If you want your business to be successful, it is essential that you manage your online reputation. If you do not stay active online, chances are that people are commenting on your business on various different platforms, and you will have no idea. It is important to stay active online so that you can manage your businesses’ reputation. If someone has something negative to say about your business, you should consider how you are going to respond to the issues, how you will regain your good reputation, etc. There are many platforms in which you can manage your online reputation but in this article, we will be discussing how you manage your online reputation on Yelp.
Here are a few tips on how to manage your online reputation on Yelp:
Create a Yelp Business Account
Yelp is one of the more popular business directories where people can review your business and recommend it to others. It’s a great way to reach new customers but you have to make sure you’re set up on there properly. If your business has been around for some time, you are probably on Yelp, but you might not even know it. It’s better that you claim your listing and manage your online presence rather than letting the public manage it. If you don’t manage your Yelp, your business might decline suddenly and you’d have no idea what to attribute that to. To claim your listing, visit https://biz.yelp.com/
Stay Active on Yelp
Once you have a Yelp business account, you can see your Yelp business page activity on the homepage. Your activity includes how many views your page gets, clicks on your website, etc. You can track this data over 30 days, 60 days, and 90 days which can be useful to compare. This information can then be used as feedback for your business and what you can improve on. It can also be useful to see if it would be worth investing in Yelp Ads to direct more traffic toward your website.
Respond to Customer Reviews and Messages
One of the most important factors in keeping a good reputation online for your business is to respond to reviews and direct messages. On Yelp, people have the ability to message your business directly for any questions that they may have. Someone may ask you for a quote, or a question about your business hours, etc. It is essential that you respond as soon as possible so that customers know that you care and give them the confidence of wanting to do business with you. Next, you want to make sure that you respond to good and bad reviews on Yelp. If someone responds with a good review, make sure to thank them for the great review.
If someone responds with a bad review, it is equally as important to respond. In this case scenario, it could be that the customer was just having a bad day or it could be something that your business really does need to work on. To respond to a bad review, be positive respond in a friendly, upbeat, yet professional tone. Correct mistakes politely. Do not argue, insult or blame others. You also want to make sure to be transparent; State your name and position within the business. This is your chance to personalize and humanize your business. Also, you want to make sure to be honest, own up to problems and mistakes; Inform customers when and how you will improve the situation. Next, be timely, as mentioned earlier, your response times should be no longer than 24 hours. Lastly, you want to be helpful to the customer by pointing them to valuable information on your website or other approved websites.
Add Photos and Videos to your Yelp Page
Make sure that your Yelp Business Page has as many photos and videos as it can. Photos and videos are what potential customers actively look at to decide whether your business is worth their time and energy or not. For example, if you are a restaurant, one of the first things that a user will do is look at your pictures on Yelp and decide if your food looks appetizing or not. So, you want to make sure that there are plenty of good quality pictures on your page. You also want to make sure that all of your pictures have descriptions. Descriptions are important because they contain keywords that can direct more traffic toward your Yelp Business page. Also, be aware that other people can post pictures on your Yelp page.
For a more successful Yelp Business Page, make sure to follow these tips! If you don’t have a Yelp Business Page yet, consider making one to better manage your online reputation.
