Utilizing popular review sites like Yelp is essential to market your local business successfully. User-based review sites are a great resource for local businesses, but you must maintain consistency and be proactive to reap the benefits. But for some businesses, tackling the constant engagement, responses, and updates may take up valuable time a business owner could use on other income-driven tasks.
As part of your local SEO strategy for clients, it’s best to set up a business account for hundreds of online directories—and having a Yelp business account is essential for its success. In this article, we’ll discuss reasons why you should still create one, and how to use the platform to promote your business effectively.
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Do you still need to create a Yelp business account today?
Yes. Creating a Yelp business account is easy and can prove an invaluable asset to help you reach more customers. We recommend you start building your presence on Yelp today if you haven’t already.
Having a Yelp business account lets you easily differentiate yourself from competitors and ensure customers can find what they’re looking for. Yelp offers many benefits for businesses looking to increase their visibility and attract more customers, such as responding to questions and feedback directly on the platform. Yelp also offers targeted advertising opportunities that allow businesses to reach a specific type of customer based on location, spending habits, and keywords.
As we’ll look into shortly, these benefits allow businesses to show their commitment to customer service, as well as to creating trust and loyalty among potential customers.
Why it’s important to create Yelp business account
Creating a Yelp business account allows you to address customer feedback and attract new customers simultaneously. It can also help you stand out from the competition, enhance your businesses’ online visibility, and boost your page in search results.
Some benefits for having a Yelp business account today include:
- Build customer trust and confidence
- Attract more Yelp reviews
- Make it easier for customers to find you
Building customer trust and confidence
The goal is to be credible and trustworthy enough for others to leave reviews and ratings on their page. Creating and maintaining a Yelp business account can help your clients establish credibility and remain competitive in today’s marketplace.
Attract more Yelp reviews
Another significant benefit of a Yelp business account is the ability to respond to customer reviews. By collecting and responding to positive reviews, businesses can demonstrate the quality of their services or products and build trust with potential buyers.
Having an active presence on Yelp also helps businesses attract new customers by allowing potential customers to learn more about the company through reviews or ratings. Reviews also help demonstrate trustworthiness by showcasing honest feedback from other customers about the business’s products or services.
Make it easier for customers to find you
A Yelp account can help you open more opportunities to find your client’s ideal customers, as well as converting them into leads and getting maximum visibility. Done right, it’s an investment that pays off in the long run, as businesses can quickly gain traction in search results and showcase their commitment to providing quality products and services.
Important features to use for a Yelp business accounts
Creating a Yelp business account has immense benefits, such as customizing your profile, adding photos of your products or services, showcasing customer reviews, and using the platform to target potential customers.
Plus, Yelp’s analytic tools also help track customer engagement with your page, providing valuable insights about who’s visiting and what resonates with them. You’ll even get access to promotions like gift certificates and deals designed to entice customers to return.
Announcement tool
The Yelp announcement tool makes sharing news about your business easy. Whether your client created a delicious new brunch menu or have a sale on spring merchandise, you can use announcements to let current and potential customers know.
With the announcement tool, your message will appear on your business page, making your client’s listing more discoverable in Yelp search results and mobile platforms. From promotions and discounts to announcing a new location, spreading the word quickly is easy.
Other important features you can utilize for a Yelp business account include:
Business Information
Make sure your client’s business information, such as service hours, contact info and other essential details, is up-to-date – this gives customers an accurate description of what you offer and encourages them to visit.
Promotional Deals & Discounts
Yelp also provides tools that allow businesses to get creative with encouraging customers to leave reviews, such as discounts or special offers. Introduce promotional deals or discounts, encouraging customers to keep coming back and exploring your services. This can help drive more traffic to your business in the long run.
High-Quality Images & Videos
Uploading high-quality images and videos can be a great way to capture customer attention and create a more significant impression of professionalism.
Creating and claiming a Yelp business account
If your business already exists on Yelp, you can claim it rather than creating an account from scratch. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to get started:
Step 1: Visit https://biz.yelp.com/claim and enter the name of the business you’re looking to claim.
Step 2: Provide the email address you want to use to log in to your page:
Step 3: Provide the phone number you want to use for customers to contact the business:
Step 4: If your business already exists and is unclaimed on Yelp, you should be prompted to claim it as your business. From there, click “Yes, this is my business”.
Step 5: Create your free business account by entering the email address you provided and a password. Once that’s done, you’ll be prompted to verify your account.
Step 6: Verify your account by entering the verification code sent to your email address or provided to you by a phone call.
Leverage Yelp features for local SEO
Google considers Yelp pages a reliable citation source for local SEO purposes. If your name, address, and phone number (NAP) details on Yelp are identical to your Google Business Profile, it may increase your chances of being featured in Google’s “local 3-pack.”
An active presence on directories like Yelp allows businesses to increase their local SEO rankings. It shows Google that they’re legitimate businesses with something valuable to offer viewers who come across your website in search results.
Creating and managing a Yelp business account with a local listing management service is an effective way to improve local SEO efforts. It can increase visibility, generate traffic, and create brand authority for your client’s business.
Increases Visibility: An active Yelp business page can increase your visibility in search engine results for relevant queries, giving customers more chances to find you online. You can also incorporate relevant service categories throughout your profile to help optimize it for the correct type of searches.
Generates More Traffic: Utilizing all the features of a Yelp business account will maximize customer engagement and encourage more visits to your website. Such features could include:
- Special offers and discounts
- Setting up an attractive portfolio of photos and videos
- Responding efficiently to customer reviews
Creates Brand Authority: An optimized business profile with plenty of customer reviews will establish your brand as an authority amongst potential customers and competitors. Be sure to keep the content on your page fresh and engaging so that it continuously draws in customers.
Tips for optimizing your Yelp business account
Respond, engage, and communicate with customers
Knowing how to respond when you receive a negative Yelp review can be difficult. The best approach is to take some time to craft a thoughtful response that takes accountability and promises action from the business owner. Responding quickly and calmly can turn a negative situation into an opportunity for growth. Here are some tips for responding to negative reviews:
Private response
Reach out directly to the reviewer by private message. Address their concerns professionally, thank them for taking the time to share their experience, and apologize if necessary. Explain what steps have been taken to prevent similar issues in the future and invite them back for another try – with incentives, if possible.
Public response
While it’s important to address the customer directly, it’s also essential that you respond publicly as well. Posting your response publicly shows potential customers that you take feedback seriously and strive for excellent service standards. Keep your reply brief and professional – thank them for their time and explain any steps taken to avoid similar issues in the future.
After receiving a complaint, you must be transparent about any changes or updates. If appropriate, mention how customer service has improved since the original issue occurred. This quality assurance assures customers that your business promptly handles any problems.
Finally, don’t forget to show appreciation for positive reviews too. Acknowledge customers who took the time to support your business by thanking them publicly or sending them a gift card or voucher as an extra ‘thank you’ gesture.
Track your reputation management progress
Online review monitoring tools can easily keep track of customer reviews, gain insights, and even respond to reviews. Use the data and insights from these tools to gather findings and strategize ways to help your clients improve and increase their interactions with their customers.
Update your account regularly
How do you rank higher on Yelp? The answer is simple: update your Yelp account regularly. The more active you are on the platform, the more likely you are to rank higher in search results.
You can add photos, post updates and announcements, respond to reviews, and engage with customers on Yelp. All these profile updates can improve your visibility and help your business stand out from competitors, so long as you stay consistent and continue to engage with customers.
Optimize your business information with a listing manager
Managing multiple listing directories like Yelp can be overwhelming for any business. Consider using a listing management tool to take the hassle out of manually managing across each platform by automating business information updates and providing additional features to optimize listings. This gives businesses a user-friendly solution simplifying their visibility goals while saving time and resources.
Yelp Business Account FAQs
1. Why should a local business create a Yelp business account?
A Yelp business account boosts visibility, helps customers discover accurate information, and strengthens credibility. It also gives you control over how your business appears on a platform people already use to make buying decisions.
2. Does Yelp still matter for local SEO today?
Yes. Yelp is a trusted citation source for Google, and consistent NAP details help businesses rank higher. An active Yelp profile can support placement in Google’s local 3-pack.
3. How does a Yelp business account build customer trust?
It lets you showcase accurate information, post updates, and respond to reviews. That activity signals legitimacy and reliability, which makes customers more comfortable choosing your business.
4. Can a Yelp account help attract more customer reviews?
Yes. Once your profile is active and monitored, customers are more likely to leave reviews. Responding to both positive and negative feedback encourages more engagement.
5. What features should businesses use on their Yelp account?
Important tools include announcements, updated business info, promotional deals, high-quality photos, videos, and inbox messaging. These features make your listing more visible and compelling.
6. How do announcements help a Yelp business page?
Announcements highlight updates like promotions, events, new menus, or seasonal offerings. They appear directly on your listing and can improve visibility in Yelp search results.
7. Is it better to create or claim an existing Yelp listing?
If your business already appears on Yelp, claiming it is the best option. Claiming ensures you control the details, photos, reviews, and activity on the page.
8. How does Yelp help with lead generation?
Yelp users often search with high purchase intent. A complete, active profile makes your business more likely to receive inquiries, calls, messages, and visits from interested customers.
9. How often should businesses update their Yelp profile?
Regular updates—photos, announcements, review responses—help increase ranking and engagement. Activity signals that the business is active and attentive.
10. Is a Yelp business account really free?
Yes. Creating and managing a Yelp business account is free. Optional paid ads are available, but the core tools—reviews, profile management, photos, and messaging—cost nothing.
