Should you focus on Google reviews or Yelp? The answer depends on your industry, your customers, and your local market. This guide breaks down exactly which platform matters more and when.
Most business owners ask: "Should I be focusing on Google reviews or Yelp?"
The honest answer: Google reviews matter more for most businesses. But Yelp matters a lot for specific industries — and ignoring it entirely is a mistake.
Here's the complete breakdown.
Google Reviews:
Yelp Reviews:
Google Reviews dominate for:
Yelp Reviews matter equally or more for:
Both matter equally for:
📊 Flento Data: For restaurant businesses, Yelp generates 42% of review-influenced traffic decisions vs. 58% from Google. For home services, that ratio flips to 15% Yelp vs 85% Google.
This is why Yelp matters even if you're not focused on restaurants.
Apple Maps — the default navigation on all iPhones — pulls star ratings from Yelp for most business categories. When an iPhone user searches Apple Maps for a plumber or hair salon, the star ratings they see come from Yelp.
If you have no Yelp reviews, you have no stars on Apple Maps.
And since iPhones make up the majority of US smartphones, especially in higher-income demographics, Yelp reviews have a reach that goes well beyond yelp.com.
Google Reviews:
Yelp Reviews:
⚠️ Common Mistake: Asking customers to leave Yelp reviews violates Yelp's Terms of Service. Unlike Google, where asking is not only allowed but encouraged, Yelp requires reviews to come organically. Asking can get legitimate reviews filtered or your business penalized.
Here's a critical distinction: Yelp reviews don't affect your Google Maps ranking.
Your position in the Google local pack is determined by Google reviews, your GBP optimization, and your overall prominence on the web — not Yelp.
However, Yelp pages themselves rank on Google. A highly reviewed Yelp page for your business category in your city can appear on Page 1 of Google organic results, effectively giving you more real estate on Google through a third party.
Focus on Google first if:
Add Yelp second if:
How to build Yelp presence without soliciting reviews:
💡 Pro Tip: The fastest way to get Yelp reviews organically is to make sure your Yelp profile is fully optimized with photos, accurate info, and responses to existing reviews. Active listings attract more organic reviews from customers who are already Yelp users.
Action Step: Check your Yelp listing right now. Is it claimed? Is the info accurate? Do you have photos? If not, claim it and spend 20 minutes completing it. Then check what star rating appears for your business on Apple Maps — that's your Yelp rating showing up.
For Google reviews, Start free → — Flento makes it easy to collect Google reviews at scale while keeping your profile active and well-maintained.
