SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Yelp Inc. (NYSE:YELP), the company that connects people with great local businesses, announced today new business page upgrades to help businesses stand out and attract new customers. In addition to its recently launched Yelp Verified License, the company is rolling out new paid products, Business Highlights and Portfolio, that provide businesses with greater control over how they promote themselves to potential customers who are looking for a business like theirs. The new products are now available for individual purchase on the Yelp for Business Owners site, and will soon be available as part of a brand new self-service experience Yelp previewed today, that will provide businesses with an easy and seamless way to customize their page.
Yelp is introducing these new business page upgrades to address pain points specific to local businesses, such as how to establish trust with potential customers, differentiate their business by highlighting what makes it unique, and showcase the work that customers can expect. These upgrades particularly benefit businesses just starting out and looking to build their reputation on Yelp, especially those who have fewer reviews than longstanding competitors. The new enhancements demonstrate Yelp’s focus and continued investment in business product innovation to bring even more value, beyond search ads, to the millions of businesses on the platform.
“Yelp has always been a place for consumers to discover hardworking business owners who’ve earned their great reputation over the years,” said Vivek Patel, Yelp’s chief product officer. “With these new business page upgrades, we’re making a commitment to helping the entire business owner community, especially those who are newer to the platform, address key pain points by giving them the tools to stand out and acquire new customers.”
“After signing up for all three of Yelp’s new products, we saw a 200 percent lift in activity on our business page which led to a noticeable increase in leads,” said Haily Pistacchi, marketing manager of Lemon Remodeling and Services in San Jose, Calif. “Products like Portfolio and Business Highlights have helped us demonstrate our expertise to set us apart from other contractors, and share what matters most about our business right from our Yelp page, the way we would if we were face-to-face with a customer. Yelp Verified License helps us instill confidence with potential customers who now have another reason to trust us with the job.”
Bringing More Value to Business Owners on Yelp
Business owners can now customize their page with these new upgrades:
- Business Highlights: For only $2 a day (or $1 a day if purchased along with search ads) businesses choose up to six badges to showcase unique attributes to consumers, and pick two badge icons to appear in a business’s search results listing on Yelp — giving them a significant new way to stand out from the competition. Businesses can select from over 30 highlights from vegetarian-friendly to number of years in operation.
- Portfolio: For $2 a day, Portfolio gives businesses a way to build consumer trust and attract new clients by showing them the quality of work they can expect, while also getting more relevant inquiries from potential customers. Businesses can showcase different types of projects and quality of their work through images accompanied by custom descriptions, which allow them to explain their approach and price range to set expectations with consumers.
- Yelp Verified License: Launched earlier this year, this feature is indicated by a blue shield with a check mark, making it easier than ever for consumers to make more informed purchasing decisions by hiring a business with a valid trade license. After 30 days of having a Verified License badge on their business page, businesses saw a meaningful increase in consumer engagement on Yelp, including clicks, calls and map views. To become verified, a business must apply through Yelp, which manually verifies each license. Verified License is available to qualified businesses for $1 a day on average within specific categories in certain states.
Coming soon, Yelp will introduce a brand new Yelp for Business experience which will enable business owners to seamlessly customize their page with the new upgrades.
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About Yelp
Yelp Inc. (www.yelp.com) connects people with great local businesses. With unmatched local business information, photos and review content, Yelp provides a one-stop local platform for consumers to discover, connect and transact with local businesses of all sizes by making it easy to request a quote, join a waitlist, and make a reservation, appointment or purchase. Yelp was founded in San Francisco in July 2004. Since then, Yelp has taken root in major metros in more than 30 countries.