More than half of consumers have passed up a business because of their local ratings and reviews. Similarly, 82 percent of all consumers read online reviews. Addressing online reviews is integral to brand reputation management, especially on local search platforms like Yelp. While the importance of brand reputation management is evident, these stats also emphasize the need for your multi-location business to be present on local search platforms — including Yelp.Yelp is a popular online directory used for discovering local businesses. It boasts around 76.75 million monthly users across the world.
Yelp Categories Defined
Yelp has Business Categories that allow your business to define your business further. Having your business in the categories that best represent your business helps consumers better understand what your business is all about. There are over 1,200 categories for your business to choose from, and the list continues to grow. From food delivery services to artificial turf to hotels and beyond, Yelp has category options for any business. While there are so many different categories to choose from, Yelp helps you narrow it down by only allowing each business to select three categories. It's essential to make sure the categories you select best represent your business.
How to Select a Yelp Category
As a multi-location business, you likely already have local Yelp pages for each business location. If not, that's an important place to start. Once you have local Yelp listings for each business location, you can focus on optimization, which includes choosing Yelp categories. After logging into your Yelp for Business Owners profile, click on the "Business Information" section, and find the "Categories and Services" area of the page. Once there, you can click on "Add" or "Edit" and select three categories for your business. Depending on the category selected, you may be able to specify the services your business provides. When you've finished selecting the categories, click on the "Save Changes" button to save your choices. It's also worth mentioning that consumers can suggest an edit to a business's categories. You can find additional information on how consumers can suggest an edit here.
Level Up Your Local Search Efforts
Updated and accurate local listings can help boost your multi-location business's online visibility. Selecting categories on Yelp is a must. For more insight into how your business can optimize its local listings at scale, check out SOCi Listings. From syncing, updating, and managing your local listings to custom audits, professional photos, and profile recommendations, SOCi Listings covers every step of the process. Request a demo today to learn more.
