Yelp
Since being founded in 2004 by former PayPal employees, Russel Simmons and Jeremy Stoppelman, Yelp has had a complicated relationship with small business. Criticism focuses on the legitimacy of reviews, public statements of manipulating and blocking reviews in order to increase ad spending, as well as concerns regarding the privacy of reviewers.[1]
Even through complications Yelp’s impact cannot be denied. Although most reviews are overwhelmingly positive with 78 percent of businesses listed having a rating of three stars or better, the difference of one star can increase or decrease business by five to nine percent[2]. As a marketing firm, we’re conducting a simple poll. Please vote, comment and share so small business owners like you can gain a view of how other businesses feel. Please don’t forget to comment about your experience.
1. Clark, Patrick. “Yelp’s Newest Weapon Against Fake Reviews: Lawsuits.” Bloomberg.com, Bloomberg, 9 Sept. 2013, www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-09-09/yelps-newest-weapon-against-fake-reviews-lawsuits.
2. Luca, Michael. Reviews, Reputation, and Revenue: The Case of Yelp.com. Harvard Business School, 2011, Reviews, Reputation, and Revenue: The Case of Yelp.com, www.hbs.edu/faculty/Publication%20Files/12-016_a7e4a5a2-03f9-490d-b093-8f951238dba2.pdf.
