Yelp Reviews FAQs
Practices strive to receive as many reviews on Yelp as possible to help improve a number of performance factors such as:
- Overall online reputation
- Search engine optimization
- Increased conversion rates
The greater amount of reviews practices have on Yelp alongside a high star rating indicates to both search engines and prospective patients that you are a reputable source. These results are going to increase the likelihood of a patient choosing your practice over a competitor due to the high importance of user-generated content.
Why are some of my Yelp reviews disappearing?
You encourage your patients to review you on Yelp to improve your overall web presence, they go to your listing and leave a great 5-star review, and you check shortly after and the review has disappeared. This is the result of Yelp’s controversial algorithm resulting in filtered reviews.
Where are my reviews going once they are filtered?
Those filtered reviews are still stored on your Yelp profile and can be viewed by customers. To see these reviews, go to your Yelp listing and scroll down to your Recommended Reviews section. (See below)
Navigate to the bottom of the reviews, where you can toggle between pages, and there you will see a note that says, “X other reviews that are not currently recommended”
After selecting the arrow at the end of that note, you will be able to access all filtered reviews alongside a statement from Yelp’s saying “We get millions of reviews from our users, so we use automated software to recommend the ones that are most helpful for the Yelp community…”
Is there a way to unfilter these reviews?
Unfortunately, there is not a way to prevent a review from being filtered or to move it back to the “recommended” section on your Yelp listing. Yelp utilizes an automated recommendation software and that automation cannot be overridden by Yelp Customer Support..
What criteria is Yelp using to filter reviews?
There are many factors Yelp’s automated software considers when deciding which reviews will be filtered and which will remain recommended for future viewers. Some of these factors include:
- The review is posted by a less established user who hasn’t reviewed many other businesses
- The post may appear to be unhelpful to users or appear as a rant
- It may appear to be a fake review (coming from the same computer as the business owner)
- It may display some sort of bias or appear to be written by a friend or family member
Ultimately, Yelp focuses on quality, reliability, and activity on the platform in order to connect potential customers with local businesses. As a practice manager, nurse practitioner, or provider, we cannot control the outcome of the review but we can control the experience you provide to your patients.
Is there any way to remove false or inflammatory reviews?
Reviews on Yelp cannot be removed by Business Owner. However, you can report individual reviews. Yelp moderators will evaluate the content of the reviews and remove if found false or inflammatory. This may take several days. Note: you may still need to claim your business page in order to report content from a business account.
How to report a review?
- Locate the review in the Reviews section of your business account
- Find the More Options button (the three dots) and click Report Review: