Yelp was developed by Yelp, Inc., a company founded in 2004 by former PayPal employees Russel Simmons and Jeremy Stoppelman at MRL Ventures, an organization that helps startups and individual entrepreneurs develop their businesses.
According to the founders, their initial idea for Yelp was as an email-based referral network after Stoppelman had the flu and found it difficult to get recommendations for a local doctor online.
They received an angel financing of $1 million from Max Levchin, founding chief technology officer (CTO) of Paypal and founder of MRL Ventures. MRL co-founder David Galbraith came up with the name “Yelp”.
Globally Used and Publically Traded
Yelp launched sites for the UK and Canada in 2009 and for France in 2010 before eventually expanding to other countries in the succeeding years, including the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, and Austria.
Google tried to acquire the company in 2009 but the firms failed to reach an agreement. Yelp eventually filed for an IPO in November 2011 and began trading on the NYSE in March 2012.
Useful Features of the Yelp App
I really love how the Yelp app not only lets me search for businesses and professionals but also allows me to filter the hundreds of results based on different factors, such as pricing, distance from me, and operating hours.
Using the app, I can search for the highest-rated Chinese restaurants nearby to either make a reservation, drop by to take out food, or call for delivery.
Beyond looking for restaurants, I also make use of the app to look for and contact local businesses and professional service providers.
From retail stores and sports facilities to automotive services and home service providers, such as carpenters and plumbers, the Yelp app has the information I need to connect with them.
Wide Community of Users in Various Languages
The app is available in more than 15 languages, including Czech, Dutch, and Filipino, making it useful wherever you live in the world or if you’re currently traveling.
Of course, Yelp wouldn’t be Yelp if not for the authentic customer reviews.
The community of users is vast and strong so if you’re looking for any type of feedback on a business, chances are there’s already a Yelp review about it.
List Your Business on Yelp
While Yelp is known to be an app for consumers and end-users, it is also beneficial for businesses and professionals to list themselves on the app.
Numbers reveal that 42% of people who search on Yelp make a purchase on the same day, 25% of whom will do it within a few hours. Also, satisfied customers on the app are 85% more likely to share the business with friends.
I also read that for restaurants and other food businesses, 55% of those who searched via Yelp ordered delivery or takeout from these establishments and that 53% of people who found a restaurant on Yelp weren’t familiar with the business prior to using the service.
Turn Positive Reviews into Revenue
Businesses on Yelp with higher ratings experience faster growth in revenues.
Research shows that every additional star rating translates to a 1% to 2% increase in revenue and 10 new business reviews resulting in an average of 2% revenue growth.
How to Download the Yelp App
While the Yelp website is as useful as ever, I prefer to use the apps as they are more convenient for me and fortunately, the Yelp mobile app is available both on Android and iOS, both of which I use.
I found the iOS version of the app on the Apple App Store under the name “Yelp Food, Delivery & Services”. You can download and install the app on your iOS device by searching the name and then clicking ’Get’ to begin downloading.
Meanwhile, the Android version of the Yelp app can be found on the Google Play Store under the name “Yelp: Find Food, Delivery & Services Nearby”. Simply tap on the ‘Install’ button to install it onto your device.
Yelp for Business App
If you’re a business owner or a professional service provider, you may also want to consider using the Yelp for Business app so you won’t miss out on the positive impact of Yelp reviews on your revenues.
You will find it on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.
Yelp App Pricing and Costs
Both the Yelp app for customers and the app for business are free to download and use. However, the Yelp for Business app offers upgraded features for certain costs.
Business owners and professionals are free to create and manage their page using the app but will have to pay for upgrades and subscriptions.
Adding listing highlights costs $2 per day while editing listing slideshow photos costs $1 per day. If you want to hide competitor ads on your page, you need to pay $2 per day and the same rate is applied if you want to add a call-to-action button.
You can save a few dollars by buying the page upgrades bundle for $4 a day.
Subscriptions
There are two available subscriptions. The first is Yelp Connect, which enables you to create posts, customize your listing’s newsfeed, and connect with potential customers.
The second is Yelp Ads, which enables you to create targeted ads that would appear in relevant Yelp search results.
Yelp Connect costs $99 per month while Yelp Ads may range from $150 to $750 per month.
How to Write a Yelp Review
If you have found that Yelp was helpful to you, you can give back to the community by writing your own reviews.
To write a review using the app, you must first look for the name of the business via the search bar. Once you find it, tap on ‘Start a review’, and the rating stars will appear on your screen. Rate the business appropriately using the stars and add a written explanation for your rating.
To add a photo to your review, tap on the camera icon and choose an existing photo from your gallery or select ‘Take Photo’ to snap a new one within the app.
Once you’re done, select ‘Next’ and add a short description of the attached picture. Tap on ‘Post Review’ once you’re ready to submit your review.
How to Add a Business to Yelp as a Customer
Sometimes a business or restaurant I frequent doesn’t have an entry in Yelp and I’m really eager to leave a great review for them. Fortunately, Yelp allows customers to add businesses to the platform. To do this, open the app, tap on the ‘More’ icon on the bottom right of the screen, and select ‘Add Business’.
Next, select ‘I’m a customer’ and then provide as much information as you can about the business you want to add.
Once you’re done, tap on ‘Send’ to submit your entry. New business submissions will be reviewed by Yelp to determine whether to add them to the platform.
To Sum Up
For me, using Yelp really helped me a lot, especially when trying out new restaurants or unfamiliar service professionals. The information I get from reviews enables me to have an idea of what to expect when I go there so I will be less surprised or disappointed.
Using the app as a customer or as a business has major benefits involved. If you like what you learned from this article about the Yelp app and the Yelp for Business app, feel free to download them and give them a try.
