Businesses that have weathered this past year through the coronavirus pandemic have the odds in their favor of making it—if their customers know they’re still there. As the world opens back up, re-engaging with customers who may not have seen them in over a year is a challenge full of potential.
Showing up in local searches on a trusted review site can help, and that’s why Yelp is an even more important tool to try out now. Make sure the most recent and relevant information about your business is listed on Yelp, making it easy for high-intent customers to find you and increasing your chances of boosting both online and in-person traffic.
If you only know Yelp as a site and app where you’ve browsed through a few reviews before trying out a new restaurant, it’s time to get to know it as a business tool as well. Utilizing the most trusted review site to position yourself for a well-attended reopening may be the best marketing move you make this year.
Keeping Customers Safe
You’re not the only one trying to figure out how to get back to normal right now. Deciding to jump back into the world post-pandemic is complicated. People want to make sure that it is safe as they return to some less socially distant activities like dining out.
To help businesses communicate their latest health and safety protocols, Yelp created a special “Updates during Coronavirus” section. This is an easy to use tool that can help you to deliver important information to customers as their favorite locations reopen. Businesses can update their days and hours of operation, share virtual service offerings, add health and safety preventative measures, and much more.
Quickly and clearly communicate your plans so customers don’t have to second guess if it’s safe to come to your establishment. When they can see the precautions and safety measures you have in place, they won’t waver on a visit.
Better SEO
You may not be an SEO expert and you don’t have to be. But getting your business to rank in search engine results is essential to digital growth. After adding your business to Yelp, your business page is more likely to get additional exposure through Google search results.
Instead of paying a marketing company to build up your search engine optimization from scratch, having a presence on Yelp gives you more exposure in no time. That’s why some businesses use Yelp as a digital storefront that funnels customers both to their website and their physical location.
Make It What You Want
While it’s free to add your business to Yelp and your page comes with dozens of free features, there are also a number of paid upgrades to choose from, and you always have control over how they are set up and how much you spend. These à la carte, self-serve options that let you strategize your digital presence and have resulted in some of Yelp’s best success stories.
Yelp’s various business tools help you attract customers by adding unique features to your Yelp Business Page and the way you appear in Yelp’s search results. Try building out an image Portfolio on your page which visually showcases the products or services prospective customers are searching for. Add Business Highlights which give customers insights into your operations—like if you’re vegan friendly or have 24/7 availability. Drive more leads, contacts and conversions when you add aCall-to-Action button on your Yelp Page that specifically fits the needs of your business.
Promote your business updates using Yelp Connect so more people see your business related updates and news—whether that’s on the home screen of the Yelp app, on your own Yelp Page, or in a special customer email. See how these posts are doing with gathered business analytics.
Get more exposure when you purchase ads on Yelp, plus you can block competitor ads from being displayed on your page. Investing in advertising is a typical business expense that usually gleans favorable returns. But like everything right now, over-extending yourself on a new marketing ploy after a difficult year probably feels a bit risky.
That’s why Yelp is offering a $300 upfront credit that can be applied towards Yelp Ads. It’s one of the most affordable and flexible ways to optimize your business online during a transitional time. Once you try it out and see what Yelp can do for you, it won’t be surprising if it becomes a main resource for your business.
