• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, June 25, 2019

Trust has become a major issue for business listing sites because of numerous reports on rogue listings and fake recommendations. On Tuesday, Yelp announced new features to give consumers the confidence they need to make the correct decision when deciding whether to work with a company.

The two paid products -- Business Highlights and Portfolio -- are intended to complement another product, Yelp Verified License, which confirms that the company is licensed in the state in which it does business.

About 5,000 businesses have adopted Verified License, which launched earlier this year.

The highlights are a way for businesses to highlight their most distinctive characteristics that set them apart. The choices include “18 years in business” and “Eco-friendly,” among others.

Alon Shiran, director of product management, said businesses can pay $2 per day or $1 per day if purchased along with search ads, and choose from more than 30 possible highlights. They can show two badges in their search results, and six on their profiles.

When asked whether companies will have the ability to design their own Business Highlights, Shiran said the company is considering this, "but there are complexities.”  

Portfolio, for $2 per day, gives businesses a way to build consumer trust and attract new customers by showing them the quality of work they can expect. Businesses can showcase different types of projects and quality of their work through images accompanied by custom descriptions.