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Making The Most Of Yelp

Li Evans offers a video tutorial for small business owners seeking to tap the power of Yelp, a third-party ratings and reviews site that has soared in popularity. The first step, of course, is to claim their business account with the service, as former customers may have already begun writing reviews. Business owners can make sure that the data is correct, including info on hours of operation, payment types, phone number and address, as well as answer any reviewer questions.

Evans also suggests adding the company URL to the profile to help draft organic search traffic, as well as photos. Carpenters, for example, could upload before and after photos of a project to highlight their craftsmanship, while restaurateurs could show how trendy and sophisticated, or down-home and comfortable, their setup is.

Lastly, Evans says that business owners have to ask their customers to post reviews, which bridges the gap between what happens offline and the Web. "You want to make sure you are asking for that review, because if you don't ask for it, they might not necessarily give it to you," she says.

Read the whole story at Search Marketing Gurus »

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