Yelp reviews are a great way to let everyone know about your business successes. Yelp reviews help millions of people connect to the services they need, and good reviews can definitely result in more sales for your business. When your business has a strong presence on Yelp (and other sites like it), customers are more likely to engage your services. This is because people trust reviews to give them solid advice—in fact, studies have shown that people trust online reviews just as much as they would trust a recommendation from a person they actually know.

To get more reviews on Yelp use an app like 33 Reviews Management, coupled with a strong and comprehensive training strategy for your team. Like anything else in this business, knowledge is power, so here are a few things we’ve learned about Yelp and how it can affect your business.

Yelp & Your Business

Not everyone uses Yelp, but even if it’s not your cup of tea, it is important to know what Yelp and other services like it can do for your business. These days, communication is as easy as picking up a smartphone.

In a way, Yelp is a sort of modern-era word-of-mouth. As the #1 review site on the web, it can be a powerful tool to drive business and sales, but it can be dangerous to ignore.

Businesses with poor Yelp ratings can be left in the dust, wondering what their competitors have that they don’t. We’ve already spoken about the importance of having lots of positive reviews to strengthen your online presence, but what about Yelp Tips?

Yelp Tips vs. Reviews

Many people don’t even realize that there is a difference between tips and reviews, but there are actually several. The first difference between a tip and a review is the length. Tips are generally shorter, giving information out in small nuggets like, ‘the Wi-Fi here is good’ or ‘parking is around back.’

Tips can be helpful, but often don’t drive business your way. While a tip is generally just a sentence or two describing something specific to that location, a review is usually longer and more detailed. Reviews are usually several paragraphs long, describing specific experiences that customers have had regarding your business.

A review that is too short is sometimes added by Yelp as a tip. Reviews have more detail, and therefore more useful knowledge that a customer who is looking for a service might find helpful. Also, unlike reviews, tips do not have a point scale (star rating) attached.

Ultimately, while tips are nice, reviews are what will help your business thrive. Part of what makes Yelp a useful tool for consumers is that the reviews are long and detailed, giving them a sense of what to expect from their customer experience before they ever walk through the doors.

Reviews & You

When a job has been successfully concluded, whether you are using an app to streamline the reviews process or not, it is always in your best interest to ask for a review. Successful business models will have an established strategy for this, as well as training their employees on how and when to ask for these reviews.

One of the most important things for any business owner to remember, however, is to create and maintain your Yelp profile. Make sure that the information, address, and phone number are all accurate and current, and respond to reviews!

Even negative reviews can be a learning experience as well as an example to others of your willingness to work with customers until they are satisfied with a job well done.

Tips are great and all, but nothing beats a good review!