Is Yelp an effective lead generation and marketing tool for contractors?

Yelp is a contrived internet version of the Mob....gaining access to business's through Extortion....several of my Reviews on Yelp were Removed and then Yelp called me to ask how I was doing and how much I can pay to advertise to get more Reviews and traffic!

On the good side.....I have gotten a few calls over the past few years... but not enough to be worth paying for YET!

I do keep up yelp because it shows up on google search and in maps. I do not pay for yelp services. I did hear a possible scam that they post bad reviews on top and you have to pay to move down the line or remove. We’ve had no bad reviews so don’t know it it’s true.

I suggest you do claim your page, update info, load great pictures and ask customers to give you a review. Periodically ask new customers to add a review.

This is what we look like on maps with yelp.

yelp is about making money for themselves and screwing the business owner. even if you tell them about false information they want you to pay to remove it. biggest scam ever.

*Total waste of money & energy! All fake! Stay away from yelp!

I absolutely agreed with The Bruce, I had the same experience and I would Not recommend Yelp to anyone

Biggest

Here are some additional issues. Yelp, in my opinion, has very unscrupulous business practices. I find their marketing program to be way to aggressive and with over 400 businesses telling me their less than impressive ROI, mafia style business model, and questionable billing is not a place that a business wants to be found on. 

The Many Problems with Yelp

Yelp Craters

Also, Raymond Fong wrote his experience with Yelp here:

A Candid Yelp Advertising Review – Is Yelp Ripping People Off?

Their business model, in my opinion, targets small businesses that are not internet marketing savvy and has an old style boiler room sales force. They are not good for business, and really drive bad behavior for consumers.

Why does YELP have a place within YELP to review them?

I had a similar experience like Bruce's with Genesis Construction Services LLC. I had a terrible experience with them! It was a very expensive learning lesson. Buyer beware.

I advertised with "Yelp", at first the sold me on a digital marketing package which after I signed I ralized was out of my budget. I called to ask if I could cancel and this company was money greedy, they said no and billed me. With that said, after months of back and forth I finally said whatever Ill pay it. I still have a "Yelp page, it is free to have a simple page and it has 100's of my pictures on it. I do get a 2-3 leads per month for paying $0.00. Just sign up for thyelp, its free and you make your own page, you wont get dividend returns as they promise, but it is free, so give it a try. The down side is it will take up a little bit of he free time us small business oeners have. Hope this was helpful and Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Best Regards,

Jeffrey M. Honchar "Owner"

JMH Contracting LLC

"A Square Above The Rest"

Practicing The (3) P's

For my Radon mitigation company we just use yelp organically so we are not paying for ads through them. We do use google adwords as our main lead generator and that has been very helpful but is also expensive but no contract required. I think yelp ads are tricky with contracting because like Bruce mentioned above I think more people are using yelp for Brick and Mortar businesses i.e restaurants rather than for contractors. If you have the right SEO plan for your company and are getting consistent reviews through yelp and elsewhere you can rank high organically through yelp so you will still get the benefit of being seen at the top of the list on yelp without having to pay for ads through yelp.

I agree