What’s behind a Yelp review? Most of the time, it’s a great experience. A customer is dazzled by spectacular service, a prompt project quote, or a seamless seating with Yelp Guest Manager—then they go to Yelp to tell their community all about it. And the best part of this process is that the customer is leaving a review because they want to.
Alternatively, asking a customer for a review—which is against Yelp’s policies—may make them feel uncomfortable and pressured to inflate their rating. It can also alienate potential customers in the future: According to a recent survey commissioned by Yelp and conducted by Material, 54% of review readers say they wouldn’t trust businesses that asked customers to leave a review.1
While other review platforms may allow solicitation, it’s against Yelp’s policy for businesses to ask for reviews or offer incentives in exchange for reviews. Yelp’s Content Guidelines help create a level playing field for all businesses who rightfully earn their great reputations on Yelp.
Meanwhile, you can trust that Yelp is hard at work protecting your business and your customers’ interests: Yelp’s automated recommendation software evaluates reviews based on hundreds of signals of quality, reliability, and user activity on Yelp (and is programmed to identify and not recommend reviews it determines may be solicited). Yelp’s moderators also manually moderate content to evaluate reviews that may not adhere to our content guidelines (including those that are written in exchange for compensation).
This not only helps better inform consumers’ spending decisions, but it also protects businesses from anyone who might break or ignore the rules—allowing business owners to focus on connecting with potential customers and providing excellent customer experiences.
5 ways to get business reviews organically
Building a strong online reputation takes time, but there are several steps you can take as a business owner to inspire customers to review your business. Think of your review strategy like leaving a trail of breadcrumbs. Each action you take—like responding to direct messages or displaying a “Find us on Yelp” sticker—shows customers you care about their experience. Step by step, these breadcrumbs can lead customers back to your Yelp Page and inspire them to leave a review.
Instead of asking for reviews, inspire customers to review your business organically by using these five strategies:
- Surprise and delight with great customer service: Provide great customer service, and your customers may feel inspired to share their experience in a Yelp review.
- Respond to Yelp reviews: Show customers you value their feedback and engage with them by leaving genuine responses.
- Improve the customer journey with Yelp’s free features: Customers can connect with your business using free tools like Request-a-Quote, helping Yelp stay top-of-mind throughout their entire experience and potentially inspiring them to leave a review.
- Create visual interest in your business: Motivate customers to contribute photos of your business, products, or services, which can lead to more engagement on your Yelp Page.
- Strengthen your marketing materials with Yelp: Create more opportunities for customers to interact with your Yelp Business Page and potentially leave a review.
1. Surprise and delight with great customer service
Consumers love sharing positive experiences, whether it’s a flawless landscaping job or the perfect mani-pedi. The majority of Yelp users write reviews to share their love for a local business with others—nearly 70% of all reviews are 4 or 5 stars.
Take it from a Yelp Elite reviewer, Josh H., who explains his review philosophy this way: “That calming, soothing, welcoming feeling you get from the staff—I experienced it. I want to keep experiencing it again myself. The next best thing I can do is make sure other people hear about it, become aware of it, and go get that experience too.”
So how do you create that welcoming feeling that inspires Josh H. and so many others to review? Follow the golden rule of customer service: surprise and delight. Provide great customer service, and your customers may feel inspired to share their experience with you and other Yelp users by leaving a review. For example, if a customer requests pest control services on Yelp, impress them with a prompt arrival, polite introduction, and a work area that’s left as clean as you found it.
Don’t try to get 5-star reviews—go be five stars, and then the 5-star reviews happen.
—Josh Campbell, owner of rescue Air heating and cooling
Even the smallest of gestures can make a big impact. Paws on Chicon owner Keith Zeiler sends a handwritten thank you note to every new customer at his pet shop. This personal touch has helped make a good impression on his visitors, with some saying Keith’s marketing strategy turned them into loyal customers.
You can also use your customer service skills to tie this positive feeling back to Yelp in subtle ways that do not violate Yelp’s policies. For example, when you’re following up with a client after a sale or a service, you can ask how they found you. If the answer is Yelp, Jay Sofer, owner of the New York City locksmith business Lockbusters, often replies: “Yelp helps our business so much. I’m so glad you found me there.”
2. Respond to Yelp reviews
If a customer complimented your service after a haircut or an oil change, you’d thank them for their feedback. Yelp reviewers expect the same response when they give you feedback online. “It makes you feel important in a way, like your words are significant and that you are helping other people find their business,” said Yelp reviewer Beth C.
Responding to reviews shows you care about your customers’ experiences, and it can even influence the purchasing decisions of potential customers who are checking out your page. According to a 2023 survey, 70% of respondents who read reviews say they’re more likely to write a review for a business if they see the business owner responds to reviews.1
On top of that, Yelp users who see these responses will remember your authenticity and openness when it comes time to review. “When I’m reading reviews about a business, and I see a company responding, it gives me an idea about who that company is,” said Jennifer W., who was inspired to hire—and ultimately review—Rescue Air Heating and Cooling after reading their review responses on Yelp. “Are they customer focused? Are they calm, cool, and collected in their response? There’s so much you can learn about the company that you’re about to do business with.”
As Rescue Air has found, if you show you value customer feedback and engage with reviews, clients may feel more confident referring you. “The healthy thing to do is get out there and hear what people really think. They’re the customer, and our service doesn’t exist without them doing the exchange,” said Josh Campbell, owner of Rescue Air.
“My three R’s of business are reviews, referrals, and repeat customers,” Josh said. “The reviews generate new leads, the referrals are our leads from those previous customers, and then the repeat business is my favorite piece of it because [customers] spend more money when they know you. Don’t try to get 5-star reviews—go be five stars, and then the 5-star reviews happen.”
Pro tip: If you’re not sure how to respond to reviews or want to move beyond a simple “thank you,” Yelp has resources to guide you through the process, from navigating critical feedback to celebrating positive reviews.
3. Improve the customer journey with Yelp’s free features
Yelp’s 20+ free features can help your Yelp Page stand out from the competition, while also keeping Yelp top of mind throughout the customer experience. You can make a strong impression with all of Yelp’s free features, but there are a few in particular that can help increase exposure to your business, deepen engagement, and inspire customers to leave a review organically.
Request-a-Quote
Request-a-Quote is an opportunity to inspire engagement. When customers land on your Yelp Page, this free feature allows them to fill out a request with detailed information about a project or service. If customers are too shy or busy to jump on a phone call, messaging and booking through Yelp allows you to build one-on-one trust and better connect and communicate with customers after their appointment or consultation.
Make sure you follow up promptly and are prepared to answer their questions with accurate and relevant information. Not only will this keep potential customers coming back to your Yelp Page, but internal data shows businesses that respond to messages and requests within 24 hours get three times more messages and requests.2
How do I do this? Check to see that you have messages/requests enabled on your Yelp for Business account so you can start receiving requests from potential customers.
On top of these benefits, tools that streamline the customer experience will reflect even more positively on your customer service—a trustworthy way to inspire reviews. A happy customer who books a seamless move with Request-a-Quote, for example, will forever associate those positive feelings with your business. That’s a win-win for business owners: Yelp’s features improve your customer experience and give you all the credit.
Pro tip: To make the most of Yelp’s free features, download the Yelp for Business app and enable push notifications so you can respond promptly when someone sends a message or a request (if enabled) or posts a question about your business.
Check-in
The check-in feature is a free and easy way for customers to engage with your business on Yelp from the minute they step foot in the door. This helps keep Yelp top-of-mind throughout their entire experience—and potentially inspires them to leave a review later on.
Customers can simply “check in” to your business via your Yelp Page on their mobile device. After a user checks in, Yelp automatically notifies their Yelp network about their recent visit and what service they are using. This not only increases exposure for your business among Yelp’s community of active users, but also raises your profile as a business. Users can also share their check-in status on social platforms, driving even more brand awareness for your business.
To motivate customers to check in to your business, you can set up signage in your business letting people know they can find and engage with your business on Yelp.
4. Create visual interest in your business
Consumers come to online review sites for more than just ratings and reviews: 48% of respondents of a recent survey say they rely on review platforms to view photos of a business.1 And just as important as uploading quality photos to your Yelp Page, you can also inspire customers to take and share their own photos. Perhaps they’ll keep a future review in mind during the process.
As a business owner, you can do your part by creating as many photo opportunities as possible—and video too. As of April 2023, Yelp users can also post high-resolution video up to 12 seconds alongside their review and photos.
Put yourself in the customer’s shoes, and think about the features you find most visually appealing and engaging about your business. What’s unique about your products or service? What makes the experience worth capturing? Which aspects of your business show up in the largest number of reviews or photos?
Maybe it’s your products or services themselves—your professional latte art or balayage makeover—or maybe it’s the branded sign in your entryway. “Everyone comes here for their ping pong bath photo. [It’s the] best marketing move,” writes Yelp reviewer Ben C. about SPIN, a popular San Francisco ping pong social club.
If you have a brick-and-mortar location, consider adding an aesthetic element to your business that will inspire customers to take photos, such as a pleasing product display, a cozy corner filled with plants, or a mural by a local artist. Anthony Diaz and Kevin Alcaraz, owners of Plantiitas, hired an artist from their community to decorate their plant shop with a take on La Catrina, a Mexican symbol tied to Día de Muertos. Now it’s the backdrop of many photos Yelp users post on their page.
The Sweet Spot in Virginia Beach, Virginia, is also full of photo ops, from the wall decked out in pink hearts and neon lights to the over-the-top milkshakes. “The aesthetics bring people in,” owner Mery Ghattas said. “I wanted something that is very colorful and will brighten up your day when you see it.”
People really want to show off to their friends, so give them an excuse to take a photo. Maybe it’s an interesting piece of art, maybe it’s new decor, maybe it’s showcasing your products in a really pretty way—whatever it is, make the space look really aesthetic.
—Morlene Chin, Yelp’s Brooklyn Community Manager
Even if your business is not as photogenic—say, a plumbing company or pest control business—you can still create visual interest in your business. The next time you’re on a job or finish a service, ask clients if you can take before and after photos and post them on Yelp. Including your client in this process will show them you care about their experience, and it might even inspire them to share their own photos, like Yelp reviewer Jaime P. did after Rescue Air Heating and Cooling repaired his condenser coil.
Pro tip: You can use customer photos of your business from Yelp in your marketing materials (be sure to give them credit). However, it’s always a good idea to also ask your customers for consent before you share their images on your website or other online platforms.
Did you know? Users who upload photos get regular updates from Yelp about how their photo has helped support the business through page views, keeping Yelp top of mind well after their visit.
5. Strengthen your marketing materials with Yelp
Enhancing your marketing materials with Yelp reviews, content, and more will create more opportunities for customers to interact with your business page and potentially leave a review.
By highlighting Yelp in your marketing, you can guide your customers organically to your business page. For example, a plumbing company could train its technicians to mention Yelp in their sales pitch by telling customers they can get a detailed quote on Yelp or directing them to their Yelp Page to check out photos of a previous job.
You can also weave Yelp into your marketing using visual cues. Catch a customer’s eye with a “Find us on Yelp” sticker for your storefront or service vehicle. Show why customers love you by adding your current star rating to the chalkboard outside, framing Yelp reviews on the wall of your brick-and-mortar, or debuting a “review of the week” in your business’s email newsletter using the Yelp for Business extension in Mailchimp. When you put all your efforts together, you have a trail of breadcrumbs that can lead and inspire customers to leave a Yelp review.
When you see that Yelp logo on a restaurant door, you know that restaurant wants you to give feedback. They want to better themselves because of that feedback. You walk in and you can tell right away the way that they cater to you.
—Alok Ahuja, CEO of trexity, a small business delivery platform
Pro tip: If you have more than one practitioner, artist, stylist, etc. at your business, you can request a “Find us on Yelp” sticker for each. Enter the same address and information, but use the person’s individual name in each request.
Did you know? You can also get a free Asian-, Black-, Latinx-, LGBTQ-, veteran-, and/or woman-owned business sticker in the mail by filling out this request form (eligible for businesses with a physical location listed on Yelp). Stickers are sent out on a monthly basis.
Keep the cycle going by sharing customers’ reviews online, which shows them you appreciate their engagement and also provides social proof to back up your marketing claims. Use Yelp’s embed links to add reviews to your website, and try out Yelp’s sharing buttons to post customer photos and reviews on social media.
You can also create your own template for sharing reviews on social media, using free tools like Canva. For example, the owners of Taqueria La Perla Tapatía share all their favorite Yelp reviews in a “Story Highlight” on Instagram, where they thank reviewers and direct potential customers back to their Yelp Page.
Small businesses have gotten creative, putting customer reviews on everything from their menu to their business cards. Korri Burton-Universe, owner of the bespoke clothing company Uncommon Closet, created a lookbook of positive Yelp reviews that clients can browse while they wait. Elizabeth Sexton, marketing director at Aligned Modern Health, displays Yelp reviews in strategic spots around the clinic to inspire reviews organically.
“We have found that using visual cues is a great way to follow Yelp’s rules and encourage a more natural source of engagement,” Elizabeth said. “We know that this strategy works because we’ve gotten direct feedback from patients that seeing these reviews actually made them more excited to share their stories.”
Pro tip: Follow the Yelp Brand Guidelines for using reviews. Keep the original wording, only use recommended reviews, and give proper credit to the reviewer. Read more on how to share review content.
Yelp has also created downloadable assets to help business owners lead customers to their Yelp Page. Incorporate these in your marketing materials—on business cards, email signatures, websites, social media, email newsletters, and more.
Yelp encourages community engagement with local businesses
Yelp encourages users to engage with local businesses in many ways. The platform celebrates users who write reviews, attend events, and add photos—even showing them the impact of their engagement on the local business community through regular updates. Plus, once a user begins writing a review and saves a draft, Yelp reminds them to complete their review and make it as thorough as possible through interactive review topics, which help consumers track what they’ve covered and remind them of other topics they might want to address.
1Material Survey 2023.
2Yelp Internal Data, 2022. Based on an analysis of the average response time for businesses that responded to messages and requests within 24 hours between April 2021 and April 2022.
Yelp’s Small Business Expert Emily Washcovick also covered this topic on Behind the Review, Yelp & Entrepreneur Media’s weekly podcast. Listen for more:
The information above is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice and may not be suitable for your circumstances. Unless stated otherwise, references to third-party links, services, or products do not constitute endorsement by Yelp.