With the restaurant industry, it’s safe to say that Yelp is king. Bad Yelp reviews are enough to send an honest-to-God good restaurant into a tailspin. Yelp’s stranglehold on restaurant reviews made it a serious site to reckon with, but it’s important to make sure that restauranteurs don’t ignore other reviews.
Recently, I found out that I got “Local Guide” status on Google Reviews. And for once, I started to see an uptick on responses to my reviews. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense and the more it made me realize that Yelp might just be releasing its chokehold on the restaurant circuit.
Truth be told, Google Reviews matter more than a typical restauranteur would believe.
Are you a restaurant owner? It’s time to step up your Google game. It’s important to remember these facts before you decide to disregard this genre of reviews:
- People are starting to get wise to Yelp. Believe it or not, people are getting wise to Yelp’s review practices and they’re not as trusting as they once were. As a result, Google is starting to become more trusted.
- When Google Maps looks for places, reviews are what pop up. Everyone needs directions, and bad reviews can leave a bad first impression.
- It also happens to be a main part of your Google business profile. This means that everyone who sees your restaurant’s profile will see the reviews posted on there. That’s something Yelp can’t deliver.
- Some magazines choose which restaurant to review based on Google reviews. It’s a little-known secret, but it’s true. Yelp is played out so Google tends to be a better source of new locations.
Google reviews don’t have the zazz that Yelp reviews do, but they absolutely still count. If you aren’t careful, you might be neglecting a serious asset to your company!
Had a great evening with good friends