What You Need to Know About the Recent Yelp Review Ruling

This week, a California court ruled that popular review giant Yelp has the legal right to manipulate the business ratings and reviews that appear on its site. The lawsuit was prompted by allegations that Yelp had begun altering content to promote its paid advertising program.

We know that many of our clients count on Yelp to send them new business. You're working hard to provide excellent customer service, and as a result, you've generated a lot of positive reviews and high ratings on the local search site. So what does this ruling mean for your company?

First, the prosecution did not prove that Yelp is manipulating rankings. It's not clear whether they are or not. The ruling simply says that they have the legal right to operate in that manner if they choose to do so. The best thing your business can do now is to continue following best practices for local search and reviews.

• Keep an eye on the conversation. Track your reviews and mentions on popular social sites so you know what's being said.
• Get involved. Respond to negative reviews promptly, and try to reach a happy resolution with dissatisfied customers.
• Grow your profile. Encourage patrons to review your business on Yelp and on other local search sites like Google+ and Angie's List.

Read more about the Yelp ruling here, or contact our team for immediate local search marketing support!