Yelp is the most effective platform that connects people with local businesses. It provides you with a set of tools to showcase your brand in a professional manner. A Yelp business account allows business owners to connect with their customers. It is a must for local business owners who want to take significant advantages and establish their brand in a professional manner.

So, if you are a local business owner, and still not using Yelp, use it now.

Quick facts:

• About 23 million unique visitors visited Yelp via the Yelp app and 69 million via mobile web in Q2 2016.

• Yelpers have written more than 108 million reviews as of Quarter 2 in 2016.

Here are a few effective ways to use Yelp to improve the performance of your business:

• Study profiles of your users – It is always good to search Yelp for your local competitors. You need to navigate through their profiles to gain beneficial insights. Analyse the patterns of your competitors’ activities and the way they create their profiles.

• Always complete your business’s Yelp profile – Complete your business’s profile to provide as much information as possible to your users. Include your name, category, street address, and other important notes about landmarks. Your basic information should be foolproof and accurate. Upload high quality photos for greater visibility.

• Write about your business (tell your story) – Local business owners should write about their companies and their operations in a convincing, professional manner.

• Create a photo gallery – If you want to stand out, use high quality business related images to attract customers.

• Value your customers’ reviews – Positive reviews on Yelp are very important for business owners. In fact, they add a great amount of social proof and credibility. This will eventually improve your customer’s experience.

• Respond to reviews (both privately and publicly) – Business owners should respond to any review placed on their business profile. You should also thank the reviewer for their valuable feedback.

• Use Yelp’s dashboard - Business owners must use the dashboard to track and understand the improvement. Use it to track users’ views and customer leads. This is the best way to achieve business insights.

• Use Free Tools - Yelp provides you with a free suite of tools to connect you to the Yelp community.

So, make wise use of Yelp if you want to achieve high quality traffic.

Quick facts:

• Every business owner (or manager) can setup a free account to post photos and messages for their customers.

• You can access Yelp via iPhone, Android and much more.