Yes—Yelp is still relevant for many businesses in 2025. Since launching in 2004, Yelp has been the go-to place for finding customer reviews about local businesses, from restaurants and bars to salons and service providers. And while it’s been over 20 years since it started, one thing hasn’t changed: customer reviews still play a major role in shaping a business’s online reputation and influencing buying decisions.
In this blog, we’ll explore how Yelp fits into today’s marketing strategy and whether it’s still worth your time and investment. Whether you’re thinking of claiming your profile or deciding how much to prioritize it this year, we’ll help you make a smart, informed choice!
What Is Yelp’s Primary Purpose?
At its core, Yelp is a review-driven platform. Its primary purpose is to provide a space where users can share honest reviews, rate their experiences, and browse detailed listings.
Over time, it has become a trusted source for discovering nearby services, reading feedback, and choosing where to spend time and money. It helps potential customers make informed decisions while giving businesses a chance to stand out through strong ratings, high-quality photos, and up-to-date information.
Is Yelp Still Being Used by Customers?
Yes! Customers still use Yelp to find and evaluate local businesses. Yelp reports 2.5 million people visit it daily. It’s especially popular in categories like restaurants, cafes, bars, salons, auto repair, and home services.
So if you were asking yourself, “do people still use yelp” now you know the answer. Whether someone is looking for a quick lunch spot or a trusted plumber, Yelp remains a go-to resource for reading reviews and comparing options!
Is Yelp Still Being Used by Businesses?
Yelp continues to be widely used by small and mid-sized businesses across the U.S. and beyond. By the end of 2023, 7.056 million businesses on Yelp had been claimed by the owners (WallStreet Zen) in industries like hospitality, personal care, and professional services.
Also, many business owners still actively manage their profiles, respond to reviews, and invest in Yelp Ads to reach local customers.
The Current State of Yelp in 2025
Yelp remains a leading platform for local business discovery, backed by strong engagement and evolving features that reflect its continued relevance.
Let’s take a closer look at the current state of this review platform:
Usage Trends & Stats
- Yelp attracts around 178 million unique visitors each month, showing that it remains a go-to source for customer reviews and business information (SCI Tech).
- 29 million unique mobile devices accessed the Yelp app monthly in 2024.
- A staggering 308 million cumulative Yelp reviews have been shared—and growing—helping users make informed decisions (Yelp).
- On a daily basis, about 2.5 million users visit Yelp specifically to find local businesses, demonstrating the platform’s strong intent-driven traffic (Yelp Business).
- As of March 2025, Yelp boasts 29 million monthly active mobile devices, with users contributing over 308 million total reviews.
- 517,000 businesses currently invest in Yelp advertising, maintaining it as an active marketing channel for local SMBs (Yelp).
Platform Evolution
Yelp has grown far beyond being just a review site. Today, it’s a dynamic local discovery platform designed to drive real-world action:
AI-Enhanced Review Insights
In December 2024, Yelp introduced AI-powered “Review Insights” that analyze and surface key themes—like food quality, service, or ambiance—at the top of business pages. This helps users quickly grasp what matters most without scrolling through reviews.
Video Reviews and Visual Content
As of early 2024, Yelp began testing AI-generated video summaries and narrative clips based on user reviews and photos. These previews give Yelp users a short, immersive look at a business, directly in search results.
In-App Booking and Requests
Yelp now supports multi-channel user engagement: through bookings, quote requests, and direct messaging—powered by integrations like Apple Maps and Yelp Assistant, making it easier for users to book services with minimal friction.
Upgraded Home Feed & Mobile Features
The platform’s refreshed home feed uses AI to surface user videos, trending searches, photos, and tailored recommendations, reducing scroll time and highlighting local businesses more effectively.
The Pros of Using Yelp in 2025
Whether you run a neighborhood café, a service business, or a multi-location franchise, Yelp can still be a powerful part of your local marketing strategy. With millions of monthly users and features that go beyond just reviews, it offers several benefits that can help you connect with high-intent customers and build a stronger presence online.
Here are some key advantages of using Yelp in 2025:
- Builds trust with potential customers: Positive reviews remain one of the most trusted sources of social proof. A strong Yelp profile with positive ratings signals credibility and reassures people who are considering your business.
- Boosts local visibility: Yelp listings often rank high in local search results on Google, especially for service-related queries. This means your business can appear in multiple places when people are searching nearby.
- Drives high-intent traffic: Many users visit Yelp when they’re ready to make a decision, like booking a service, calling a provider, or visiting a business. It’s a place where people go to take action, not just browse.
- Encourages community engagement: Yelp gives customers a space to share their experiences, and it gives you the opportunity to respond. This back-and-forth helps create a sense of connection and can boost your reputation over time.
- Improves your online reputation: Star ratings, detailed reviews, and recent activity on your Yelp profile all contribute to how people perceive your brand online. A well-maintained profile helps you stand out from the competition.
- Offers useful business tools: Yelp now includes features like appointment bookings, quote requests, video uploads, and messaging—all tools that make it easier to convert visitors into paying customers.
- Provides valuable customer insights: Reviews often highlight what customers love—or don’t—about your business. These insights can help you identify trends, improve your service, and even shape marketing or product decisions.
- Supports SEO and local rankings: A well-optimized Yelp profile with consistent information, good reviews, and updated content can support your local SEO strategy and improve your visibility on platforms like Google Maps.
How Does Yelp Help With Your SEO Efforts?
Yelp can play a valuable role in your local SEO strategy by increasing your visibility in search results, attracting high-intent local traffic, and strengthening your business’s online credibility.
An optimized Yelp profile, complete with accurate details and regular customer reviews, not only improves your presence on Yelp itself—it also helps your business appear more prominently on search engines like Google or Bing, especially in AI-powered search features.
Let’s take a look at how Yelp can support your broader online visibility:
Business Listings Boost Local SEO
Customer reviews are one of the key local ranking factors in Google’s algorithm. Yelp, with its high domain authority, gives your business a boost by housing authentic, keyword-rich reviews that search engines crawl. A well-optimized Yelp profile with consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone) data, detailed categories, and frequent reviews can help your business rank higher in local search results.
Yelp Listings Are Featured in AI-Powered Results
As AI Answer Overviews (like Google’s SGE) become more common, sources like Yelp are increasingly cited. AI pulls trusted content from platforms with high-quality, structured data, and Yelp fits that bill. If your Yelp profile is strong and updated, it has a better chance of being referenced in AI-generated summaries, potentially driving more visibility even without a direct click.
Yelp Helps Build Trust Across the Web
Search engines value businesses that demonstrate E-E-A-T: Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Yelp reviews and high ratings contribute to this digital reputation. When your business has positive reviews across multiple platforms—especially trusted ones like Yelp—it sends strong credibility signals that can influence most consumers and search algorithms.
Yelp Increases Your Brand’s Presence in SERPs
A complete and optimized Yelp profile often shows up alongside your website in branded search results. This increases your real estate on the search engine results page (SERP), giving potential customers more ways to engage with your business and improving your overall visibility online.
The Disadvantages of Yelp
Yelp offers unique value, especially in sectors where reviews influence buying decisions. A well-managed Yelp presence—complete, responsive, and reviewed—can still enhance your visibility and reputation. But understanding both the platform’s limitations and its strengths is crucial to decide whether it fits your 2025 marketing strategy.
Here are the potential drawbacks:
1. Risk of Biased or Fake Reviews
Yelp’s review system has long been targeted by both fake positive and negative reviews. Studies show a significant number of suspicious entries—Yelp filters approximately 20–25% of reviews as “not recommended,” and Harvard researchers found in 2014 that up to 20% of listings in Boston were fake.
To combat this, Yelp launched its Consumer Alerts program, which flags suspicious review activity like coordinated posting or legal threats to manipulate ratings. These alerts show directly on business pages to warn users when review patterns appear misleading.
2. Strict Review Policies Can Be Frustrating
Businesses often complain that negative reviews are difficult to remove. Yelp’s removal process is limited and tends to protect user opinions, even if a review is controversial or unfair. Conversely, legitimate reviews (both positive and negative) can be filtered out, making feedback unpredictable.
3. “Pay-to-Play” Concerns
Some businesses feel pressure to advertise on Yelp after seeing their competitors featured more prominently. While not required, investing in paid advertising on Yelp can offer visibility advantages and “preferred photo” placement, but it can also lead to concerns of unfair treatment for non-advertisers.
4. Discoverability May Be Localized
Yelp works best in busy, consumer-facing industries like food, personal services, and home maintenance. It may bring little value if your business is niche, B2B, or serves a small market, where platforms like Google Business or industry-specific directories perform better.
Who Are Yelp’s Competitors and How Are They Changing the Industry?
Yelp may have led the way in online reviews, but it’s no longer the only place where customers go to research local businesses. Several platforms offer similar services for people to discover, evaluate, and connect with businesses near them. Whether you’re in food service, home repair, or hospitality, understanding these competitors helps you decide where to focus your digital marketing efforts and how to stay visible.
Here’s what you need to know about the main players competing with Yelp in 2025:
Google Business Profile
Google is the undisputed leader in local search. With 73% of all online reviews, it dwarfs competitors, including Yelp (Exploding Topics). Your Google Business Profile appears not just in Maps search, but also in AI-powered overviews and instant answers. Optimizing your profile helps you show up across both Google and AI search formats, making it a key part of any local SEO strategy.
Facebook and Instagram
Social platforms have become powerful local discovery tools. The Local Consumer Review Survey 2025, hosted by BrightLocal, showed that at least 40% of consumers use Facebook to read business reviews before deciding where to go. With features like location tags, messaging, Stories, Reels, and integrated calls-to-action, Instagram and Facebook allow businesses to connect visually and directly with their audience. As these platforms grow more shoppable, they can even complement or compete with traditional review sites.
TripAdvisor
While Yelp casts a wide net, TripAdvisor still dominates in travel, hotels, and tourism. Only in 2024, the platform received over 31 million reviews and opinions from travelers worldwide for accommodations and attractions. This makes TripAdvisor still the go-to platform for travelers planning trips. For businesses in hospitality or tourism, maintaining a strong TripAdvisor presence is essential—it can mean the difference between getting noticed and getting overlooked.
Angi
Angi (formerly Angie’s List) and its sister platform HomeAdvisor are leaders in the home services space, from plumbing to roofing. Unlike Yelp, Angi uses a freemium model—businesses can list for free but pay to feature higher on searches. For service professionals, Angi offers a targeted audience and a payment model based on visibility and lead quality.
Is Yelp dying?
No—Yelp is far from dying. While other platforms have expanded, Yelp still attracts millions of engaged users and continues to grow its ecosystem with features like AI summaries, video reviews, and booking options. It remains a trusted and evolving platform for both businesses and consumers.
So, Is Yelp Still Worth It in 2025?
Yelp can still be a valuable part of your digital marketing strategy in 2025, but it depends on your business type, location, and how your customers find you. If you’re a local business that relies on word-of-mouth, walk-ins, or service-based bookings (think restaurants, salons, home services, or wellness providers), Yelp is still relevant. It offers strong local visibility, helps build trust through reviews, and can support your presence in search, especially as platforms like Google increasingly pull data from sites like Yelp for AI-generated overviews.
As search continues to evolve—especially with AI-generated summaries like Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE)—review platforms like Yelp will continue to play a role in shaping what shows up on the results page. Companies that keep an optimized presence across review platforms are more likely to be cited, ranked, and trusted.
That said, Yelp isn’t for everyone. If your audience isn’t actively searching on the platform or you’re not ready to maintain your profile and respond to reviews, your time and resources might be better spent elsewhere.
Ask yourself:
- Do customers in your industry still check Yelp before making a decision?
- Is your business location-based and service-driven?
- Are you getting traffic from Yelp or mentioned in Google results?
- Are you willing to manage reviews and keep your profile up to date?
- Do your competitors have a strong presence on Yelp?
If you answered “yes” to most of these, Yelp is likely still worth the effort.
Who Should Still Care About Yelp
Yelp may not be the only player in the game, but it remains a powerful platform for certain industries and business types, especially when trust and reputation are key factors in the buying journey.
High-Value Industries
Some industries consistently benefit from Yelp’s visibility, high-intent users, and trusted review ecosystem. These include:
- Restaurants and cafés: Diners still rely on Yelp to discover and compare nearby places to eat, especially when traveling or trying something new.
- Personal services: Salons, spas, dentists, and fitness studios often see traffic from users seeking trusted providers with strong reviews.
- Tourism and activities: Travelers search Yelp for things to do, from guided tours to boutique experiences.
- Niche home services: Think plumbers, HVAC technicians, electricians, and cleaners—particularly in competitive metro areas. Yelp remains a go-to place for homeowners needing trustworthy providers fast.
Local business owners weighing ad spend ROI
If you’re constantly asking yourself where to invest your limited marketing budget, Yelp is still a platform that attracts ready-to-act customers. For many service businesses, even a free listing with solid reviews can drive measurable results, making it a low-cost, high-visibility option to test alongside other efforts.
Marketers conducting cross-channel audits
If you’re a digital marketer reviewing local SEO performance and customer touchpoints, Yelp provides valuable insight into how your brand appears in third-party search environments. Its influence still surfaces in organic results and AI-generated overviews, making it a key channel to optimize and monitor.
Entrepreneurs validating consumer trust
Launching a new business or expanding into a new location? Yelp reviews help validate your reputation and build trust from day one. Many consumers scan Yelp to gauge legitimacy, especially when trying a new provider in a crowded field.
Tips To Get the Most Out of Yelp Today
Whether you’re just getting started or trying to improve your presence, there are practical ways to make Yelp work harder for your business.
Here’s how to get the most out of the platform in 2025:
Claim and Optimize Your Listing
Start by claiming your Yelp Page—it’s free and gives you control over how your business appears. Fill out every section thoroughly: business hours, contact info, service area, photos, and a clear description of what you offer. A complete and updated profile makes your business more trustworthy to both users and search engines.
Encourage and Respond to Reviews Regularly
Positive reviews build credibility and influence decisions, especially in high-intent moments. Encourage happy customers to leave honest feedback (without offering incentives) and always respond—whether it’s a thank-you or a thoughtful reply to criticism. Engaging with reviews shows that you care about your reputation and helps build trust.
Don’t ignore negative reviews either—acknowledge the issue, respond professionally, and offer a solution when possible. Engaging with all types of feedback shows that you care about your reputation and helps build trust.
Monitor Insights To Track Profile Performance
Yelp provides valuable data on how people interact with your listing, including how many views, clicks, and calls you’re getting. Use these insights to understand what’s working and where to improve. You might spot seasonal trends, discover which photos perform best, or identify gaps in your profile that are worth updating.
Diversify Your Strategy
Yelp shouldn’t be your only platform, but it can play a key role in a broader local SEO strategy. Combine your Yelp efforts with Google Business Profile optimization, social media engagement, and review management across multiple platforms. This helps you stay visible and relevant across the customer journey.
Make Yelp One Piece of a Winning SEO Strategy!
At Nativo, we don’t just manage review platforms—we build full-funnel digital marketing strategies that get results. From strengthening your Yelp presence to optimizing your site for SEO, we help you show up where it matters most. Whether you’re trying to attract more local leads, improve your online reputation, or scale your visibility across channels, our team is here to guide you every step of the way.
Contact Nativo today and let’s talk about how we can help your business grow with smarter, more strategic digital solutions.
FAQs
Is Yelp better than Google reviews?
It depends on your goals. Google reviews offer broader visibility through Maps and Search, while Yelp provides more detailed consumer insights and category-specific searches. Many businesses benefit from using both.
Are people still using Yelp?
Yes—millions still turn to Yelp each month for trusted reviews, especially when searching for restaurants, local services, and home professionals. It remains a go-to source for high-intent searches.
Is Yelp still relevant for restaurants?
Absolutely. Restaurants are among the top-searched categories on Yelp. With detailed menus, photos, and customer feedback, Yelp helps diners make quick decisions—making it especially valuable in 2025.
Is Yelp still worth it for small businesses?
Yes, particularly for service-based or location-dependent businesses. A well-managed Yelp presence can improve local SEO, attract new customers, and build trust, often with no ad spend required.
Is Yelp going out of business?
No. While Yelp faces more competition, it continues to evolve with new features like AI summaries and direct bookings. It remains a key player in the online review space.