Every business owner that I know is struggling with Yelp…they are frustrated and quite frankly ready to pack up their toys and go home. I don’t disagree with them.
Yelp’s filtering system which is supposed to result in the best, most fair reviews does not seem to be fair at all. Great, five-star reviews are blocked for no apparent reason while bad (and often exaggerated) reviews are left for all the world to see. It’s enough to make anyone want to yelp, and cry and tear their hair out.
While I totally understand not wanting to use a service that is so clearly biased, I caution you against ignoring Yelp completely. The simple truth is that they can get away the things that they do because they are the biggest game in town (not counting Google but that’s another newsletter article). When you talk about review sites, Yelp is the most used and recognized.
This week we look at something that is becoming increasingly important in Internet marketing: reviews. The good news is that it is something that is pretty easy (it still takes time) and can be mastered by anyone (not just a fancy pants marketing expert). Say yeah for reviews and embrace this phenomenon.