Yelp released their first quarter 2013 earnings report today, announcing a 68 percent increase from Q1 2012 with $46 million in net revenue this quarter. CEO Jeremy Stoppelman started the earnings report webcast by stating the company had hit record highs in all core metric areas. Climbing to approximately 102 million, Yelp's average monthly unique visitors grew 43 percent year over year. Local business accounts reached approximately 45,000, a 63 percent increase year over year; and the number of reviews rose 42 percent year over year, with more than 39 million cumulative reviews on the [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Yelp

Following on the heels of Foursquare, YP and a few others in the local segment Yelp is adding restaurant menu information and pricing. With the unfortunate headline "Yelp Menus: Connecting People with Great Local Food Porn," the Yelp blog explains that menus will be paired with users' uploaded food images: Now you can not only read about that decadent chocolate raspberry truffle cheesecake swimming in a pool of hot fudge, you can see real users’ photos of said gut-busting dessert from every angle right alongside the menu item... Specifics on menu items, like description and price, will [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Yelp

Qype was the European Yelp before Yelp was in Europe. Now Yelp has announced that it is acquiring the company for $50 million in a press release that also shares its "preliminary" Q3 revenue numbers. Founded in 2006 in Hamburg, Germany, Qype operates throughout Western Europe, with the UK and Germany its strongest properties. In a blog post Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman says that Qype  has "more than two million reviews of local businesses" and 15 million monthly uniques. However that number actually appears to be down from 17 million uniques reported in November 2010. If that's accurate i [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Top News | Yelp

Yelp is now showing "Consumer Alert" warning messages on the profile pages of eight businesses that it says it caught in a sting operation trying to buy reviews. As the New York Times reports, Yelp conducted a sting operation in which one of its employees pretended to be an "Elite" reviewer and responded to review solicitations on Craigslist. As the article explains: A pest control company offered $5 to anyone who would post a review that the business itself had written. The moving company was willing to pay $50 but wanted original copy. An appliance repair shop provided a start: "I really [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEO | Features: Analysis | Legal: General | Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines | SEO: Local | Top News | Yelp

Over the weekend President Obama made a campaign stop at Big Apple Pizza in Ft. Pierce, Florida. The owner, Scott Van Duzer, is reportedly a registered Republican but is also a supporter of Obama. During a photo-op he bear-hugged Obama (with Secret Service permission). The story and the image (at right) received national media attention. Some anti-Obama and anti-Big Apple "protesters" called for a boycott of the place and fire-breathing opinions began showing up on Yelp after the event. They had nothing to do with the quality of the restaurant's food or service. Here are a number of exam [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Top News | Yelp

Yelp just announced second quarter revenues of $32.7 million compared with $27.4 million last quarter. This beat analyst expectations. The company also said it had a net loss of $2 million compared to a loss of $1.2 million a year ago. Yelp reported that revenues for the first two quarters this year grew significantly to $60 million vs. $36.1 million last year. However the 1H loss was $11.8 million vs. a loss of $3.9 for the first six months last year. This higher loss probably reflects Yelp's ongoing expansion efforts. Here are several other datapoints from the earnings release: Yel [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Yelp

We're starting to see what Apple Maps will look like as well as the features it will contain, among them check-ins on Yelp. At the same time it's becoming clear how important Yelp now is in the world of local and Local SEO through its Apple relationship. Yelp has always been important. However the site is now second only to Google in terms of its importance -- if not its equal. Yelp's Huge New Visibility On the iPhone 4S Yelp provided reviews for nearby local businesses found by Siri, in a generally mediocre local search experience. Though Yelp was the source of the content (or some of the c [...]

Related Topics: Apple: Maps | Channel: Local | Features: Analysis | Google: Maps & Local | Microsoft: Bing Maps & Local | Yelp

Bing has done a deal with Yelp in which the latter's reviews and content will be heavily integrated into Bing Local pages. According to the press statement put out by Yelp this morning, "Yelp will surface content including, review snippets, photos, business attributes, and more, to Bing users in the U.S." The content appears on Bing Local pages with the branding "powered by Yelp." It is a deeper integration and partnership than what's generally available to third parties through the standard Yelp API. I suspect that Microsoft/Bing was feeling pressure given Google's recent incorporation of [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines | Top News | Yelp

Is there a battle brewing in the area of searchable local content and reviews? Foursquare has been making some interesting moves in this area, and today Yelp has announced two new search filters that it says will let users more easily find the right local business. Yelp is calling the new technology "Yelpy Insights." The first two filters are: "Liked by Vegetarians" -- this lets vegetarians more easily find restaurants that, while not vegetarian or vegan by definition, are still popular with that audience "X-Somethings" -- this lets searchers find local businesses that are popular wi [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Yelp

Yelp is now established and mainstream enough to be included in BMW's Online/in-car content. Yelp reviews and related content will shortly be available to BMW owners "who subscribe to the optional BMW Assist Convenience Plan and have a navigation-equipped vehicle capable of receiving the BMW Online service." This means select BMW vehicles (see below for list) and is available in the US only for now. However Yelp's international coverage makes it probable that the partnership will roll out more broadly if it proves successful in the US. Yelp offered some screens of the BMW in-car search o [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines | Search Features: Cars | Yelp

A new survey from Harris Interactive, sponsored by CityGrid Media, confirms what many already know: Search is the dominant way people look for local business information -- online. On mobile devices, review sites have equal influence. The telephone survey was conducted in August among just over 1,000 US adults. Slightly less than 60 percent (59 percent) of survey respondents said that search engines were the first place they go when researching local businesses. That number increased to 83 percent for those under 35 years old. Less than 10 percent (8 percent) said they visit the merchant's [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Mobile | Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines | Search Engines: Mobile Search Engines | Top News | Yelp

Yelp is off the hook, again. A judge has thrown out a class action lawsuit filed against Yelp that alleged the company tried to extort small businesses by promising to remove negative reviews in exchange for money. As we reported when the suit was first filed in February 2010, the plaintiffs -- which included a veterinary hospital in Long Beach, California -- claimed that Yelp's sales team said it would remove a "false and defamatory review" only if the vet bought advertising at about $300 per month. As CNET points out, that original suit was dismissed earlier this year and the plaintiffs w [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Legal: General | Yelp

Next week on Wednesday the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights will hold antitrust-related hearings on Google. This is a proceeding separate from but broadly related to the wide-ranging FTC antitrust investigation. The title of the hearing is "The Power of Google: Serving Consumers or Threatening Competition?" This title perfectly anticipates the two divergent lines of testimony that you're likely to hear. Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt will testify on behalf of Google. He will try to explain Google's attitude and method [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Google: Critics | Google: Legal | Legal: General | Legal: Regulation | Top News | Yelp

Following the elimination of daily deals (though not check-in deals) from Facebook's lineup of products, Yelp followed suit this week by scaling back its daily deals program. Many people incorrectly interpreted the news, presented in a Bloomberg article, as Yelp's total exit from the space. Some have also seen it as an indication that the segment as a whole is beginning to collapse. One person remarked to me today, "The bottom is starting to fall out isn't it?" Neither interpretation is correct. Deals are alive and (mostly) well and Yelp is still in the game. Here's what Yelp CEO Jeremy [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social | Facebook | Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines | Yelp

A fascinating study published last year compares the reviews and reviewers at three local business websites: Yelp, Citysearch and Yahoo Local. And, in explaining how Yelp overtook the other two, it also hints -- in my opinion -- at how Google is trying to beat Yelp by using Yelp's own playbook. Citysearch and Yahoo Local were the two dominant websites for online business reviews early in the 2000s. Yelp has far surpassed both now and has the biggest review collection on the web; it reported passing 17 million reviews last month, and doubled its regular rate of reviews with about two millio [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Features: Analysis | Google: Maps & Local | Top News | Yelp

If you wanted to see Yelp reviews for a particular restaurant you could either go to Yelp.com or you could go to Google's Place Page for that same location -- and that's what Yelp is worried about. For the past year or so Yelp and Google have been a little like the two Koreas, not at war but not at peace either. Google tried to buy Yelp last year unsuccessfully for roughly $500 million. Google includes Yelp reviews on its Place Pages, often prominently at the top of the reviews section, and Yelp is very ambivalent about that, to put it mildly. Yelp considers Google Places to be directly [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEO | Features: Analysis | Google: Maps & Local | Google: Mobile | Google: SEO | Top News | Yelp

DuckDuckGo has added two new content providers to its "zero-click" search results: local business listings from Yelp and definitions from The Free Dictionary. Zero-click results are similar to the "one box" or "quick answers" that other search engines offer. Do a search for a specific local business, and DuckDuckGo may show its basic business info from Yelp. Here's an example: Another addition to zero-click is definitions from The Free Dictionary. DuckDuckGo founder Gabriel Weinberg says this greatly expands the number of definitions in DDG's search results. DuckDuckGo has a [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | DuckDuckGo | Yelp

Google has finally added full check-in capabilities to its Latitude product, following in the footsteps of Foursquare, Gowalla, Yelp, Facebook, and others that have been doing check-ins for some time now. Latitude has been a tool that lets one user share his/her location with friends, but now it goes further and allows users to check-in to specific businesses and locations. But Google's check-in system comes with a few twists compared to similar services: Latitude can send reminders to check-in at locations when you arrive. Latitude supports automated check-ins at places you choos [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Foursquare | Google: Maps & Local | Gowalla | Search Engines: Location / Checkin Services | Yelp

Friends or enemies? Partners or competitors? Google's relationship with review sites like TripAdvisor and Yelp is as complicated as ever, and the disputes are likely to increase as the search giant pursues mobile and local ambitions that center around its controversial Place pages. The rancor stems from the way Google aggregates content from various review sites onto its Place pages, showing snippets of reviews posted by users of other sites. While Google undoubtedly drives traffic to the review sites, the aggregation tacitly encourages users to think there's no need to go anywhere else. Cr [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Google: Place Pages | Search Engines: Travel Search Engines | Top News | Yelp

Most businesses tend to focus on the big channels when it comes to local SEO efforts. While it makes sense to optimize your Google Place Page and pay attention to your presence on other big local search services (e.g. Bing Local, CityGrid, DexKnows, Insider pages, Local.com, Merchant circle, Superpages, Yahoo Local, Yellow book, Yelp, YP.com, etc.), because of the fragmented nature of local search, there are plenty of other services that generate great local traffic and can provide you with SEO benefits. Here's a brief overview of some "off the grid" opportunities. Facebook Places. So Fa [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEO | Foursquare | Google: Maps & Local | Gowalla | Local Search | Microsoft: Bing Maps & Local | Search Engines: Location / Checkin Services | SEO: Local | SEO: Mobile Search | Twitter | Yahoo: Maps & Local | Yelp