Setting your clients up on Yelp: a complete checklist for agencies

There are so many ways to make the most of your client’s presence on Yelp, depending on their needs and goals. Whether you want to build a strong foundation for them on Yelp or you’re ready to take their digital marketing to the next level, this guide will make sure you don’t miss an opportunity to connect your clients with customers who are ready to buy.

1. Update your client’s profile

Start with the essentials. The sections below house everything there is to know about your client’s business—plus they’re all completely free to display and update.

Basic information

Confirm that all the basic information about your client’s business is correct and up-to-date. This includes making sure the right address and phone number are listed so that potential customers can find and reach them easily. You should also include your client’s business website and current hours of operation.

Categories and services

Choose up to three categories from hundreds of options that best describe your client’s business—this will help customers find them in search. Then for each category, add an unlimited number of specific service offerings. For example, if your client is an auto repair shop, you can add services like transmission repair, smog checks, and oil changes. Adding this extra layer of detail will tell customers what to expect from your client’s business. 

If your client provides services offsite in locations like customers’ homes—such as a landscaper or a mobile dog groomer—you can also set a service area for their business to show how far they’re willing to travel for a job.

Amenities

Amenities offer insight into your client’s business operations and availability, with options like “accepts credit cards,” “dog friendly,” and “open to all.” Businesses can also self-identify with amenities like “Black-owned” or “woman-owned.” These are searchable by Yelp users, which can help potential customers make a quick decision on which business can best accommodate them. 

About the business

The “From this business” section of your client’s Yelp Business Page is a great opportunity to detail your client’s story and highlight what makes them so special. This area includes space to discuss your client’s specialties, their business’s origin story and history, and even a greeting directly from the business owner to their potential customers.

Photos

Adding the right visuals can help build trust with consumers and allow them to get to know your client’s business even more. Choose a variety of high-quality images that cover the full scope of your work. Plus, don’t forget descriptive captions. 

2. Enable more ways to attract customers for your clients

To entice even more customers, you can set up the following free components on your client’s Yelp Business Page to make it even easier for them to communicate with new customers.

Request a Quote

Enable messages (called Request a Quote for your services-based clients) to be sent to your client’s Yelp inbox to allow consumers to directly communicate, send messages, get information, and schedule jobs with them quickly.

Check-in offer

Set up a check-in offer that gives customers special savings for visiting your client’s business and checking in on Yelp. Maybe it’s a buy one, get one free offer or 10% off for first-time customers.

3. Create, customize, and launch their Yelp Ads

Now that your client’s Yelp Business Page is looking sharp, one way to drive traffic is through a cost-per-click (CPC) advertising campaign. Learn how to develop and deliver ads within your client’s budget.

Ad photo and text

When you set up your client’s search ad campaign—called Yelp Ads—you’ll be able to edit the photo and text that appears in their ad unit, or you can let Yelp’s algorithms choose for you based on what is likely to drive the most engagement.

Keyword targeting

In order to ensure that your client’s ads only appear for the searches that matter most to them, you’ll have the ability to specify exact search terms that you want their ad to appear for more often, as well as keywords that you do not want their ad to appear for at all.

Location targeting

You can target delivery of your client’s ads to relevant locations by setting up a designated radius around their business’s physical location and specifying up to 20 additional zip codes, neighborhoods, counties, or cities for their ad to appear in.

Ad goals

Designating an ad goal will insert a call-to-action button within your client’s ad that guides customers toward a desired behavior, such as calling the business or visiting the business website straight from the ad.

Link tracking

By implementing tracking links like UTM codes wherever your client’s website is displayed, you can directly attribute visits to their page to their successful Yelp campaign.

4. Activate their Enhanced Profile and other add-on optimizations

Finally, to take full advantage of the Yelp platform, you may want to include the following paid features alongside your client’s Yelp Ads. Yelp Advertising Partners can offer the below features at various discounts to their clients based on their cost-per-click ad spend. 

Enhanced Profile

Members of the Yelp Advertising Partner Program can offer their clients an exclusive bundle of upgrades called an Enhanced Profile. Included in this purchase is the ability to remove competitors’ ads from their Yelp Business Page, upload a video, control the order of their photos, and customize a call to action button that leads customers directly to an order form, promotion, or other designated landing page on your client’s website.

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Business Highlights

Looking for a way to show off specific aspects of your client’s business that consumers might find important or enticing? Choose from over 30 Business Highlight badges that will appear in search and on your client’s profile, visually showcasing the traits and offerings that make their business unique.

Verified License

For relevant, service-based businesses, you can use Verified License to display your client’s credentials, indicating their credibility and expertise by having their valid, state-issued trade license verified.  

Portfolios

To demonstrate the range of your client’s services and put a spotlight on their best work, you can curate collections of up to 50 images each in project-specific portfolios that go into detail on how your clients can best support their customers. Only available for eligible categories.

Logo

By uploading your client’s logo, you’ll activate even more opportunities to get their brand featured in high-visibility places across the Yelp platform that will help drive recognition for their business.

Connect

Don’t miss out on Yelp’s social marketing feature that allows your client to share content and promotions outside of their profile or search result. Yelp Connect posts are shared with users who have previously expressed interest in their business via Yelp. New and existing users will automatically find their updates on their Yelp app home screen, as well as in a personalized weekly email.

Members of the Yelp Advertising Partner Program can easily manage the above aspects of all their clients’ Yelp campaigns from their agency dashboard.

Not a Yelp Advertising Partner yet? Inquire about joining here.