In the beginning, reviews were simple, especially Google and Yelp reviews. Ratings kept everything simple with 1-5 stars. Through the years, reviews have gotten more sophisticated and complex as more review sites have popped up.
However, as the power of customer voices kicks in, they have a way of changing the view of a business. Google Restaurant reviews and Yelp profiles are changing.
Is that good or bad? We see both sides, but we’ll explore how things are currently changing!
How Have Google Reviews Changed?
The option to add more detail to reviews has changed the scope of the situation, and Google is leading the charge.
Google Maps is now allowing more details for restaurant reviews. People can comment on prices, meals, etc. The hope is that it will enable more information for businesses and help customers make better dining decisions.
Is this Entirely Bad?
More information provides customers a way to make their decisions best. It allows Google to use filter systems and SEO to improve the quality of its product. It helps people make better decisions and find what’s right for them.
It may impact businesses in a different way. People might become more selective, but it will always allow for healthy competition.
What to Expect
Only time will tell. Google is now rolling out this option, and we will have to see what happens. We’re sure this will test the waters, and Google might eliminate the decision.
Or it will change the scope of how we view and use reviews. It might help make us choose the restaurants we want, and for that, we say, bon appetit!
Yelp Introducing COVID-19 Profile Attributes
Yelp recently announced that they would be adding “Staff fully vaccinated” and “Proof of vaccination required” to business profiles. In addition, users will be able to filter results by these two attributes.
“We’ve put additional safety measures in place to proactively monitor content for businesses that select one of these attributes, whether it’s the identity attributes or the vaccination attributes,” Noorie Malik, VP of user operations at Yelp, said. “And so we’re proactively looking out for any hateful, harmful content on these businesses.”
Since the Delta variant is on the rise, adding these attributes to a business’ Yelp profile may make people feel safer when visiting a local business. Yelp may also be taking measures to stop people from posting reviews based on their COVID-19 vaccine stance rather than an actual experience.
Reviews like this do violate Yelp’s COVID Content Guidelines. In addition, Yelp has placed over 100 Unusual Activity Alerts on businesses due to their COVID health and safety practices. Thousands of reviews have been removed from Yelp for violating these guidelines.
Reputation Software Can Help!
Managing Google and Yelp reviews can be a challenge, especially when the platforms keep changing! It is necessary for your business. If you don’t have the capacity, consider using an online reputation software such as ReviewInc.
With ReviewInc’s reputation management software, our team will respond immediately to your Google reviews, as well as other platforms, to help keep your customers happy while protecting your online reputation. You can manage all your positive Google reviews with ReviewInc.
To learn more about ReviewInc’s Review Flow, request a demo here.
