Business Owners Beware
Once you list your business on Yelp, you can’t remove it — no matter what. That means your reputation is at the mercy of Yelp’s system.
Here’s what I’ve learned:
Anyone can leave a review, even if they never used your services. In our case, someone gave us a 1-star rating because they claim we didn’t show for a free estimate. No actual work was ever performed, yet that review counts.
Negative reviews stick, and they show up on Google. If you have one bad review, it’s not just Yelp where it shows. Your Google search results display that low rating front and center, making your business look bad.
Yelp filters out genuine reviews. We’ve had long-time, loyal customers who left thoughtful 5-star reviews based on real experiences. Yelp’s algorithm hid them, so they don’t factor into our overall rating.
In short: one unfair review can outweigh years of satisfied customers. And the worst part? Yelp makes sure their site ranks high in search results, so your reputation is at stake whether you use them or not.
If you’re a business owner thinking of signing up — be warned.