What does paying for Yelp advertising give you VS what you get for FREE Yelp?

[Barry-QDCC]

What benefits does Yelp, in their sales spiel, promise you will get by paying them instead of just going with the FREE business listing? I have the understanding that you can pay to have a picture slide show and eliminate competitor ads show up on your page but those couple of options only cast around $100 a month.

I'm talking about when you sign up and commit to the several hundred dollar a month commitment.

 

[Mikey P]

You'll show up on related searches as well as show up on the competition'so pages
More analytics too I believe


It sure doesn't buy you any favors

 

[todg]

Well...As good as the stats may be, @ $300-$375 is about 2/3 of what I pay google adwords...I think it's a racket! I also believe you compete with business's that have a 150 5star reviews and nothing less...As unbelievable as those business's are, they are winning the phone call...I've been on Yelp (paying) for like 3-4 years...I have 14 reviews that are visible...But hell I only average about 200 something jobs a year...Either way good luck...Being on yelp maybe just another vehicle on the internet thats hard to avoid as a service industry provider...

 

[Papa John]

It sure doesn't buy you any favors

That's For Sure!!!
Seems like the more I pay Yelp, more of my reviews get filtered!

 

[Barry-QDCC]

Well...As good as the stats may be, @ $300-$375 is about 2/3 of what I pay google adwords...I think it's a racket! I also believe you compete with business's that have a 150 5star reviews and nothing less...As unbelievable as those business's are, they are winning the phone call...I've been on Yelp (paying) for like 3-4 years...I have 14 reviews that are visible...But hell I only average about 200 something jobs a year...Either way good luck...Being on yelp maybe just another vehicle on the internet thats hard to avoid as a service industry provider...

Not sure I'm following your numbers that you said. You pay less than $400 a month to Yelp? Is that what you are saying? And you average maybe 200+ jobs a year from that? That sounds like a total winner to me. If you average say $200 per job that's $40K in sales for $4800 in costs. 9 to 1 RIO is EXCELLENT in my book!

And then if you average $500-$800 per job like a lot of people claim they average per job here , holy crap batman! Mucho mula!

 

[todg]

no barry...I get 200+ jobs a year in total from repeat, referral, and overall internet (which includes yelp) Last year yelp business maybe 25Jobs...Year before 50...

 

[Barry-QDCC]

oh okay.... I gotcha! So yelp jobs dropped last year from the year before for you. They did for me too about the middle of 2014 I think it was. I was booking 15+ jobs a month from Yelp (and man I loved it) and then all of a sudden, something changed and it dropped dramatically. It's never gotten much better since.

 

[Cleanworks]

I just got off the phone with the yelp this morning. They want aprox 400-600 per month. They send someone to do a short video of you and limit your competitor ads in your area(doesn't work in a large metropolitan area because of the overlap) works out to 5000-7000 per year. Think of all the other things you can do for advertising that will work. Local newspaper(who often have an online component) direct mail in targeted neighborhoods. Better lettering/wraps on your trucks, etc. Does anyone really think it's worth it or better to hire a seo guy to redo your website?

 

[Moser Brothers]

When I started paying them a few hundred a month, the Yelp calls dropped by 70% and I still owe them money for work they didn't give me. Don't do it unless it's for a coupon deal, heard the roi is better

 

[Barry-QDCC]

When I started paying them a few hundred a month, the Yelp calls dropped by 70% and I still owe them money for work they didn't give me. Don't do it unless it's for a coupon deal, heard the roi is better

Did you call and talk to Yelp about this? I'd think they'd be concerned or at least have some excuses for you.

 

[Moser Brothers]

Did you call and talk to Yelp about this? I'd think they'd be concerned or at least have some excuses for you.

Yelp said I owed them $1,600 when I called them a few days ago about putting up a coupon. At least they didn't send it to collections, (fingers crossed) I told them that I made a 3rd as much as I did before paying them to make my phone stop ringing. Rather gamble somewhere else, that slot machine doesn't pay out.

 

[Ron K]

Why doesn't a Yelp ad person come on here and do a webinar?? Who is in LOVE with Yelp ad-rep? Who says Yelp is the greatest? Who has the weight? Anyone........ anyone....... Ferris ????

 

[mirf]

They are calling me back today I will ask them. LOL

 

[steve_64]

Yelp said I owed them $1,600 when I called them a few days ago about putting up a coupon. At least they didn't send it to collections, (fingers crossed) I told them that I made a 3rd as much as I did before paying them to make my phone stop ringing. Rather gamble somewhere else, that slot machine doesn't pay out.

Pay with a credit card. If you dont get what you paid for they will get It back.

I had to do it a few months ago with cash pack. Got all my money returned.

 

[Barry-QDCC]

Pay with a credit card. If you dont get what you paid for they will get It back.

I had to do it a few months ago with cash pack. Got all my money returned.

The credit card company returned the $$ you paid to the advertising vendor? Because you claimed the ad didnt produce like they said it would? I'm glad for you if that happened but I'm surprised they'd return money for a reason like that.

Advertising is a gamble, it's no sure bet as we all know. Did you have a WRITTEN guarantee from "cash pack" that you'd get certain results? How would you (or they) prove the final ad results either way other than 'you said-he said"?

Like I said good for you but I bet that's not a routine you can depend on again and again I'd think.

 

[steve_64]

It wasnt based on returns but things not fulfilled in the contract. Not meeting due dates and such.

Its just an insurance for me. I was suprised they helped me as much as they did. Its also a business account.

I was also referencing what the op said about being told he owes more than he was told. If its not in the contract they cant force payment and if you are in good standing with your cc company they have lawyers who will fight for you. Its part of what you are paying them for.

 

[Mikey P]

Why doesn't a Yelp ad person come on here and do a webinar?? Who is in LOVE with Yelp ad-rep? Who says Yelp is the greatest? Who has the weight? Anyone........ anyone....... Ferris ????

I asked....It'll never happen.


Try and find a yelp employee that's been there more then a few months.

 

[Barry-QDCC]

I asked....It'll never happen.


Try and find a yelp employee that's been there more then a few months.

Yeah, a couple years back when they were calling me on a regular basis trying to get me to pay them for advertising I could tell it was a young early 20's trainee calling to tell me that if I didn't buy into their paid advertising program my business was going to fail. That strategy didn't go over with me seeing as how I'd been in business since 1994, probably about the year they were born.

Yelp could be a great company and be a win/win for all involved but I get the feeling the management doesn't know their ass from a hole in the ground.

 

[Papa John]

I think Yelp is starting to lose some clout..
I hear of people getting bad service from highly rated companies and Great service from 3-4 star companies.. One of my customers was pissed and wrote yelp a 1 star review after her 5 star review of us was filtered..

I noticed last fall that a lot of reviews on my yelp page as well as my competitor's pages were all generated on a single day. These reviews on my pages mentioned names of people who don't even work for me. And then one day many reviews started to disappear or be filtered taking legitimate reviews with them. I now have more filtered reviews then posted reviews.

@Ofer Kolton
Did you notice the same thing on your yelp page?

 

[steve_64]

Yelp is yesterdays angies list wjich is last years bbb.

Get in on the way up when its cheap and get out before it goes to hell or just stay away and fook em all.