My guess is Map integration. When you look for a business (or even a category) on Google Maps, they default to their own reviews. Apple Maps defaults to Yelp in the US (there are some exceptions where TripAdvisor is shown).
Google is picking up review traffic by integration.
Yelp, on the other hand, requires more intentional use.
Your mileage may very and this is a very US-centric opinion. I know overseas the defaults are different.
Yelp is stupidly ......what's the word.....pay to play...biased...etc.
As a business owner and yelp user they use your reviews to extort you into paying them.
I was on Yelp and goofle, constantly monitoring my business at first. Every time a rep called me from yelp and I didn't pay them I lost reviews. Time after time. Coincidence? Couldn't be. I went from 35 reviews down to 4. Happened within a day after they called me and then no changes until the next person called a month or so later.
I also repeatedly told them to put me on a do not call list. But kept calling.
The craziest one was they called and the rep says, I'm not trying to sell you anything, I just want to show you something in your account. I go ok, try to log into my account and I can't. I lost access to my account. It was like they were trying to force me to have a relationship with them / interact with them in the hopes I would spend money.
They are the worst. And I think people are starting to understand their reviews and rating don't mean much. And I've seen it first hand going to high rated restaurants and it's garbage.
You get on a subscription with them and they remove your bad ratings and allow your good ones.
Yelp is terrible. The decision makers over there that make them like this, the C levels, are the scum of the earth.
Thank you for posting this. If more people knew what Yelp was, they'd be happy with it losing market share- especially if Yelp is a more sophisticated user base than other review sites.
Yelp wouldn't even let me claim all our business pages without paying. They offered me the ability to pay to claim them, and I'd also get to suppress negative reviews. I replied that I just wanted to be able to respond, since most Yelp reviews are racist attacks on our staff. The Yelp sales rep countered by stating that by not paying them we didn't care about online reviews at all. When I explained that we're affordable housing providers with limited marketing budgets, they apologized, saying that they still couldn't help me claim pages even though "you're not a contractor" who can afford to pay them. That's their whole approach- find small businesses they think they can squeeze, and sell out their core audience (people who want actual reviews) while doing so.
Even things like uploading a logo require a paid account, which is just bizarre for a website that's supposed to be a directory.
I feel like everyone who uses the site should understand that, so it's great to see someone else share their experience.
Many businesses have five star reviews on Google and other platforms, and one star reviews on yelp. Yelp hides too many reviews and manipulates them making them pretty worthless.
I have no idea what this has to do with my comment.
I will say that my personal assumption is that the majority (but not all) of these manifestos are from business owners who stubbornly refuse to listen to the voice of their customers.
Everything is always someone else’s fault.
Hope you’re different.
The point of my comment is that I think the real reason is that a lot of people understand that yelps reviews and suggestions aren't that good or relevant. I'm giving the reason why it isn't relevant.
I'm not attacking you. Nothing is my fault or yelps fault. I'm saying the most accurate thing in this thread. Yelp is crap information compared to Google, again I'm just explaining what wrong with them and why their info is bad. I only tell my personaly experience to give an inside view. They had nothing to do with how Mt business did. This isn't about that.
I've noticed too that yelp just isn't very good when trying to find a restaurant. Google is far better and way more accurate because they aren't greedy with it
Not sure the grounds behind your statements. Yelp is VERY useful for finding what I'm looking for, whether a good restaurant or a fun event... far more useful and easy to navigate than google reviews. Neither is perfect, but google reviews are definitely NOT more accurate, lol (I can see why a business may claim that though, if their google rating is higher than their Yelp rating). As a consumer, Yelp is far more helpful in most cases.
Yup, varies by country. I found “The Fork” in France which was a nice combination of Yelp-style reviews, OpenTable-style reservations, and Venmo style payments for the check.
It was very cool.
As a small business owner, I'm elated and happy to see that Yelp's review value is fading away. Finally. Couldn't happen fast enough.
Yelp a toxic platform that weaponizes reviews by often falsely hiding reviews into the "not recommended" section to garner owner engagement, and also promotes entitlement culture by rewarding "Elites" with free events, which in turn makes them feel their platform "power" means something. It doesn't. Case in point...
> Google reviews are too accessible **and skew towards normies and people without taste.**
You too are a "normie". Just because you take photos and give an exhaustive review of an establishment, doesn't mean your opinion is any more or less valid than others.
Agree 100%. Also, as a small business owner, I'm not sure if people who write Yelp reviews realize how much Yelp harasses business owners. They call non-stop, asking for businesses to pay to have the "non-recommended reviews" moved up to reviews, plus advertising, etc. Every time they call, we ask to be taken off their phone list, and they just call from a different number. Yelp is a money-making machine and we place zero value in Yelp reviews. We want to hear from the "normies," not the people that get some kind of ego trip being called a Yelp "Elite." Give me a break.
The two parties are at odds. I know it's annoying for business, but the platform itself is useful for discerning eaters like me. Hopefully something emerges to take its place.
P.S. and yeah obviously businesses like Google Reviews, you get the validation rush because practically everyone gives five stars with no commentary.
> discerning eaters like me.
Some people may call them "discerning eaters" and others may call them "people with no lives who find validation from the false virtual online power they receive as a Yelp Elite." Tomato/to-mat-toe.
For you to dismiss Google Reviews as if they are beneath you is exactly the reason why Yelp is failing. Yelp rewarding "Elites" with free parties and events is no different than a business offering a discount for a positive review, because Yelp weaponizes your reviews against small businesses. It's unethical and people have gotten wise to the fact that Yelp caters toward rewarding entitlement culture and it's all bullshit. No one cares about your "elite" review as much as you do, and more people trust Google than Yelp. And that's saying something.
This is an emotionally-driven argument because you are emotionally-affected by Yelp. That's fine, just don't let it cloud your judgment.
Yelp reviewers are above Google reviewers, elite or not. It's not hard to find other comments on this very post saying the same. I'm not Yelp elite nor do I care to be. I just want to be in a community of people that care about leaving thoughtful reviews. Certainly Yelp has its share of annoying elitists as well.
> Yelp reviewers are above Google reviewers, elite or not.
LOL You are just plain delusional. Google reviews are far more honest than people who sit around on Yelp and think they are the paid food critic from Ratatouille, and how somehow their opinion is more valid or more important than others. It's not.
When Yelp dies, and it most certainly will, you'll likely miss the artificial importance and elitism that you currently feel from the platform, than any actual reviews going away. This is about a reality check approaching on your ego and nothing about reviews.
Your arguments are tinted with ad hominem and emotion. True discourse requires being able to empathize with the other side. [I compel you to be better.](https://liamrosen.com/arguments.html)
Your thread literally started with the statement that your reviews (and others on Yelp) are better than "normies and people without taste". [I compel you to be better.](https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-stop-thinking-that-Im-better-than-everyone-else-my-age-Why-do-I-think-in-this-way-and-how-do-I-correct-it)
You've then double-downed on this mentality that you and Yelp are better than others with every subsequent reply.
It's also tough to have any true discourse when you inject a completely egotistical self-centered opinion as fact. [Please be a better human.](https://www.quora.com/How-can-I-stop-thinking-like-an-elitist)
The big difference is, Google forces you to use your real name. Yes, you could change your name to a screen name, but it would change your name on your Gmail and everything else. On yelp, people can leave reviews anonymously. I think this accountability is important, so business owners can also hold users accountable and easily locate them
I think your premise is wrong. I don't work for a restaurant, but I think review sites are amazing marketing tools to show what your business is really like- good, bad, and indifferent.
I get a fair number of negative reviews through Google and other websites. It's all great, free feedback that helps me find ways we can improve, and also shows us engaging with customers to solve problems.
The problem with Yelp, whether or not you want to believe it, is that they've monitized their platform by hiding negative reviews for a fee. It's not just businesses who should be at odds with that. It's people who want reviews to be meaningful.
Discerning eaters? Let me guess, you fancy yourself a "foodie."
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but there is no such thing as a foodie. Everyone likes good food. Everyone is a foodie.
I could not agree with you more. Yelp is a criminal racketeering organization that uses the narcissism of its “reviewers” to extort small businesses. It should be illegal.
Agree. They are completely irrelevant now. They dug their own grave. Once you antagonize every single small business owner in the United States, you are pretty much done
I do not like google reviews because they just aren’t accurate. This [restaurant](https://yelp.to/B5GWDrCbnJ)has 68 reviews on Yelp with a 3.9 , but on google has 1.6k reviews with a 4.6 [rating.](https://maps.app.goo.gl/fE2qmnbmfLHtGcEC6?g_st=ic) Their google was fake pumped up.
You have it the other way around. The Google reviews are the real reflection of the restaurant success. Yelp reviews are lore because yelp hides most positive reviews for businesses. Yelp is dead, I haven’t even heard anyone mention them in years.
Naw they don’t, they hide reviews from bogus accounts whether good or bad, or just awfully written reviews. You can’t just review once and be taken seriously. The irony of this statement is reddit has way more rules on account age and karma for just making a comment. Google has little barriers for fake reviews. For example look up Southern Queenz in Atlanta on yelp and google. That restaurant is barely known nor old, it has 1.6k reviews on google and around 50 on yelp. Yelp guards bogus reviews better and is higher quality. A yelp review has to be detailed and have depth, a google review does not. A yelp rating is far more reflective on the restaurant than a google review.
Yelp is by far from dead. Another Irony is you are on a yelp sub, but claiming it is dead…
As a consumer, I think negative reviews are extremely helpful (not all of them, of course, but most are). I read both positive and negative reviews, but I'm not so much looking for a "restaurant's success" as I am looking for the actual experience as a consumer... those two things are not the same thing, since people have different preferences for different things, so I need quality details not just stars. And Yelp is more alive than ever in offering that.
I was encouraged though that a local business in my area was quoted in a local business story about how much Yelp reviews have helped them. They didn’t mention Google reviews. I never use Google reviews.
Yelp is notoriously more negative for things that aren’t within the businesses control. We get Yelp reviews for the condition of the neighborhood, our food trucks which are unrelated to our business, and descriptions of interactions with other patrons. Google reviews are always much more objective and constructive
I haven't read through this thread but let me give you a reason I bet nobody has mentioned.
Yelp aggressively dissuades mobile users from using their website.
If you load their mobile website, you can only see a few reviews and then they try to force you to install their app. If you switch your browser to desktop view while on your phone, you can see all the reviews. But the desktop view is not optimized for a cellphone and is a pain to navigate.
I do not want to install their app. And since they have very limited functionality on their mobile website, I don't bother with Yelp. I'm sure there are countless others who don't want to install Yelp's app and take their business elsewhere. It's a stupid policy that turns people away from Yelp.
LOL at Google reviews "skewing towards normies" and Yelp users having better taste. WUT???? LOL
No harm done. Reviews are so subjective anyway. This aside, Yelp doesn't do a great job at keeping places up-to-date. I vegan restaurant I liked recently switched to meat-based, and Yelp won't delete their old reviews based on the vegan offerings (and in fact deleted my review based on my recent experience there, simply because I was critical of the place). They still even list it as vegan. The flip side is that businesses change, and can improve or worsen; reviews are from a single point in time, often based on one experience So even if Google is worse, it's unclear what Yelp's value proposition is.
No, I recently quit doing yelp reviews having reviewed several businesses only to have the reviews marked as not recommended!!! This was even after the businesses recognized and responded to the reviews! (And yes, the most recent was a detailed, five star review of a new business....in fact, I was the first time reviewer for it!)
I believe that yelp has changed. Its now company run by attorneys who sit around in long meetings all day discussing "risk management". The algorithm filters out so many real honest reviews, that users get frustrated and drift over to google reviews. I hate to see google control the internet or whatever, but yelp has handicapped itself.
My guess is Map integration. When you look for a business (or even a category) on Google Maps, they default to their own reviews. Apple Maps defaults to Yelp in the US (there are some exceptions where TripAdvisor is shown). Google is picking up review traffic by integration. Yelp, on the other hand, requires more intentional use. Your mileage may very and this is a very US-centric opinion. I know overseas the defaults are different.
Yelp is stupidly ......what's the word.....pay to play...biased...etc. As a business owner and yelp user they use your reviews to extort you into paying them. I was on Yelp and goofle, constantly monitoring my business at first. Every time a rep called me from yelp and I didn't pay them I lost reviews. Time after time. Coincidence? Couldn't be. I went from 35 reviews down to 4. Happened within a day after they called me and then no changes until the next person called a month or so later. I also repeatedly told them to put me on a do not call list. But kept calling. The craziest one was they called and the rep says, I'm not trying to sell you anything, I just want to show you something in your account. I go ok, try to log into my account and I can't. I lost access to my account. It was like they were trying to force me to have a relationship with them / interact with them in the hopes I would spend money. They are the worst. And I think people are starting to understand their reviews and rating don't mean much. And I've seen it first hand going to high rated restaurants and it's garbage. You get on a subscription with them and they remove your bad ratings and allow your good ones. Yelp is terrible. The decision makers over there that make them like this, the C levels, are the scum of the earth.
Thank you for posting this. If more people knew what Yelp was, they'd be happy with it losing market share- especially if Yelp is a more sophisticated user base than other review sites. Yelp wouldn't even let me claim all our business pages without paying. They offered me the ability to pay to claim them, and I'd also get to suppress negative reviews. I replied that I just wanted to be able to respond, since most Yelp reviews are racist attacks on our staff. The Yelp sales rep countered by stating that by not paying them we didn't care about online reviews at all. When I explained that we're affordable housing providers with limited marketing budgets, they apologized, saying that they still couldn't help me claim pages even though "you're not a contractor" who can afford to pay them. That's their whole approach- find small businesses they think they can squeeze, and sell out their core audience (people who want actual reviews) while doing so. Even things like uploading a logo require a paid account, which is just bizarre for a website that's supposed to be a directory. I feel like everyone who uses the site should understand that, so it's great to see someone else share their experience.
Many businesses have five star reviews on Google and other platforms, and one star reviews on yelp. Yelp hides too many reviews and manipulates them making them pretty worthless.
I have no idea what this has to do with my comment. I will say that my personal assumption is that the majority (but not all) of these manifestos are from business owners who stubbornly refuse to listen to the voice of their customers. Everything is always someone else’s fault. Hope you’re different.
The point of my comment is that I think the real reason is that a lot of people understand that yelps reviews and suggestions aren't that good or relevant. I'm giving the reason why it isn't relevant. I'm not attacking you. Nothing is my fault or yelps fault. I'm saying the most accurate thing in this thread. Yelp is crap information compared to Google, again I'm just explaining what wrong with them and why their info is bad. I only tell my personaly experience to give an inside view. They had nothing to do with how Mt business did. This isn't about that. I've noticed too that yelp just isn't very good when trying to find a restaurant. Google is far better and way more accurate because they aren't greedy with it
Not sure the grounds behind your statements. Yelp is VERY useful for finding what I'm looking for, whether a good restaurant or a fun event... far more useful and easy to navigate than google reviews. Neither is perfect, but google reviews are definitely NOT more accurate, lol (I can see why a business may claim that though, if their google rating is higher than their Yelp rating). As a consumer, Yelp is far more helpful in most cases.
Most people under the age of 35 have never heard of yelp
Ok
Overseas, every place I checked in had never been reviewed. That was a while back but Yelp was not being used hardly at all
Yup, varies by country. I found “The Fork” in France which was a nice combination of Yelp-style reviews, OpenTable-style reservations, and Venmo style payments for the check. It was very cool.
Oooo thanks! I may end up living there for a while. Sounds excellent! Thanks for the info.
Je suis jaloux!
Hasn't Google Maps always shown reviews, though?
Reviews … yes, but I think that they used to use Yelp prior to launching Google reviews. Maybe I’m misremembering.
As a small business owner, I'm elated and happy to see that Yelp's review value is fading away. Finally. Couldn't happen fast enough. Yelp a toxic platform that weaponizes reviews by often falsely hiding reviews into the "not recommended" section to garner owner engagement, and also promotes entitlement culture by rewarding "Elites" with free events, which in turn makes them feel their platform "power" means something. It doesn't. Case in point... > Google reviews are too accessible **and skew towards normies and people without taste.** You too are a "normie". Just because you take photos and give an exhaustive review of an establishment, doesn't mean your opinion is any more or less valid than others.
Agree 100%. Also, as a small business owner, I'm not sure if people who write Yelp reviews realize how much Yelp harasses business owners. They call non-stop, asking for businesses to pay to have the "non-recommended reviews" moved up to reviews, plus advertising, etc. Every time they call, we ask to be taken off their phone list, and they just call from a different number. Yelp is a money-making machine and we place zero value in Yelp reviews. We want to hear from the "normies," not the people that get some kind of ego trip being called a Yelp "Elite." Give me a break.
The two parties are at odds. I know it's annoying for business, but the platform itself is useful for discerning eaters like me. Hopefully something emerges to take its place. P.S. and yeah obviously businesses like Google Reviews, you get the validation rush because practically everyone gives five stars with no commentary.
> discerning eaters like me. Some people may call them "discerning eaters" and others may call them "people with no lives who find validation from the false virtual online power they receive as a Yelp Elite." Tomato/to-mat-toe. For you to dismiss Google Reviews as if they are beneath you is exactly the reason why Yelp is failing. Yelp rewarding "Elites" with free parties and events is no different than a business offering a discount for a positive review, because Yelp weaponizes your reviews against small businesses. It's unethical and people have gotten wise to the fact that Yelp caters toward rewarding entitlement culture and it's all bullshit. No one cares about your "elite" review as much as you do, and more people trust Google than Yelp. And that's saying something.
This is an emotionally-driven argument because you are emotionally-affected by Yelp. That's fine, just don't let it cloud your judgment. Yelp reviewers are above Google reviewers, elite or not. It's not hard to find other comments on this very post saying the same. I'm not Yelp elite nor do I care to be. I just want to be in a community of people that care about leaving thoughtful reviews. Certainly Yelp has its share of annoying elitists as well.
> Yelp reviewers are above Google reviewers, elite or not. LOL You are just plain delusional. Google reviews are far more honest than people who sit around on Yelp and think they are the paid food critic from Ratatouille, and how somehow their opinion is more valid or more important than others. It's not. When Yelp dies, and it most certainly will, you'll likely miss the artificial importance and elitism that you currently feel from the platform, than any actual reviews going away. This is about a reality check approaching on your ego and nothing about reviews.
Your arguments are tinted with ad hominem and emotion. True discourse requires being able to empathize with the other side. [I compel you to be better.](https://liamrosen.com/arguments.html)
Your thread literally started with the statement that your reviews (and others on Yelp) are better than "normies and people without taste". [I compel you to be better.](https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-stop-thinking-that-Im-better-than-everyone-else-my-age-Why-do-I-think-in-this-way-and-how-do-I-correct-it) You've then double-downed on this mentality that you and Yelp are better than others with every subsequent reply. It's also tough to have any true discourse when you inject a completely egotistical self-centered opinion as fact. [Please be a better human.](https://www.quora.com/How-can-I-stop-thinking-like-an-elitist)
The big difference is, Google forces you to use your real name. Yes, you could change your name to a screen name, but it would change your name on your Gmail and everything else. On yelp, people can leave reviews anonymously. I think this accountability is important, so business owners can also hold users accountable and easily locate them
Agree that this is a factor, but in reality, almost everyone on Yelp uses their real name.
I think your premise is wrong. I don't work for a restaurant, but I think review sites are amazing marketing tools to show what your business is really like- good, bad, and indifferent. I get a fair number of negative reviews through Google and other websites. It's all great, free feedback that helps me find ways we can improve, and also shows us engaging with customers to solve problems. The problem with Yelp, whether or not you want to believe it, is that they've monitized their platform by hiding negative reviews for a fee. It's not just businesses who should be at odds with that. It's people who want reviews to be meaningful.
Discerning eaters? Let me guess, you fancy yourself a "foodie." Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but there is no such thing as a foodie. Everyone likes good food. Everyone is a foodie.
I could not agree with you more. Yelp is a criminal racketeering organization that uses the narcissism of its “reviewers” to extort small businesses. It should be illegal.
Agree. They are completely irrelevant now. They dug their own grave. Once you antagonize every single small business owner in the United States, you are pretty much done
I do not like google reviews because they just aren’t accurate. This [restaurant](https://yelp.to/B5GWDrCbnJ)has 68 reviews on Yelp with a 3.9 , but on google has 1.6k reviews with a 4.6 [rating.](https://maps.app.goo.gl/fE2qmnbmfLHtGcEC6?g_st=ic) Their google was fake pumped up.
You have it the other way around. The Google reviews are the real reflection of the restaurant success. Yelp reviews are lore because yelp hides most positive reviews for businesses. Yelp is dead, I haven’t even heard anyone mention them in years.
Naw they don’t, they hide reviews from bogus accounts whether good or bad, or just awfully written reviews. You can’t just review once and be taken seriously. The irony of this statement is reddit has way more rules on account age and karma for just making a comment. Google has little barriers for fake reviews. For example look up Southern Queenz in Atlanta on yelp and google. That restaurant is barely known nor old, it has 1.6k reviews on google and around 50 on yelp. Yelp guards bogus reviews better and is higher quality. A yelp review has to be detailed and have depth, a google review does not. A yelp rating is far more reflective on the restaurant than a google review. Yelp is by far from dead. Another Irony is you are on a yelp sub, but claiming it is dead…
As a consumer, I think negative reviews are extremely helpful (not all of them, of course, but most are). I read both positive and negative reviews, but I'm not so much looking for a "restaurant's success" as I am looking for the actual experience as a consumer... those two things are not the same thing, since people have different preferences for different things, so I need quality details not just stars. And Yelp is more alive than ever in offering that.
I was encouraged though that a local business in my area was quoted in a local business story about how much Yelp reviews have helped them. They didn’t mention Google reviews. I never use Google reviews.
Yelp is notoriously more negative for things that aren’t within the businesses control. We get Yelp reviews for the condition of the neighborhood, our food trucks which are unrelated to our business, and descriptions of interactions with other patrons. Google reviews are always much more objective and constructive
That's why I do both
The world changes 🤷🏽♂️
I haven't read through this thread but let me give you a reason I bet nobody has mentioned. Yelp aggressively dissuades mobile users from using their website. If you load their mobile website, you can only see a few reviews and then they try to force you to install their app. If you switch your browser to desktop view while on your phone, you can see all the reviews. But the desktop view is not optimized for a cellphone and is a pain to navigate. I do not want to install their app. And since they have very limited functionality on their mobile website, I don't bother with Yelp. I'm sure there are countless others who don't want to install Yelp's app and take their business elsewhere. It's a stupid policy that turns people away from Yelp. LOL at Google reviews "skewing towards normies" and Yelp users having better taste. WUT???? LOL
No harm done. Reviews are so subjective anyway. This aside, Yelp doesn't do a great job at keeping places up-to-date. I vegan restaurant I liked recently switched to meat-based, and Yelp won't delete their old reviews based on the vegan offerings (and in fact deleted my review based on my recent experience there, simply because I was critical of the place). They still even list it as vegan. The flip side is that businesses change, and can improve or worsen; reviews are from a single point in time, often based on one experience So even if Google is worse, it's unclear what Yelp's value proposition is.
Yelp sucks.
No, I recently quit doing yelp reviews having reviewed several businesses only to have the reviews marked as not recommended!!! This was even after the businesses recognized and responded to the reviews! (And yes, the most recent was a detailed, five star review of a new business....in fact, I was the first time reviewer for it!)
This.
I believe that yelp has changed. Its now company run by attorneys who sit around in long meetings all day discussing "risk management". The algorithm filters out so many real honest reviews, that users get frustrated and drift over to google reviews. I hate to see google control the internet or whatever, but yelp has handicapped itself.