Yelp was once the definitive source for reviews. If someone is looking for a great hotel room or a restaurant with great reviews, Yelp is the app to go to.
Consumers rely on the internet for research, which makes the competition more heated as each site look for ways to answer online questions. This means that Yelp is no longer considered as the biggest player on the review scene.
Another point in Google's favor is the tech giant's incorporation of location information in searches. Since a lot of customers now search through their smartphones, the search result that addresses where an internet user is sitting at the time of the search will be the one that gets pulled up.
Some competitors have refined their offerings, while others are emerging into the market for the first time. Here are a couple of competitors that may be luring consumers away from Yelp and what makes them different from the popular review site.
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Yelp vs. TripAdvisor
For many travelers, TripAdvisor gives Yelp a fierce competition. The site is known for helping vacationers find the best hotels and local attractions almost anywhere in the world, culling reviews from thousand of its users to steer customers away from making the wrong choices.
Yelp has this information as well, but TripAdvisor attracts customers who are just temporarily visiting an area and therefore more likely to want to advise other customers, according to USA Today.
TripAdvisor's restaurant section is very useful for pinpointing the top restaurants in a given town. The site pulls the top choices from all of the reviews and delivers a top 10 list to help customs find the best dining spots.
Yelp has the same list, but TripAdvisor's format makes it more of a standalone list, according to The Washington Post.
Yelp vs. Angie's List
When you need someone to paint your property or install something, Yelp can offer you that. On the contrary, Angie's List is dedicated to helping its customers find the best contractor to do a job. Membership is needed to read reviews but plans to start as low as between $3 a month.
Yelp users can find anything from painters and mechanics, dentists and even pet groomers on the platform. Yelp also offers a range of free and paid products that can help services businesses, such as painters, handymen, and movers, connect with consumers and grow their business.
Angie's List is ideal for consumers who always hire out services like a home renovations or landscaping. The monthly fee may not be ideal for those who rarely need those type of services, according to South China Morning Post.
Yelp vs. YP
Last year, YP's CEO announced that the company will challenge Yelp's business. Formerly known as YellowPages.com, YP's guide makes it easy for customers to find local attorneys, restaurants, health and wellness providers, and home improvement experts.
However, one thing holding YP back is its user base. Several of the businesses have a lower number of reviews than other sites, making it more difficult to get a comprehensive read on what customers really thinks. The company is working to get the word out about its service, as well as boosting its mobile friendliness.
Yelp is still winning when it comes to the review game, but customers are gradually turning to other sources. Like Google, Yelp will have to look for ways to reach customers on their mobile devices using their locations to show results.
As customers work to find their review service, the one that has the most useful results with great user reviews will be the one that will dominate.
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Written by Sophie Webster