Moz Local gains Yelp listing management capabilities, first third-party tool to do so

This morning, Moz is announcing a significant partnership with Yelp. While there are several elements to the deal, the standout feature is the ability to claim and manage Yelp listings entirely from within Moz Local. Verification also happens from within Moz.

Listings management can be for a single location or hundreds of locations. It’s going to be most useful for multi-location businesses because it dramatically simplifies the process of claiming and managing content on Yelp. And everyone will be able to skip the call-back Yelp verification process.

The claiming comes through a new Yelp API that’s been specifically developed for Moz. Chad Richard, senior vice president of business and corporate development at Yelp, said that while Moz was Yelp’s “logical first partner,” other parties could get access to the claiming API in the future. “We’re open to it,” he replied when asked about that possibility.

Moz’s Dudley Carr said that they kept hearing that Yelp was a “critical, missing piece” from Moz’s listings management capabilities. For its part, Yelp sees the relationship as a way to boost the number of business locations claimed. Yelp’s Richard said that claimed listings are more likely to turn into advertisers.

Any content that business owners could upload directly to Yelp can be managed and uploaded via Moz Local. Any content or listings updates can be similarly pushed directly through Moz. Dudley Carr added that Moz encourages customers to fully flesh out their Yelp pages. “We push people to add more information on profiles; the tool identifies and recommends any missing content.”

Data reflect that complete Yelp profiles outperform those that are incomplete or unclaimed.

Moz customers will receive review alerts and be able to manage reviews content in Moz Local. In addition, Moz Local customers will access the same metrics Yelp makes directly available to business owners:

• Business profile views
• Clicks to the site
• Clicks for directions
• Click to call

The new capabilities will be available in early 2017.

About The Author

Greg Sterling

Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor at Search Engine Land. He researches and writes about the connections between digital and offline commerce. He is also VP of Strategy and Insights for the Local Search Association. Follow him on Twitter or find him at Google+.