Love it or hate it, nearly every contractor has a business page on Yelp. With 142 million unique users per month, Yelp is the 44th most visited site in the United States. It’s also one of the best tools for social proof next to your Google Business listing, particularly if you’re looking to expand into more commercial projects.
Yelp isn’t bad at driving sales, either. In fact, four out of five Yelp users visit the website when they’re prepared to make a purchase—and 55 percent of users take action with a local business. Instead of casually browsing for their next contractor, property managers, general contractors, and business owners engage directly with service providers after finding their Yelp business listing.
So, should you advertise on Yelp? There’s no denying that it’s an amazing tool for exposure. But if you’re not careful, the platform’s premium features can burn a hole in your budget.
Of course, that doesn’t mean you should avoid the site completely. If you’re on the fence, here’s what you need to know before promoting your business on Yelp.
If you’re a contractor aiming to expand into commercial work, Yelp can be an effective tool to boost your visibility and reach new commercial clients, including property managers and developers looking for qualified service providers. Yelp helps businesses rank for keywords you’d normally have a hard time ranking for. Commercial clients often search for contractors on Yelp, either from Google or directly, which can help you get noticed online without making a major investment in local SEO.
Yelp sits at the end of the purchase funnel, meaning most searchers already have a need for your services and they’re prepared to spend money. Now, they’re searching “HVAC contractors for commercial projects” or “general contractors near me” to find the right service provider to seal the deal.
Our clients sacrifice blood, sweat, and tears to build a business, keep their contractors busy, and achieve their goals. They don’t have hours to devote to updating their Yelp listing.
Time is money. And at the end of the day, Yelp is another platform that takes time to manage. While you might be able to take a “set it and forget it” approach to some of your business listings, you should skip this strategy with Yelp. Just like social media, you’ll want to spend time maintaining your profile, responding to reviews and inquiries, and keeping your Yelp listing current.
The main reason people use Yelp? To research businesses as part of their decision-making process. That means positive, high-quality reviews can help guide your prospects down the sales funnel, increase your conversions, and keep the phone ringing.
For contractors moving into the commercial sector, online reviews are especially important. Commercial clients, such as property managers and general contractors, are more likely to trust businesses with strong reputations and positive reviews. At the same time, having positive Yelp reviews can boost your rankings. According to HubSpot, if you sort Yelp search results by ‘Highest Rated,’ 99.2 percent of businesses would be hidden.
What’s the best way to gather online reviews? Make it convenient. Try sending an email with a clickthrough link to your Yelp business page. It might be tempting to offer a discount voucher on your customers’ next power washing job, but skip the incentive. Yelp strictly prohibits incentivized reviews, and you could risk account suspension if you violate the platform’s policies.
In the competitive commercial sector, bad reviews can significantly harm your ability to secure larger contracts. Negative reviews can be especially damaging when you’re pursuing high-value commercial projects where trust and reputation are key to winning the bid.
If you have negative reviews on Yelp, you don’t want them to be the first thing prospects see. Of course, you might experience this problem even if you’re not using Yelp for business. After all, customers can leave bad reviews anywhere on the Internet, from your Facebook business page to your Google Business listing.
So, how should you handle negative reviews? Our clients have the best results when they learn how to respond professionally instead of pushing back against criticism.
You can pay for premium business page features and Yelp Ads to boost your online visibility, but you don’t have to. Whether you’re working with a limited budget or trying Yelp for the first time, you don’t have to spend anything to create and manage your business page.
For contractors looking to expand into the commercial space, Yelp Ads can be a valuable investment. While they can get pricey, the return on investment for securing large commercial contracts can outweigh the initial cost—especially when competing for high-value projects. Yelp Ads are a great way to elevate your business to the top of search results and increase your exposure.
Yelp also offers PPC advertising. When you invest in Yelp Ads, your page will rank higher in search results, boosting your exposure. However, the platform’s cost-per-click (CPC) ranges anywhere from $0.30 to $40+, which is higher than Google Ads for most contractors.
If you’re looking to expand into commercial work, Yelp can be a powerful tool. While the costs associated with advertising on Yelp might be higher, the potential for securing high-value commercial contracts makes it a worthy investment. Yelp is an essential tool for contractors looking to secure both residential and commercial projects. However, it’s just one piece of the larger marketing strategy you need to build long-term success in the commercial construction space.
Yelp can help you gain visibility, but it’s just one part of a larger strategy. To stand out in the competitive commercial construction and engineering market, you need a tailored, long-term marketing approach that targets the right decision-makers at the right time. This includes strategic PPC, SEO, content marketing, and more to build your reputation and grow your pipeline of commercial projects.
Ready to scale your business and attract high-value contracts? Contact us today to unlock proven digital marketing strategies designed for commercial success.
