Yelp for business: is it worth it for contractors?

Plenty of contractors have a Yelp page they never asked for. Yelp creates listings from public information, and customers can review a business whether the owner claimed it or not. So the real question is not whether to be on Yelp, but whether to manage it and how much effort to put in.

How Yelp works for a trade business

Yelp is a review site and a search engine for local businesses. People search for "plumber" or "fence company" plus a town and see a list sorted by relevance, ratings and distance. Yelp listings also appear in Google results and feed some map and voice assistant apps, so your Yelp page can be seen by people who never open the Yelp app.

For home services, Yelp also offers a request a quote feature, where customers describe a job and several businesses can reply.

How to claim your free page

1. Go to Yelp for Business and search for your company.
2. If it exists, claim it. If not, add it.
3. Verify by phone or email.
4. Fill in everything: services, service area, hours, website, photos and a short description written for customers.

Use the same business name, phone and address you use on Google and your website. Matching details everywhere help customers and search engines trust that it is the same business. More on that in SEO for contractors.

Yelp reviews: the rules are different from Google

This is where many owners get in trouble. On Google, asking happy customers for a review is normal and encouraged, see how to get more Google reviews. Yelp is stricter. Its guidelines discourage businesses from asking for Yelp reviews at all, and offering anything in exchange is a clear violation that can lead to warnings on your page.

Yelp also uses software that recommends some reviews and hides others, often reviews from people who rarely use Yelp. That is why a customer may say they left a review that you cannot see.

What you can do:

• Let customers know you are on Yelp, with a link on your website or a sticker at your office.
• Reply to every review, good and bad, politely and quickly.
• Do excellent work and let the reviews come naturally.

For bad reviews, read how to respond to negative reviews before you type anything.

Yelp Ads: should you pay?

Yelp sells ads that put your business at the top of search results and on competitors' pages. You set a budget and pay per click. Some contractors do well with them, others spend money on clicks that never call.

Before you pay, make sure:

• Your free page is complete with real photos and a good number of reviews.
• People in your area actually use Yelp to find your trade. Search for your trade and town and look at how many reviews your competitors have.
• You can tell which calls came from Yelp, so you know if it pays.

Compare it with your other options too: Google Local Services Ads, Google Ads and lead sites like Angi and Thumbtack.

Is Yelp worth it for contractors?

The free page is always worth claiming. It takes an hour, it shows up in Google, and an unclaimed page with one angry review is worse than a complete one.

How much more time you put in depends on your area. In some cities, homeowners check Yelp for everything. In many smaller towns, Google and Facebook matter far more.

Where Yelp fits

Yelp is one place customers check. Your website is where they decide. Most people who find you on Yelp will look at your site before they call, so make sure it shows your work, your service area and a big call button. That is what we build: fast, phone-first websites for local service businesses, with a free preview before you pay. See pricing.

Frequently asked questions

Is a Yelp business page free?

Yes. Claiming and managing your Yelp page is free. Yelp Ads and some upgrades are paid.

Can I ask customers to review me on Yelp?

Yelp's rules discourage businesses from asking for Yelp reviews. You can let customers know you are on Yelp, for example with a badge or link, but do not ask for or reward reviews there.

Should I pay for Yelp Ads?

Only after your free page is complete and you can track the calls. For many contractors, Google is a bigger source of local customers, so start there.