three iphones displaying updates to the Yelp platform in April 2023
Photo: Yelp

Yelp is making some “significant” changes. Three to be specific.

The local business review site said it is now using artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLM) to improve search results for its community members.

Short-form videos will help to further bring user reviews to life.

Yelp Guaranteed is a new satisfaction guarantee provided by the service when its users hire a local professionals through the site.

“We’re always innovating on ways for consumers and businesses to connect in more seamless and meaningful ways,” said Craig Saldanha, chief product officer at Yelp, in a press release. “Millions of people rely on Yelp to make important spending decisions with local businesses, and their trust is at the center of everything we do. With the new updates we’re announcing today, we want to help consumers more easily discover businesses that meet their needs in a way that is both precise and personal, as well as give our users more engaging ways to share their experiences with the community.”

Mr. Saldanha, on a company blog, writes that Yelp has been using AI  for years to recommend dishes, organize photos and automate content moderation. Advancements in LLMs will make it easier for users to receive more relevant responses to their searches.

Features include improved keyword searches with LLMs better able “to understand the nuance  of what consumers are looking for, and highlight relevant snippets from reviews under each business listing in search results.”

Mr. Saldanha said the speed and scale at which LLMs are able to parse data makes it the right tech to find more accurate results from the more than 265 million reviews on the site.

Yelp is also introducing a “Surprise Me” feature to help members generate restaurant recommendations from the site’s home feed or on the search results page. This is currently available on iOS devices with plans for Android in the coming months.

The site is now enabling users to add short-form videos, up to 12-seconds in length, to provide added visual context to reviews. Yelp has added new reaction buttons to provide feedback to users writing reviews.

Yelp is also introducing Yelp Guaranteed. As its name implies, Yelp Guaranteed is a new satisfaction guarantee from Yelp when its users hire eligible home service professionals through its “Request a Quote” service. Yelp will pay up  to $2,500 back to members if something goes wrong with the project going through its quote program.

BrainTrust

“I appreciate their commitment to evolving with the times.”

Melissa Minkow

Director, Retail Strategy, CI&T


“I have not found Yelp to be accurate — in terms of keeping information up to date and in terms of their reviews.”

Zel Bianco

President, founder and CEO Interactive Edge


“Yelp used to be a leader, but their credibility and experience has deteriorated significantly.”

Patricia Vekich Waldron

Contributing Editor, RetailWire; Founder and CEO, Vision First

Discussion Questions

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Will the combination of AI-powered search, adding short-form videos to reviews and a satisfaction guarantee improve Yelp’s traffic numbers and dwell time? How can retailers use these three tactics to improve the customer experience at their businesses?

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How likely is the combination of AI-powered search, adding short-form videos to reviews and a satisfaction guarantee to improve Yelp’s traffic numbers and dwell time?

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6 responses to “Will AI-Powered Search + Short-Form Videos + Satisfaction Guarantee = Big Things For Yelp?”

  1. Melissa Minkow Avatar
    Melissa Minkow

    Elevated search experiences are the ripple effect of the ChatGPT buzz — consumers will be expecting more advanced search results, so those updates are smart. I’m not sure short-form videos will be particularly useful, considering users are typically engaging with Yelp to make quick decisions on the go but, overall, I appreciate their commitment to evolving with the times.

  2. Zel Bianco Avatar
    Zel Bianco

    I have not found Yelp to be accurate — in terms of keeping information up to date and in terms of their reviews. In NYC at least, it seems to be used mostly by tourists and “buyer beware” when it comes to helping them out. I think these changes, however, will indeed help them to up their game.

    1. Gene Detroyer Avatar
      Gene Detroyer

      As an NYC resident, I fully agree. When Yelp comes up in the search, we skip over it. The comments seem to come from outer space.

  3. Brandon Rael Avatar
    Brandon Rael

    Yelp’s business model has not evolved with the times. Considering the scalability and fully integrated experience that Google Maps offers regarding search, discovery, and customer reviews, Yelp, once the leader in the space, is playing catch-up. Yelp never made the critical shift from the desktop to a robust and dynamic mobile customer experience.

    Integrating AI-powered search capabilities and short-form videos into the Yelp app may generate some buzz. However a whole generation, Gen Z, is unaware of what Yelp offers or its capabilities. By default, members of that generation intuitively leverage the personalization and speed that Google or Apple offers. Additionally, the reviews are far more verified and accurate on the Google Maps platform.

  4. Richard Hernandez Avatar
    Richard Hernandez

    I use Yelp. A lot. This is definitely a step up and makes it a more powerful and resourceful tool for users.

  5. Patricia Vekich Waldron Avatar
    Patricia Vekich Waldron

    Yelp used to be a leader, but their credibility and experience has deteriorated significantly. It remains to be seen if these new features will lure shoppers away from Google’s market-leading services.

6 Comments
oldest
newest
Melissa Minkow
Melissa Minkow
3 months ago

Elevated search experiences are the ripple effect of the ChatGPT buzz — consumers will be expecting more advanced search results, so those updates are smart. I’m not sure short-form videos will be particularly useful, considering users are typically engaging with Yelp to make quick decisions on the go but, overall, I appreciate their commitment to evolving with the times.

Zel Bianco
Zel Bianco
3 months ago

I have not found Yelp to be accurate — in terms of keeping information up to date and in terms of their reviews. In NYC at least, it seems to be used mostly by tourists and “buyer beware” when it comes to helping them out. I think these changes, however, will indeed help them to up their game.

Gene Detroyer
Gene Detroyer
  Zel Bianco
3 months ago

As an NYC resident, I fully agree. When Yelp comes up in the search, we skip over it. The comments seem to come from outer space.

Brandon Rael
Brandon Rael
3 months ago

Yelp’s business model has not evolved with the times. Considering the scalability and fully integrated experience that Google Maps offers regarding search, discovery, and customer reviews, Yelp, once the leader in the space, is playing catch-up. Yelp never made the critical shift from the desktop to a robust and dynamic mobile customer experience.

Integrating AI-powered search capabilities and short-form videos into the Yelp app may generate some buzz. However a whole generation, Gen Z, is unaware of what Yelp offers or its capabilities. By default, members of that generation intuitively leverage the personalization and speed that Google or Apple offers. Additionally, the reviews are far more verified and accurate on the Google Maps platform.

Richard Hernandez
Richard Hernandez
3 months ago

I use Yelp. A lot. This is definitely a step up and makes it a more powerful and resourceful tool for users.

Patricia Vekich Waldron
Patricia Vekich Waldron
3 months ago

Yelp used to be a leader, but their credibility and experience has deteriorated significantly. It remains to be seen if these new features will lure shoppers away from Google’s market-leading services.