Yelp - share your experiences

Stay away from Yelp, Eddy! I am still trying different avenues, but I have heard Google Local Services and Google Ads works well. Just make sure you stay on top of it. SEO is crucial. I started with very little money so I learned how to build a website on WIX, training on SEO through YouTube videos etc. It is a lot but if I did it you certainly can! Good Luck to you!

I have not had a good experience with Yelp, they consistently call and email you to get you to purchase their services.  I only use the free option as a way for others to find my business.  I did notice that a lot of "scam clients" come from Yelp as well, potential clients asking for services. For example one potential client text me with an address to clean, and stated they were out of town but would like to pay with a check.  I decided to do a Google search of the property and call the real estate agency and they stated that the property was not sold and that they have no idea who the person is stating that they own the property. So be wary and take as many precautions as you can especially with platforms like Yelp. This experience has now made me change some of my policies especially when it comes to first time clients.

Our ROAS on Yelp for 60 days was $.88.  Google LSA for that same time period was $9.  The major draw back of Yelp is that you have to utilize their platform to cultivate a lead vs a direct phone call or booking page link a lead gets with Google LSA.  When we chatted with Yelp about how to get a positive ROAS....crickets.

It was a waste of money. I even met with one of their onboarding specialists to “fine tune” my page.

I personally don’t recommend it. Facebook and Google have been great. However, grassroots, old school networking and being present in your community should never be forgotten. 

Focus on SEO its a long term strategy.

We have tried Yelp and Google Ads works so much better.  

I second this. I’ve tried Yelp twice and spent hundreds of dollars on ads. I got the leads but only a small percentage were legitimate leads. The ROI is not worth the spend. I should have a least 10 5-star reviews on Yelp but they continuously remove reviews. 

Highly recommend Google or Facebook for ads!

Personally, I don’t recommend using Yelp. In my experience, the lead quality tends to be low, and the return on investment just doesn’t justify the spend. One of my biggest frustrations with the platform is how they filter out legitimate 5-star reviews from actual customers while leaving negative or irrelevant ones visible. That kind of review manipulation can really hurt your online credibility despite doing great work.

If you’re looking to invest in lead generation, your marketing dollars are much better spent on platforms like Google or Facebook. My personal favorite is Google Local Services, it puts your business at the very top of search results, includes Google’s “Google Guaranteed” badge, and only charges you for actual, qualified leads. Plus, it builds trust quickly because people already rely on Google when looking for local pros.

If you’re not already on Google Local Services, I highly recommend looking into it. It’s one of the highest-converting channels I’ve seen for local home service businesses.