Yelp business set-up checklist for advertising agencies: pages, ads & upgrades

There are so many ways to make the most of your clients’ 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 help you capitalize on opportunities to connect your clients with customers who are ready to buy.

Step 1: Update your client’s Yelp Business Page

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 business 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 users 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 tells 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 attributes 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.

Step 2: Enable free customer communication features

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

Request a Quote is Yelp’s direct messaging feature for service-based businesses. When enabled, it allows potential customers to contact your client through their Yelp Business Page to ask questions, request estimates, and schedule jobs without leaving Yelp.

Responding to reviews

Yelp gives businesses the ability to respond publicly to customer reviews, both positive and critical. Encourage your clients to make this a regular habit. A thoughtful response to a glowing review shows appreciation, while a professional reply to a critical one demonstrates accountability and a commitment to customer service. Review responses appear on the business’s Yelp Page for all potential customers to see, making them a powerful (and free) trust-building tool.

Step 3: Create, customize, and launch Yelp Ads

Yelp Ads are cost-per-click (CPC) search advertising campaigns that drive traffic to your client’s Yelp Business Page. Once a page is fully optimized, Yelp Ads are the primary paid tool for increasing visibility and lead volume. In fact, businesses get 4x more leads with Yelp Ads.

Custom 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 algorithm choose for you based on what is likely to drive the most engagement.

Keyword targeting

To help your client’s ads appear for the searches that matter most to them, you can boost search terms you want their ad to appear for more often, as well as block keywords you don’t 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 or specifying specific zip codes, cities, or counties 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 adding UTM codes to your client’s website URL in their Yelp ad, they can track website visits from the campaign directly in their own analytics platform, giving them insight beyond what’s available in their Yelp account.

Step 4: Activate the Upgrade Package and add-on features

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

Upgrade Package

As a member of the Yelp Advertising Partner Program, you have access to the Upgrade Package, a bundle of Page Upgrades that helps your clients attract and convert more customers on Yelp. It includes:

Remove competitor ads: Prevents other businesses’ ads from appearing on your client’s Yelp Business Page, keeping visitors focused on your client.
Slideshow: Controls the order photos appear on the page, so you can lead with the strongest visuals.
Logo: Displays your client’s business logo prominently on their Yelp Business Page to reinforce brand recognition.
Business Highlights: Visual badges that showcase unique business attributes, such as “family-owned” or “eco-friendly.”
Yelp Connect: A posting feature that lets businesses share updates, promotions, and announcements directly on their Yelp Business Page.
Call to Action: A customizable button that drives a specific action, such as a phone call, message, or visit to a dedicated landing page.
Portfolio: A visual gallery for showcasing completed work, available to eligible service categories such as contractors and photographers.

Verified License is an optional add-on where Yelp manually confirms your client’s valid, state-issued trade license. A Verified License badge on the page signals credibility and professionalism to prospective customers.

While Yelp Ads help drive traffic to your client’s page, the Upgrade Package enhances the page itself to better convert that traffic into leads.

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

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