How To Use Yelp For Business: Set Up, Get Reviews, And Turn Searches Into Leads

How to use Yelp for business sounds simple until you see it happen in real life: a customer searches “best near me,” taps one listing, and your phone stays quiet. We have watched great businesses lose leads over tiny gaps like a missing category, stale hours, or a link that sends people to the wrong page.

Quick answer: claim your Yelp page, verify it, fill it out like a conversion page, set up messaging and tracking, then run a review process your team can repeat without breaking Yelp rules.

Claim And Verify Your Yelp Business Page

If you do one thing today, do this. Claiming and verifying your listing gives you control over the facts that drive calls and direction requests.

Yelp pulls many listings from public data. That means you might already “exist” on Yelp even if you never touched it. Entity data consistency affects local discovery. Your business name, address, and phone number affect trust and matching across directories.

Find Your Existing Listing Vs. Create A New One

Start with Yelp search.

1. Search your business name and city on Yelp.
2. Look for an existing listing that matches your location and phone.
3. Click “Claim this business” in Yelp for Business Owners.

Create a new listing only when you cannot find a match. Duplicate listings confuse customers and split reviews. Duplicate listings also create reporting messes.

A small habit we like: screenshot the listing you claim and drop it in a shared folder. Team clarity prevents the “we made a second Yelp page by accident” problem.

Verification Options And Common Approval Issues

Yelp offers verification through phone, email, or postcard mail. Phone and email usually move faster.

Here is what tends to break verification:

• Mismatched public data: Yelp sees one phone number while your website shows another. Fix your NAP across your site and major directories.
• Wrong address format: Suite numbers and abbreviations can cause mismatches.
• Unmonitored inbox or phone tree: The verification call hits the front desk, and no one knows what it is.

Next steps: assign one owner for the verification window. One person -> manages the codes -> updates the profile -> logs the change.

Optimize Your Profile For Local Search And Conversions

Your Yelp profile acts like a mini landing page. Profile completeness affects what customers do next. Categories affect who sees you. Photos affect trust.

We treat Yelp setup like a simple workflow: Trigger -> Search intent. Input -> Your profile data. Job -> Yelp matches you. Output -> Call, message, or click. Guardrails -> Accurate details and fast replies.

Choose The Right Categories, Service Area, And Attributes

Pick categories like you mean it. A category tells Yelp what you sell. It also tells customers what to expect.

• Choose a primary category that matches your money service.
• Add secondary categories that match real offerings, not wishful thinking.
• Add up to six service areas if you travel to customers.
• Set hours carefully, including holiday hours.

Example: “Plumber” -> affects -> search visibility for urgent calls. “Water Heater Installation” -> affects -> lead quality for higher value jobs.

If you also run a Google Business Profile, keep the category logic consistent. You can use our step-by-step guide on setting up local visibility with Google Business Profile to keep your directory signals clean.

Write A Clear Business Description And Add Accurate Contact Info

Yelp gives you a “From This Business” area with sections like Specialties, History, and Meet the Owner/Manager.

Write like a human. Skip slogans. Use plain statements:

• Specialties: list 5 to 10 core services.
• History: one short paragraph on how you started.
• Owner/manager: the real person behind the work.

Then lock in the basics:

• Correct website URL
• Correct phone
• Correct address or service area
• Correct hours
• Correct email (if you use it for customer contact)

A clean description -> affects -> conversion rate because customers stop guessing.

Add Photos, Menu/Services, And Portfolio Proof That Builds Trust

Photos do quiet work. They lower risk for the buyer.

Upload:

• Exterior and interior shots (if customers visit)
• Team photos (even one good one helps)
• Before-and-after shots for service trades
• Product photos for eCommerce showrooms
• Menu photos for restaurants and cafes

Add services, FAQs, and pricing ranges when you can. Price clarity -> affects -> fewer low-fit calls.

We also like a simple cadence: add 3 new photos per month. Fresh media -> affects -> perceived activity and credibility.

Set Up Messaging, Calls, And Quote Requests So Leads Do Not Leak

A Yelp view only matters if the customer can reach you fast. Response speed affects bookings. Missed messages affect revenue.

Think of Yelp as “intent on a timer.” The person who searched usually contacts two or three businesses. If your reply lands tomorrow, you lose.

Configure Notifications, Response Times, And Team Access

Set notifications like you would set alarms.

• Enable push and email alerts for messages and calls.
• Add more than one team member if you have shifts.
• Decide who replies first, and who closes the loop.

We suggest a simple rule: reply within 15 minutes during business hours. Even a short message helps: “We saw this. We can help. What is the address and the best time today?”

Team clarity -> affects -> response time. Response time -> affects -> close rate.

Use Yelp Links And UTM Tracking To Measure What Yelp Sends To Your Website

If you cannot measure it, you cannot manage it.

Add your website link in Yelp, then add UTM parameters so Google Analytics can label the traffic.

Example structure:

• utm_source=yelp
• utm_medium=referral
• utm_campaign=local_listing

Send Yelp traffic to a page that matches the intent. “Emergency plumber” clicks -> affects -> landing page choice. That click should land on your emergency service page, not your homepage.

If you want a tighter system, pair Yelp tracking with a tuned Google Business Profile plan. Our guide on what a serious GBP service includes helps you line up tracking, categories, and conversion points across platforms.

Build A Safe, Repeatable Review Process (Without Violating Policy)

Reviews drive action on Yelp. Review volume affects customer trust. Review quality affects customer choice. But the method matters.

Do not bribe. Do not gate. Do not pressure. Yelp flags weird patterns, and customers smell fake a mile away.

Ask At The Right Moment With A Simple Script And Follow-Up

Ask when the customer feels the win.

• Right after a successful appointment
• Right after a smooth delivery
• Right after a resolved support ticket

Use a short script your staff can say without feeling awkward:

• “If you felt taken care of today, would you share your experience on Yelp?”

Follow up once. One follow-up -> affects -> response without annoying people.

For restaurants, the best moment often hits after the check comes and the table smiles. For service trades, the best moment often hits when the job passes the final walk-through.

Train Staff And Document A Lightweight SOP For Reviews And Escalations

You need a small process, not a binder.

Your SOP can fit on one page:

1. Who asks
2. When they ask
3. What they say
4. Where the link lives (QR code, email footer, receipt)
5. What to do when a customer looks unhappy

A staff script -> affects -> consistency. Consistency -> affects -> steady review flow.

Add an escalation rule: if a customer expresses a serious issue, staff flags it to a manager first. Private resolution -> affects -> fewer public blowups.

If you work in legal, medical, or finance, keep humans in the loop. Staff should not share client details online. Privacy -> affects -> compliance risk.

Respond To Reviews With A Human-In-The-Loop Template System

You do not need perfect replies. You need calm replies that sound like you.

A response system protects your brand voice. It also protects your team from writing while angry.

We like “template plus human edit.” The template sets the structure. A real person fills in the specifics.

Public Replies: Calm, Specific, And On-Brand

For positive reviews:

• Thank them by name.
• Mention one specific detail they brought up.
• Invite them back with one clear next step.

Example pattern:

• “Thanks, Maria. We loved helping with the kitchen remodel timeline. Call us if you want options for the next phase.”

Specific reply -> affects -> future buyer trust because it feels real.

Negative Reviews: Move To Resolution Without Sharing Sensitive Details

Negative reviews sting. We still treat them like a process.

Rules:

• Do not argue point-by-point in public.
• Do not reveal private info.
• Offer a path to resolve it offline.

Reply pattern:

1. Apologize for the experience.
2. State your intent to make it right.
3. Ask them to message you.

Example:

• “We are sorry you left frustrated. We want to fix this. Please message us with your visit date so we can review what happened.”

Calm reply -> affects -> buyer perception even when the reviewer never comes back.

If your team uses AI to draft replies, keep it in copilot mode. A human review -> affects -> fewer policy problems and fewer tone-deaf moments.

Use Yelp Analytics To Improve What You Offer (Not Just Your Listing)

Yelp data can change your operations if you look past vanity numbers.

Views -> affect -> brand awareness. Clicks -> affect -> site sessions. Calls -> affect -> revenue. But the real value comes from patterns.

Track Views, Clicks, Calls, And Customer Actions By Category

Check Yelp’s dashboard metrics on a schedule. Weekly works for most teams.

Track:

• Listing views
• Search appearances
• Website clicks
• Call clicks
• Direction requests
• Message volume

Then tie it to your own tracking.

• Yelp clicks -> affect -> Google Analytics sessions when you use UTMs.
• Calls -> affect -> close rate when you track call outcomes.

A small tip we use: log “lead source = Yelp” in your CRM or intake form. Clean source data -> affects -> budget decisions later.

Turn Common Review Themes Into Service And Website Improvements

Reviews tell you what customers notice.

Look for themes:

• “Hard to reach” -> fix your phone routing and add messaging.
• “Prices unclear” -> add a pricing range and FAQs.
• “Great with kids” -> add a family-friendly note and photos.
• “Slow turnaround” -> change scheduling, staffing, or expectations.

Theme -> affects -> business changes. Business changes -> affect -> future reviews.

This is where Yelp and your website should work together. If people keep asking the same question in Yelp messages, your site should answer it in one scroll.

Decide When Yelp Ads Make Sense And How To Run A Low-Risk Pilot

Yelp Ads can help, but only when your basics work. Paid clicks -> affect -> spend fast when your profile or landing page feels fuzzy.

We prefer a small pilot that you can pause in one click.

Set A Budget, Define A Single Goal, And Compare Organic Vs. Paid Results

Pick one goal:

• More calls
• More quote requests
• More bookings

Set a small budget for 30 days. Then compare:

• Organic Yelp leads vs paid Yelp leads
• Close rate for each
• Cost per booked job

Single goal -> affects -> clean measurement. Clean measurement -> affects -> better decisions.

Run the pilot after you:

• verified your listing
• fixed categories
• added photos
• set up notifications
• added UTM tracking

Landing Page And Offer Hygiene: Match What Yelp Visitors Expect

Yelp visitors come with a specific intent.

Match the message:

• Yelp says “Same-day AC repair” -> your landing page confirms same-day slots.
• Yelp lists a service area -> your page shows that area.
• Yelp shows hours -> your page shows the same hours.

Mismatch -> affects -> bounce rate. Bounce rate -> affects -> lead cost.

If you sell services, a simple landing page beats a fancy homepage. One headline, one offer, one proof block, one contact method. Clean page -> affects -> more calls.

Conclusion

Yelp rewards the basics done well: accurate facts, clear services, fast replies, and a review habit your team can repeat on a busy Tuesday.

If you want help connecting Yelp traffic to a WordPress site that converts, we do that kind of work all week. We map the flow, set guardrails, and keep humans in the loop so leads do not slip through the cracks.

Sources

• Yelp for Business Owners: Manage Your Business Page | Yelp | (Accessed 2026) | https://biz.yelp.com/
• Yelp Help Center: Claim your Business Page | Yelp | (Accessed 2026) | https://www.yelp-support.com/article/Claim-your-Business-Page
• Yelp Help Center: Add or edit your business information | Yelp | (Accessed 2026) | https://www.yelp-support.com/article/Add-or-edit-your-business-information
• Yelp Help Center: Responding to reviews | Yelp | (Accessed 2026) | https://www.yelp-support.com/article/Responding-to-reviews
• Yelp Help Center: Don’t Ask for Reviews / Review solicitation guidance | Yelp | (Accessed 2026) | https://www.yelp-support.com/article/Don-t-Ask-for-Reviews

Frequently Asked Questions About Using Yelp for Business

How to use Yelp for business to get more calls and leads?

To use Yelp for business effectively, claim and verify your listing, then complete it like a landing page: accurate NAP, strong categories, clear description, and fresh photos. Turn on messaging/notifications, reply fast, and use UTM tracking on your website link to measure leads and optimize what converts.

Should I claim an existing Yelp listing or create a new one for my business?

Claim an existing Yelp listing if it matches your location and phone number. Creating a new page when one already exists can cause duplicates, split reviews, and confuse customers. Only create a new listing if you truly can’t find a correct match in Yelp search for your business name and city.

Why is Yelp verification failing, and how do I fix it?

Yelp verification often fails due to mismatched public data (different phone numbers across your site/directories), incorrect address formatting (suites/abbreviations), or missed verification calls/emails. Assign one owner during the verification window, fix NAP consistency, and monitor the inbox/phone line so the code doesn’t get lost.

How to use Yelp for business profile optimization (categories, photos, hours) for local search?

Start with a primary category that matches your main money service, then add realistic secondary categories. Set service areas (up to six if you travel), and keep hours—including holiday hours—accurate. Add trust-building photos (team, before/after, exterior/interior) and keep them fresh; even three new photos per month helps credibility.

What’s a safe way to ask for Yelp reviews without violating Yelp’s rules?

Use a simple, repeatable process without bribing, gating, or pressuring customers. Ask right after the “win” (successful visit, delivery, or resolved ticket) using a short script, then follow up once. Train staff with a one-page SOP and escalate unhappy customers to a manager before issues go public.

Are Yelp Ads worth it, and when should a business start running them?

Yelp Ads tend to work best after your basics are solid: verified listing, correct categories, strong photos, messaging enabled, and tracking in place. Run a low-risk 30-day pilot with a small budget and one goal (calls, quotes, or bookings). Compare paid vs. organic close rates and cost per booked job.