Reading time: 4 – 6 minutes

Yelp.com

Yelp, Inc. is a Web 2.0 company that operates a social networking, user review, and local search web site of the same name. Over 25 million people access Yelp’s website each month, putting it in the top 100 of U.S. Internet web sites.

Google wanted to buy it, the deal fell through, might go through later, we know all that. What you might not know is… If your business, is NOT on Yelp.com you’re missing out.

Reviews, pro and con, are what drives Google Ranking Today, as much as back links do, reviews might even be your company website’s only chance at knocking out an established competitors high ranking website listing.

Yelp is for… complaints? well part of it is, it’s for signing the praises of your favorite restaurant or bar? Yup, it is. What else  is Yelp good for?

Ranking… there I said it, you want to rank in Google? You get your business listed on Yelp. As of 2009, Yelp now allows business owners to list their businesses on Yelp. You don’t HAVE to, if your business pisses some experienced “Yelper” off, they can add your business to the directory.

There is already LOTS on the web about the pros and cons of, the ins and outs of being on Yelp. Just deal with the fact that being on Yelp helps your Google Ranking. So get over it, you need this, like it or not.

This post is to help keep you from making classic Yelp Mistakes, (like the ones I made). The only way to find out if you’ve “gone too far” is to “go too far”. You can get yourself blacklisted on Yelp.

Don’t Commit These Yelp Mistakes

Here is a short guide to what NOT to do:

• Don’t Use Yelp to Leave Bad Reviews of Your Competition
• Don’t Use Yelp to Pitch Your Friends Business
• Don’t Use Yelp to Talk Up any business you have a financial interest in (they will find out, and you will get blacklisted)
• Don’t create an account, list yourself, then never log in again
• Don’t bitch to them and try to say you didn’t read the TOS

If you want to reap benefits from this, participate. It is designed to be a community. If you sign up for shameless self promotion you’ll be very disapointed. If you are going to use it, use it.

• Leave reviews of stuff you like
• Leave reviews of stuff you don’t like
• Leave reviews of the local library, orNational Park

Every thing that can be abused… will be.

You are NOT the first person to: sign up, add your business… then never look at it again.

You are NOT the first person to: sign up, leave one review, then never log back in again.

Seriously… did you think you thunk that up all by yourself?

If you want something from it, give it what it needs.

Huh?

How does Yelp pay it’s bills?

Google Adsense. The get paid from ad impressions, they get paid to serve ads. If you never log in.. if you selfishly listed yourself, then never gave the place any traffic (any opportunity to pay it’s bills.. who do you think pays for web servers and webmasters and web programmers?)

In order for a free advertising supported website to pay it’s bills it needs participation, it’s a community. You want something from them? You participate.

… Thats all I have to say about that (Forrest Gump)

Custom Solutions Tailored for YOUR Company from Frederick Web Promotions

6688 Canada Goose Ct
Frederick Maryland 21703

240 644-7530

davidbrucejr@frederickwebpromotions.com
http://www.frederickwebpromotions.com

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Tagged as: Google rankings, googlemaps ranking, local business listings, local google advertising, reviews, yelp, yelp business account, Yelp complaints, yelp mistakes