How to Claim a Business on Yelp

Posted: April 18, 2015.

For most local businesses, Yelp is an important marketing tool. Especially in “blue” states and cities like New York, NY, or San Francisco, CA, Yelp is one of the largest local review sites – if not the largest, and the “goto” place for restaurants, hair salons, plumbers, and other local services. Your business needs to be on Yelp.

Yelp for Business Owners - a Resource ListIn this video, I explain how to “find” and “claim” your business on Yelp as well as how to create a new business listing on Yelp. By claiming your business, you can

  • Optimize your listing by writing keyword-heavy, Yelp-friendly content (that will make you show up better in Yelp searches).
  • Upload photographs of your business.
  • Participate by responding to reviews.

There are two scenarios

  1. Your business ALREADY exists on Yelp – in this case you a) find it, and b) claim it.
  2. Your business does NOT exist on Yelp – in this case you a) create it, and b) claim it.

OK, let’s get started!

Watch the Video on ‘How to Claim a Business on Yelp’

Or watch the How to Claim a Business on Yelp video on YouTube!

Claiming a Business on Yelp, Step-by-step

Here are your steps to claim an existing business on Yelp –

  1. Go to http://biz.yelp.com/.
  2. Enter your business name, and address and/or phone number.  (We’ll use a fictitious business, Jason’s Hamburger Joint, as our example; and a ficitious email (yvette.yelpy@aol.com)
  3. Find your business, and begin the claiming process.

Here are the steps to create a new business on Yelp.

  1. Go to http://biz.yelp.com/
  2. Enter your business name, and address and/or phone number (verify that it is NOT in Yelp).
  3. Scroll to the bottom and click ‘add your business to Yelp.’

Useful Yelp Resources

  • Yelp for Business – this is the starting point for claiming and optimizing a business listing, as well as participating as a business in Yelp.
  • Yelp Tutorial – Yelp’s official tutorial for business. NOTE: it gives you the ‘Yelp’ perspective, which is quite a bit ‘pollyanna’ about how Yelp really works.
  • Yelp Webinars – helpful but salesy webinars by Yelp, about Yelp for business owners.
  • Yelp on YouTube – Yelp’s YouTube playlist.
  • Yelp Blog – Yelp’s official blog for businesses (and everyone else).
  • Yelp Support – technical support information for business owners by Yelp, on Yelp.
  • Yelp and Reviews – Yelp’s sensitivity spot is review manipulation; here is their response.

Get My Free SEO Toolbook and Other Goodies

If you’ve watched this video this far (or read the transcript), then please sign up for free goodies on my website at https://www.jm-seo.org/free including the mailing list which will get you access to my SEO Toolbook, Social Media Toolbook, and dashboards with hundreds of free SEO and social media marketing tools.

Thanks

~ Jason McDonald

 

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About Jason McDonald

Jason McDonald is a top-rated San Francisco SEO Consultant. His consulting services include search engine optimization consulting, social media marketing consulting, and Google AdWords consulting. Jason's motto as a consultant is that he doesn't do SEO 'for you' but rather he does SEO 'with you.' That goes as well for his social media marketing consultant activities and Google AdWords consultant services. Besides serving clients in the San Francisco Bay Area, Jason consults with clients in Silicon Valley (San Jose), Oakland and other cities throughout the Bay Area. Beyond the Bay Area, Jason is available as an SEO consultant, Social Media Consultant, and as an expert witness in litigation involving social media marketing, search engine optimization and pay-per-click advertising.