Yelp Official Blog

"Good Morning America" Touts Yelp for Business Owners

I've been a huge George Stephanopoulos fan ever since reading All Too Human in high school. So you can imagine how excited I was to see Yelp's business owner tools getting a plug on Good Morning America yesterday.

If you didn't catch it, you can view it here:

Tory Johnson mentions a statistic that we tout often: next to recommendations from friends, consumers rely heavily on online reviews to guide their spending decisions. She goes on to explain that business owners can register themselves for free on yelp.com/business. There are a ton of great benefits to unlocking your free business tools on Yelp, such as: posting special offers, building out a rich profile, responding to reviews (privately or publicly), and uploading photos.

One piece of advice we offer to the business community differs slightly from Johnson's, however: we actually discourage direct solicitation of reviews. Obviously solicited reviews can turn off prospective customers who tend to regard such reviews as spammy. (Not to mention, solicited reviews are more likely to be suppressed from business pages by our automated review filter).

That said, we think there's a big difference between saying "Check me out on Yelp!" (good) and "Hey, write a 5-star review about me on Yelp!" (not good).

Here are 3 ways to draw attention to your Yelp presence without being overly solicitous:

1. Sign off on your business emails with a link to your Yelp page and the message "Check us out on Yelp!"
2. Co-brand your online and print presence with Yelp badges. Our Flickr page is a great resource for these.
3. Offer WiFi at your business? Configure your WiFi Router to make your Yelp listing the start page for your customers. (Hat tip to Michael Jenson for this creative idea.)
   

As for Johnson's point on using Yelp as a job search engine, we think it's a cool idea. In fact, we've heard of businesses using their Offers & Announcements tool to let the world know they're hiring.

Check-ins and Yelp.com Sitting in a Tree...

I don't know about you, but since launching v.4 of our iPhone application, it's been a whirlwind! We've been loving all the feedback - which folks have been sharing via our Facebook and Twitter pages and feedback@yelp.com - so keep it coming! In the meantime, we're excited to announce the first of many additional updates coming your way: the integration of Yelp Check-ins on to Yelp.com. 

Last month, 26 million people connected with local businesses via the (now!) 9 million reviews on Yelp. Yelp Check-ins is a natural extension of our core product: increasing the ways users can share their information about local businesses with their friends and other users, as well as adding a way folks can contribute meaningfully to the site without writing a review.

• For people reading reviews, Check-ins will add that extra layer of trust to an existing review given they can see how many times that person has visited an establishment. 
• For business owners, they can see additional traffic from Yelp.com coming through their door, as well as identify their most loyal customers by a Regular badge that will appear alongside that yelpers review and number of check-ins.

Right now, this feature will only appear on that business listing and next to reviews on user profile pages, but we're working hard to roll this out onto other places throughout the site. We also have plans to integrate Check-ins - as well as additional mobile stats - into our free suite of tools: Yelp for Business Owners. And yes, you can expect Check-ins to come to other mobile platforms, too. Just give me a sec to grab a sandwich, OK?

Meeting at the White House and Helping Haiti

As we wrote about last week, I had the honor of representing Yelp at a White House Forum on Modernizing Government with President Obama and many well-known business and government representatives. As a recap of the event, both business and government leaders in attendance were genuinely excited to have a chance to collaborate and work towards an improved government for all. Videos of the sessions can be found here.

Perhaps of more immediate importance, we also discussed the need for people to help the Haiti rescue and relief efforts. While this wasn't meant to be the focus of the day's event, it was something that was on everyone's mind; specifically, how we can help. This is even more urgent following today's 6.1 aftershock there. At the forum, we learned of a relief and recovery fund being coordinated by former Presidents Clinton and Bush. People wishing to contribute should visit www.clintonbushhaitifund.org.

Yelpers far and wide have already shown their extensive support of Haiti both via local events, as well as donations. We hope you'll continue to get involved where and when you can, as well as share www.clintonbushhaitifund.org with friends, family and colleagues. If you know of additional efforts or events, please share them with us on our Twitter and Facebook pages so we can do our part to broadcast them as appropriate, too.

You're Gonna Want to "Check-Out" Yelp for iPhone v.4

Today, we are stoked to announce v.4 of our iPhone application: the biggest Yelp for iPhone update yet! It's a veritable treasure trove of on-the-go goodies from community features to contribution ones. Most notably we are bringing even more of Yelp.com to your iPhone, and if you're logged in; you'll notice a new user interface on the app. There's a LOT to cover so let's get to it!

1. Yelp Profile: Not only are you able to log into your Yelp.com profile (v.3), but now you will also be able to see and interact with your Yelp profile as you would on Yelp.com.
2. Yelp Friend Finder: You can now see and invite friends from your iPhone's address book to join you on Yelp. If you've connected with Facebook, we'll also let you know if any of your FB friends are yelping, too.
   
3. Yelp Check-ins: We've now added the ability for yelpers to "Check-in" to businesses. This includes being able to broadcast your whereabouts and send Quick Tips to your friends on Yelp, Facebook and Twitter who, if they opt-in to these updates, will be able to see your location both via "Push" alerts, as well as on a map. Active users of this feature may receive "Regular" status of highly-frequented businesses. This means they are part of an active group of people who patronize a business and this moniker will appear next to reviews and tips and on business pages in the app, as well as on the business listing on Yelp.com.
   
4. Sharing via Facebook Connect and Twitter: We've taken another online feature, offline. Yelpers now have the ability to share their check-ins and Quick Tips via Facebook Connect and Twitter while on the go.
   
5. Updates to Monocle: In addition to seeing reviews nearby in Monocle, Yelp's Augmented Reality feature, you can also see which businesses your friend's have "checked-in" to as well as a new "map" in Monocle view that will move with you.

And since a picture or two will spare you from having to read a few thousand words. We present a few screen shots and much shorter descriptions.

What is Yelp Check-ins? Yelp Check-ins is a way for you to broadcast that you are at a business to friends on Yelp, Facebook or Twitter. Your friends will be able to see:
- Your activity via your Yelp for iPhone profile page
- Opt-in alerts including "Push" notifications
- A Leaderboard on Yelp for iPhone
- A Map that will also show the "Check-ins" of your friends nearby and your check-in count next to your Yelp star rating if you've written a review on Yelp.com

- Where you've checked in on Monocle, Yelp's AR feature launched in August
-Active users of Yelp Check-ins can also earn "Regular" status of highly-frequented businesses.

What are Yelp Regulars? Yelp is all about community - we have never put emphasis on any one voice or opinion. In line with that philosophy, we opted to highlight a group of people who frequent a business as opposed to just one person. "Regular" status can be achieved by frequent patronage - or checking in - of a business. This title will show up on a user's profile, next to reviews and tips and on the business page in the iPhone app, as well as eventually on that business listing on Yelp.com. The Regular with the most Check-ins will not only be featured on that business page, but get to wear the golden badge of honor. The moniker can also be lost if patronage wanes, so Regulars must visit a business often to keep it.

Why Check-ins? Yelp Check-ins is a natural extension of our existing product. Best of all, it gives the 1.25 million people who used our app last month a new way to share information about local businesses with their friends and other users. Check-ins will also be integrated into our website experience, adding another layer of trusted data for consumers who are reading the reviews. Now not only will you be able to see who posted the review - but how many times they've been there. This also helps business owners understand who some of their most loyal customers are.

Will Regulars get access to Special Offers or Exclusives? It'll be up to the business owner if they want to offer exclusives to Regulars, but it's super easy to upload a Special Offer. For almost two years now, Yelp has offered business owners the ability to post free announcements that appear on their business listing on Yelp.com and our iPhone and Android applications. In fact, businesses have posted over 200,000 special offers on Yelp to date.

There are many other exciting updates in today's iteration. Make sure to check them out (pun intended) and let us know any questions via our Twitter and Facebook pages or at feedback@yelp.com!

Hail to the Chief...and Better Customer Service!

Today, the Obama administration has invited dozens of the nation's top executives -- including our very own CEO and co-founder, Jeremy Stoppelman -- to the White House seeking tips on how to help modernize the government. The forum will include reps from the private sector and federal government leaders together in a discussion about new ways to use technology to streamline government operations, improve customer service, and maximize returns on information technology investments. Additionally, the President himself will be providing remarks on the relationship between technology and government.

Given Yelp's mission of connecting people with great local businesses, Jeremy will be participating in the "Transforming Customer Service" session with Deputy Secretaries Tony Miller of the Department of Education, Seth Harris of the Department of Labor, and Kathleen Merrigan of the Department of Agriculture, as well as Bill Dougan from the National Federation of Federal Employees.

Jeremy will try to tweet a bit on the proceedings here. Additionally, you can read more about it on the White House blog here or catch it all live at WhiteHouse.gov/live.

-- UPDATE: 1/15/09 --

Jeremy sent along some photos from the day in DC. Enjoy below!

 

What a Difference a Year Makes

By now, you should have survived ringing in 2010 and said your fond farewells to 2009. The past year has marked an incredible growth period for Yelp and by the numbers alone we saw:

• ~60% growth in traffic from 16 million unique visitors in December 2008 to a whopping 26 million in December 2009.
• We also rounded out 2009 with ~2x the content and now stand at more than 8 million reviews worldwide; up from ~4 million the previous year.
• Mobile also proved to be a significant focus for us and Yelpers can now use Yelp from 5 mobile platforms including Android, Blackberry, iPhone, Palm Pre and WAP.
• We rolled out Yelp Communities in 8 cities coast to coast and in between from Honolulu to Toronto.
• And as always, small business owner education remains one of our top priorities as it was in 2009. In fact, we've seen a massive amount of engagement with over 200,000 offers and special announcements uploaded via our free suite of tools: Yelp for Business Owners.

Additionally, we launched features that put the "fun" in functional, including Public Comments for Business Owners; Facebook and Twitter Connect; Search Suggestions; Community Yelp promotions from eating and drinking to sweating and giving. We worked hard to provide more transparency on your biggest questions including our Review Filter and why soliciting reviews is a no-no. Oh yeah, we also launched in a few countries including the UK and Ireland.

It's been an exciting year to say the least, and you better believe you can expect even more great things from us in the coming months!

Yelp Pumps You UP!

Are you tired of people asking you where the reindeer went? (Hint: it's not in your belly) Have you noticed a shiny ring around your mouth where countless butter cookies have passed? And are you also pretty sure you haven’t turned on the treadmill since Turkey Day?

Well, then it's time to get your butt in shape and enjoy the very first - Yelp Kicks Butt! - where you can take advantage of 50% off over 20 top-rated gyms in New York for January 2010!

We know your Community Managers are usually encouraging yelpers to indulge in too many hot buttered rums and rhubarb pies, but the transition from ’09 to the teens is making us feel a little less energized… and, er, a little heavier around our midsections. So what better way to kick start those healthful New Year resolutions and trim off the holiday blubber than by indulging in services from gyms, studios, yogis and Muay Thai mavens for the ENTIRE month of January 2010 at a fraction of the price!

While Yelp Kicks Butt! is currently only in the New York area, you better believe just like Yelp Eats!, Yelp Drinks!, Hawt on Yelp and Yelp Helps!, we're bringing this promotion to cities all over the globe soon! - so you really have no excuse not to pump some iron and work on those jiggly bits.

For more information on businesses offering 50% off services/classes/day passes please visit our event page here and don't forget to download your very own coupon sheet!

Download Final_NYC_Yelp_Kicks_Butt_8x10_Sheet