Love them or not, you simply cannot ignore them. Your restaurants’ Yelp listing is a fact and it is here to stay – even if you do not claim it. Yelp may have already discovered your cafe, bar or patisserie before your discover Yelp. It is best to not ignore Yelp.
Did you know that…
…Yelp is the largest local review social media site covering the Australia, United States, Canada, Spain, the UK, France, Austria, Germany, and Netherlands. Restaurant and businesses exist on Yelp (and are being reviewed!) whether you choose or not.
Yes, there are reasons to not like Yelp. The loudest review is only likely to be written by that one unhappy customer from amongst thousands of happy ones. You might even get calls from the Yelp salespeople for an advertisement or a paid listing. Well, we are sure you will be able to deal with both these since the advantages of your Yelp listing far outweigh these minor drawbacks.
So Why Should You Claim Your Yelp Listing Anyway?
Claiming your Yelp listing can help drive more customers to your business. According to a study done by the Boston Consulting Group, the average annual incremental revenue generated by a business claiming its free Yelp Business Page was US $8000.
Yelp is really your online ‘yellow pages’ with reviews, feedback and images helping people share their opinions and helping you decide whether to patronise a restaurant or not.
Claiming your listing allows you to add friendly content and images, participate in reviews and interact with potential customers.
Yelp and SEO
There is something more critical about a yelp listing. This is because Yelp listings matter for SEO optimisation. SEO optimisation is basically trying to get your business to the top of Google, Bing or similar search engine results. In this regard, Yelp is important and it would be foolhardy to ignore it.
Here is why Yelp is necessary:
Yelp listings show up on Google search pages
When doing a search, for example a ‘Sushi Restaurant in Sydney CBD’ or something similar, your potential customers will often see Yelp listings on the Google page. The customer on clicking the link will land on Yelp, read reviews about your business, get influenced by the images put up (which if you have claimed your listing, you can put as per your choice) and then end up making a booking.
Yelp is the leader on the Bing search engine
For customers who use Bing as their preferred search engine, will typically find Yelp listings when they do a search. This would lead to potential customers.
Yelp reviews are at work behind the scene
Even if your restaurant does not show up on search engines, the reviews on Yelp are always working and impact your Google / Bing ranking directly. So claim that listing and work on those reviews.
How to Claim Your Yelp Listing – Step-By-Step
Before we get started, you have to remember that there is Yelp for consumers and Yelp for businesses. We would be working on the Yelp for Businesses.
When you start out, there are two scenarios – either your restaurant already exists on Yelp or it does not. As a first step, you need to figure out if it does. Thereafter, you need to claim your business. We explain this in detail below.
Scenario 1 – Find an existing business on Yelp
Part 1: Finding it
Steps:
1. Go to https://biz.yelp.com/signup_business
2. Enter your business name, address and/or phone number (We are using a fictitious name The Big Burgers and address)
3. Check if it exists
4. Try alternatives
5. If you find it, click on the ‘Claim’ button and start the claiming process
Part 2: Claiming Your Business
Steps:
1. Create your business account by filling in your name, e-mail and password.
2. Click on Continue.
3. Check the phone number given on this page (it should not be answered by an automated machine and should be accessible by you, or else change the number).
4. Note down the 4 digit pin number given on the page.
5. Once you are ready to receive a call on this number, press the ‘Call me now’ button.
6. Verify your code by entering the 4 digit number.
Scenario 2: If your business does not exist on Yelp, then you need to create a Business.
Part 1: Creating a Business on Yelp
Steps:
1. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on Add your business to Yelp
Fill in relevant details such as
- Country – Choose Australia from the drop-down menu
- Business Name – We have gone in with a fictional name The Big Burgers
- Address
- City, State, Zip
- Phone – Put in a Direct Phone Number here as you will receive a verification call
- Web address
- Hours – Hours for each day of the week, in case they differ, can be put in here.
- Categories – Select a few different categories under which customers are likely to search for options when looking for your kind of cuisine ( for e.g. we would choose burgers, fast food, American food)
- Email Address – where a verification email can be sent.
Part 2: Claiming Your Business
Once your business is set up, there will be a verification similar to the Part 2 in Scenario 1 above.
CONGRATULATIONS! Your business now exists on Yelp!
Use Yelp to interact with your customers and with potential ones too. Upload pictures of your restaurant, its dishes, and your chef’s in action in a clean, hygienic environment, dressed up in smart chef coats to create that perfect image for your viewers.
Alsco has been nominated for Restaurant and Catering Association’s Supplier of the Year award in 3 States. Choose from Alsco table-linen, serviettes, food-grade wipes, chef uniforms to hospitality grade first-aid kits. Contact us at 1300 659 892 or at https://www.alsco.com.au/ for your no-obligation, free quote today.
Image Courtesy: Nan Palmero