Is Asking for Reviews Against Yelp’s Guidelines?

Is Asking for Reviews Against Yelp's Guidelines?

Asking for reviews is against Yelp’s Content Guidelines. Not only can soliciting reviews hurt a business’ Yelp rating, but in certain instances, it may even lead to Yelp placing a Consumer Alert on a business’ page. According to Yelp’s Content Guidelines, businesses are prohibited from asking for or soliciting reviews. This includes asking customers to write reviews, offering incentives in exchange for reviews, or working with agencies that send review solicitation emails to clients. Reviews that appear to be prompted or encouraged will not be recommended by Yelp or highlighted on a business’ page. Evidence of systematic review solicitation may lead to Yelp applying a search ranking penalty to a business’ Yelp page or adding a Consumer Alert to warn customers when there is evidence of extreme attempts to manipulate reviews. When in doubt, consider these guidelines before asking customers to post their reviews:

Never ask anyone to submit a review of your business on Yelp.
Freebies, discounts, and payment should never be offered in exchange for reviews.
Do not send surveys to guests asking them to share feedback on Yelp.
Staff should never be asked to compete to collect customer reviews.

If you believe your business has been unfairly penalized for review solicitation, you can submit a Compliance Verification Form in your Yelp for Business Owners account.