Once upon a time, word of mouth reigned supreme. Nowadays, online reviews are just as crucial for businesses. With so many internet opinions, it’s smart to hone your focus on just one or two review sites. You can’t juggle every site at once; it’s just not realistic. So, which business owners should choose: Yelp vs Google Reviews?
In this guide, we’ll help you determine which site is best for you and your business. We all know how important collecting great reviews is for your company’s online reputation and branding. Get ready for definitions and overviews of features on both platforms, budget insights, and the most important comparison points. We’ll transform you into a review-collecting whizz in less than five minutes!
What Is Yelp?
Yelp is an online review platform that allows people to rate businesses using a classic star system. Before we get into the nitty-gritty stuff, like “Is Yelp trustworthy”? It’s vital to establish the basics. So, let’s take a look at how it has developed over the years and what features it offers.
Russel Simmons and Jeremy Stoppelman founded Yelp in 2004. The two former PayPal employees realized the importance of peer recommendations when choosing businesses, and Yelp was born. It has now been around for over two decades and is easily one of the most popular review sites.
That peer emphasis is perhaps the most vital thing to understand about Yelp. You have to hold an account to leave reviews, and the site has a community-type feel.
It has a similar appeal if you’re familiar with platforms like Reddit. Interestingly, when learning how to get reviews on Yelp, you should know that you can’t directly invite them from customers. Instead, the platform condones organic ratings; there’s a vast difference between Yelp reviews vs Google Reviews.
Notably, creating a basic business listing is free, and potential customers can browse it without making subscription payments.
Google Reviews is part of Google Maps and allows people to leave trustworthy reviews to guide other potential customers. What sets it apart is that Google Reviews isn’t just a review platform. The ratings are displayed in a tab alongside standard details like the hour of operation, providing navigational and factual insights.
The review platform is accessible for business owners through a Google My Business account and is free to set up. The star-rating system allows customers to leave comments to provide extra information. To leave reviews on Google, you only need the app. This is downloadable for free on mobile devices through the app store.
Chances are you’ve already stumbled across Google Reviews — it’s one of the cornerstones of modern review strategies.
3 Things To Consider: Yelp vs Google Reviews
Now you have the general overview of Yelp vs Google Reviews, what about the key differences? You don’t have to just pick one. However, narrowing your platform choices can help you focus and launch your review strategy more effectively.
With this in mind, here are the main things to consider when choosing between Google vs Yelp reviews.
1. Who Are You Targeting?
Yelp and Google target very different people. While it attracts 178 million monthly visitors on its platforms, 75% of Gen Z have never written a Yelp review. This generation turns to Instagram, TikTok, and then Google when it comes to research.
If you’re looking to target the Gen Z demographic, it would be wiser to invest in Google Reviews. You’d also be best branching out into more social media marketing. Investing in influencer campaigns and curating genuinely positive reviews on social media platforms is key.
On the flip side, 25-34-year-olds make up the most of Yelp’s demographic.
2. Do You Need SEO Investment?
Google Reviews undoubtedly offers more value when it comes to SEO (search engine optimization). Location-based marketing is a huge bonus of Google Maps and something to remember when making business decisions.
Yelp doesn’t hold that same power in the SEO department.
When weighing up Google Reviews vs Yelp, know that ratings are treated differently. For instance, you cannot invite customers to leave reviews on Yelp, but you can send invites on Google. If the main part of your strategy hinges on asking customers for reviews, this could be a problem.
Yet removing bad reviews on Google can be more difficult than deleting reviews on Yelp, which has more proactive moderators. While both platforms aim to remove fake reviews, you should weigh up which approach is better for your online reputation. It isn’t all sunshine and rainbows: you won’t get a 5-star review every day.
Budgeting For Review Software
When budgeting for review software, the most important thing to know is which platforms are free and which are paid. In Yelp’s case, the answer is both: it has a free option and a paid upgrade feature.
Yelp’s paid upgrades hover at an average of $6 a day and include:
- A call to action button
- Removed competitor ads
- A photo slideshow
- A portfolio
- Business highlights
- Verification
- A logo
All in all, upgrades make your Yelp page look more professional, trustworthy, and appealing to potential customers. Of course, Google My Business is totally free.
In summary, you should budget nothing for basic packages or upwards of $150 a month for upgraded options.
Beambox: Collecting Reviews Through WiFi
If you can collect reviews, you should. It pays to be proactive with collecting reviews — literally. The more positive reviews you have, the better your online reputation. And the better your online reputation, the more profit your business will turn over.
There are many ways to encourage visitors to leave reviews, from QR codes on menus to feedback-requesting emails after deliveries. However, a great way to approach this task is to utilize your guest’s WiFi.
If you have an in-person business, chances are you already offer internet for guest use. If that’s the case, you could be sitting on a gold mine.
You create a temporary barricade by simply adding a captive portal system to your existing network. When customers click to join your WiFi, it takes them to a webpage form requesting details (like feedback). Once they comply, they gain instant WiFi access, and you get a review. Very soon, you’ll have a whole backlog of published reviews and ratings online.
Here at Beambox, this is our bread and butter. We offer an all-in-one WiFi marketing platform with a customizable captive portal for businesses like yours. With the added flexibility of a monthly subscription payment model, you can harness more reviews for your business.
Start your Beambox free trial today; stop debating Yelp vs Google Reviews and take action!
FAQ
Don’t rush off! Before you go ahead and make your final decision between Google Reviews vs Yelp reviews, here are some quick FAQ. These should help to consolidate your understanding.
What is Yelp?
Yelp is an online review platform that launched in 2004. Customers create accounts to leave reviews of registered businesses and guide others in choosing the best companies.
Businesses can create free accounts to collect good reviews for their company. There are also paid upgrade versions for those wanting more premium adverts.
What are Google Reviews?
Google Reviews is a feature synced with the Google Maps app. It allows companies to collect reviews and build an online reputation by registering through Google My Business.
It is totally free for both customers and business owners to use. People can leave ratings on a star system with additional comments for extra details.
What are the main differences between Yelp and Google Reviews?
The primary difference is that Google allows businesses to invite reviews, while Yelp doesn’t. Google Reviews is also free to join, whereas Yelp offers the option to pay extra for an upgraded page.
Google Reviews is also just one feature of an entire platform, linking with location marketing and SEO. Yelp offers weaker SEO benefits and is a standalone review platform.
