• majorAlexa

        See all notifications

        Skip to content
        Moz logo Menu open Menu close
        • Products
          • Moz Pro
          • Moz Pro Home
          • Moz Local
          • Moz Local Home
          • STAT
          • Moz API
          • Moz API Home
          • Compare SEO Products
          • Moz Data
        • Free SEO Tools
          • Domain Analysis
          • Keyword Explorer
          • Link Explorer
          • Competitive Research
          • MozBar
          • More Free SEO Tools
        • Learn SEO
          • Beginner's Guide to SEO
          • SEO Learning Center
          • Moz Academy
          • MozCon
          • Webinars, Whitepapers, & Guides
        • Blog
        • Why Moz
          • Digital Marketers
          • Agency Solutions
          • Enterprise Solutions
          • Small Business Solutions
          • The Moz Story
          • New Releases
        • Log in
        • Log out
        • Products
          • Moz Pro

            Your all-in-one suite of SEO essentials.

          • Moz Local

            Raise your local SEO visibility with complete local SEO management.

          • STAT

            SERP tracking and analytics for enterprise SEO experts.

          • Moz API

            Power your SEO with our index of over 44 trillion links.

          • Compare SEO Products

            See which Moz SEO solution best meets your business needs.

          • Moz Data

            Power your SEO strategy & AI models with custom data solutions.

          Let your business shine with Listings AI
          Moz Local

          Let your business shine with Listings AI

          Learn more
        • Free SEO Tools
          • Domain Analysis

            Get top competitive SEO metrics like DA, top pages and more.

          • Keyword Explorer

            Find traffic-driving keywords with our 1.25 billion+ keyword index.

          • Link Explorer

            Explore over 40 trillion links for powerful backlink data.

          • Competitive Research

            Uncover valuable insights on your organic search competitors.

          • MozBar

            See top SEO metrics for free as you browse the web.

          • More Free SEO Tools

            Explore all the free SEO tools Moz has to offer.

          NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic
          Moz Pro

          NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic

          Learn more
        • Learn SEO
          • Beginner's Guide to SEO

            The #1 most popular introduction to SEO, trusted by millions.

          • SEO Learning Center

            Broaden your knowledge with SEO resources for all skill levels.

          • On-Demand Webinars

            Learn modern SEO best practices from industry experts.

          • How-To Guides

            Step-by-step guides to search success from the authority on SEO.

          • Moz Academy

            Upskill and get certified with on-demand courses & certifications.

          • MozCon

            Save on Early Bird tickets and join us in London or New York City

          Unlock flexible pricing & new endpoints
          Moz API

          Unlock flexible pricing & new endpoints

          Find your plan
        • Blog
        • Why Moz
          • Digital Marketers

            Simplify SEO tasks to save time and grow your traffic.

          • Small Business Solutions

            Uncover insights to make smarter marketing decisions in less time.

          • Agency Solutions

            Earn & keep valuable clients with unparalleled data & insights.

          • Enterprise Solutions

            Gain a competitive edge in the ever-changing world of search.

          • The Moz Story

            Moz was the first & remains the most trusted SEO company.

          • New Releases

            Get the scoop on the latest and greatest from Moz.

          Surface actionable competitive intel
          New Feature

          Surface actionable competitive intel

          Learn More
        • Log in
          • Moz Pro
          • Moz Local
          • Moz Local Dashboard
          • Moz API
          • Moz API Dashboard
          • Moz Academy
        • Avatar
          • Moz Home
          • Notifications
          • Account & Billing
          • Manage Users
          • Community Profile
          • My Q&A
          • My Videos
          • Log Out

        The Moz Q&A Forum

        • Forum
        • Questions
        • My Q&A
        • Users
        • Ask the Community

        Welcome to the Q&A Forum

        Browse the forum for helpful insights and fresh discussions about all things SEO.

        1. Home
        2. SEO Tactics
        3. Local SEO
        4. Reviews and Ratings
        5. Yelp Review From My Customer Removed

        Moz Q&A is closed.

        After more than 13 years, and tens of thousands of questions, Moz Q&A closed on 12th December 2024. Whilst we’re not completely removing the content - many posts will still be possible to view - we have locked both new posts and new replies. More details here.

        Yelp Review From My Customer Removed

        Reviews and Ratings
        7
        12
        2263
        Loading More Posts
        • Watching

          Notify me of new replies.
          Show question in unread.

        • Not Watching

          Do not notify me of new replies.
          Show question in unread if category is not ignored.

        • Ignoring

          Do not notify me of new replies.
          Do not show question in unread.

        • Oldest to Newest
        • Newest to Oldest
        • Most Votes
        Reply
        • Reply as question
        Locked
        This topic has been deleted. Only users with question management privileges can see it.
        • Ophelia619
          Ophelia619 last edited by

          Hi,

          A customer of mine told me she created a yelp account just to give me a review.  She's a good customer and wanted to show me her appreciation.  I thanked her for taking the trouble.  About a week later, I see that her review was marked as "not recommended."  This was a legitimate review made by a real customer.  I'm angry that it was removed for no reason.  I noticed a competitor of mine has 18 yelp reviews and all of them show up just fine.  I also noticed that this same competitor is paying for ads from Yelp. A couple of years ago, another customer reviewed me on yelp and it was also labeled as "not recommended."  So I now have 2 "not recommended" reviews on Yelp that, if you ask me, imply that my reviews are fake.  After Yelp and Yahoo merged, I lost the 14 Yahoo reviews I had obtained from customers over the last six years.  I have also noticed over the years, that whenever I need to sign into my Yelp business account to update the data, it's locked until some pushy sales person calls and asks to speak to me in order to try to sell me ads on Yelp.  Anyone else hate Yelp?  They're obviously not really interested in making sure reviews are "real," they're just interested in selling expensive ads.

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
          • Ophelia619
            Ophelia619 @KeriMorgret last edited by

            I didn't ask my customer for a review.  She was so happy with our service that she did this on her own and then told me about it.  That's how I know it was placed in the filtered area on Yelp.  I don't bother with Yelp at all.

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • Ophelia619
              Ophelia619 @David-Kley last edited by

              Thanks for the response.  I agree with you.  The only bad thing is that I had 14 Yahoo reviews for my business that took years to acquire from customers.  They all disappeared when Yelp took over for Yahoo.  I now have 1 Yelp review and 3 they call "not recommended."  I'm actually showing up lower on the local Yahoo map because I have 1 review now instead of 14.  When I told my customer what Yelp did, she was nice enough to go to Google to leave the review.

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • David-Kley
                David-Kley last edited by

                We have been round and round with this as well. Most likely it is from the user having just created an account, and with no other activity left a good review for your business. When we have people leave reviews for clients on Yelp, we always ask that they go out and leave a few for places they like before leaving a review. This helps the account to be seen as more "realistic".

                I remember a case where companies began suing people that left reviews.

                And I'll just leave this here:
                Link

                "John may sound paranoid, but he's got company. During interviews with dozens of business owners over a span of several months, six people told this newspaper that Yelp sales representatives promised to move or remove negative reviews if their business would advertise. In another six instances, positive reviews disappeared — or negative ones appeared — after owners declined to advertise."

                In my opinion, get people to leave reviews for your business on Google places. Yelp's review system and business practices seem to be driven more towards monetary gain.

                *edit BTW, I would not advertise on Yelp. We have tried it many times, using different techniques and it never pays for itself. The truth about Yelp ads is: unless people are seaching on Yelp for your services, they won't find you. It's true that your Yelp profile might come up in organic Google search results, but paying for ads on Yelp wont help that any. Most are going to search on Google, and I would dedicate my focus to improving your position in those results.

                Ophelia619 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                • ccbamatx
                  ccbamatx last edited by

                  Here is a good piece that will shine some light on your trouble.

                  http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2013/01/yelps-rocky-relationship-with-small-business029/

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                  • KeriMorgret
                    KeriMorgret @LesleyPaone last edited by

                    Yelp does state in several places for businesses to not ask customers to review their site, such as https://biz.yelp.com/support/review_solicitation.

                    Ophelia619 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • LesleyPaone
                      LesleyPaone last edited by

                      More than likely the reason it was removed is that it was considered spam. One way that Yelp detects spam is from new accounts that open and leave one review to never be logged into again. I went round and round with this, because /i actually ran a promotion where /i gave people a discount to leave a review. It was basically wasted money.

                      KeriMorgret 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                      • junseth
                        junseth last edited by

                        We work very closely with our customers, and reviews are a huge part of our strategy. We list all of the places customers can review us here. Yelp is the bain of review strategies. They are regarded as the most legitimate review company, but they also make it harder to leave reviews than any other site. Then, after all that, they call you and offer you advertising so that you can get more reviews that will be flagged by their spam filter. I do truly believe that they have de-coupled reviews from their ad sales, just as they claim they do, but I've also never seen a more aggressive ad sales team than Yelp, and it creates a huge amount of suspicion for those who aren't sure what Yelp is all about.

                        Anyhow, there are a few ways to get reviews to stick. We actually ask our users not to post on our Yelp page anymore unless they specifically tell us they have a Yelp account in good standing whose reviews stick. As you can see, that's very few people. Our page has 2 reviews (just as a point of fact, the 1-star review you see filtered was left by one of our competitors and we were very glad it got filtered, though it is upsetting that Yelp shows the negative reviews first in filtered section. That said, we have just as few Angie's List reviews, and the only reason it's less upsetting is because Angie's List is a bit of a walled garden. So, our expectation is that it's hard to get a review there. Just like Yelp, we only ask for an Angie's List review if someone indicates that they have an account on Angie's List. We also run the check against Angie's List accounts from time to time. The other, kind of odd strategy, that I have employed in the past for customers whom have a very good relationship with us, is I send them an email every 2 months asking them to basically use their Yelp account. Yelp's review filter works until Yelp decides the account as legitimate. This is done a lot of ways, but mainly, you need to convince the person to use the account. When I was doing agency, I had good results with that strategy.

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                        • Ophelia619
                          Ophelia619 @KeriMorgret last edited by

                          Thanks for the response.  There are naturally going to be more new people creating Yelp accounts when they try to review a business they find on Yahoo as the two have merged.  I really think if you pay Yelp for ads they will let your reviews stay.  They are corrupt in my opinion.  I'll encourage anyone who tells me they want to leave me a review not to do so at Yahoo or Yelp.  It's always about the money.  As I said earlier, my competitor has 18 Yelp reviews, in our very small town, and none of them have been labeled "not recommended."  I also notice he pays them for ads.

                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • KeriMorgret
                            KeriMorgret @Ophelia619 last edited by

                            It could be that it was flagged as fishy, since the person created an account and left just one positive review.

                            I've seen complaints about how Yelp filters reviews from new accounts, and how it may more heavily impact companies where it's a one-time service with large fees. I'm thinking specifically a complaint someone had that a moving company had a bunch of poor reviews that were filtered. The reviews were left by people that were so frustrated with this company they created a Yelp account solely to warn other people (because this was a high-dollar purchase, unlike just a meal out at a restaurant), they were legitimate reviews, but looked suspicious to Yelp's algorithms.

                            No solution for you here, but a possible explanation.

                            Ophelia619 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                            • Ophelia619
                              Ophelia619 @EGOL last edited by

                              Thanks for the link but there wasn't anything over there about Yelp removing legitimate, positive reviews.

                              KeriMorgret 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • EGOL
                                EGOL last edited by

                                There are several questions about Yelp removing reviews in Moz Q&A.  Here is a recent one with lots of background information.

                                http://a-moz.groupbuyseo.org/community/q/having-yelp-reviews-removed

                                Ophelia619 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • 1 / 1
                                • First post
                                  Last post

                                Browse Questions

                                Explore more categories

                                • Moz Tools

                                  Chat with the community about the Moz tools.

                                • SEO Tactics

                                  Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers

                                • Community

                                  Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!

                                • Digital Marketing

                                  Chat about tactics outside of SEO

                                • Research & Trends

                                  Dive into research and trends in the search industry.

                                • Support

                                  Connect on product support and feature requests.

                                • See all categories

                                Related Questions

                                • Bhisshaun

                                  Schema Code Not Working – Used Business Review Bundle Plugin

                                  Debt Collectors – Debt Collection Agency Melbourne Hi Moz Community One of our client website JMA Credit (https://www.jmacreditcontrol.com.au/ ) We have installed Business Review Bundle Wordpress plugin to display our Google Reviews on our website. https://richplugins.com/business-reviews-bundle-wordpress-plugin Enabled Rich snippet option – to display aggregate rating Schema code available on the source Also, tested on structured data testing tool – it shows everything is fine https://search.google.com/structured-data/testing-tool#url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jmacreditcontrol.com.au But, Aggregate rating (star) not displayed on the SERP Page Waiting for valuable response to get this issue fixed

                                  Reviews and Ratings | | Bhisshaun
                                  0
                                • Jarod4566

                                  I'm wondering if reviews services like yotpo and reviews.io are worth it.

                                  The reviews services advertise that your reviews and stars will be placed in your Google search results and this helps with rankings. Does anyone have experience using Yotpo or Reviews.io with a brick and mortar business? Or, any business for that matter? Thanks,

                                  Reviews and Ratings | | Jarod4566
                                  0
                                • BeckyKey

                                  Google Reviews & Third Party Reviews

                                  Hi We have a third party review provider, but were also looking at increasing our Google reviews. However after more research, should Google reviews only be used on local listings? For organisations which don't have a physical location to buy from - is the solution to use organisation schema, which incorporates 'reviews on other sites' with the hope Google may show your Feefo review count? When checking similar companies - all seem to have the organisation knowledge card and not the local Google My Business listing. Is it worth pursuing extra reviews on Google My Business or not? Thanks!

                                  Reviews and Ratings | | BeckyKey
                                  0
                                • obkommy

                                  What's the best way to keep Google My Business reviews when the business changes names?

                                  I work with an interior designer who is re-branding and changing her business name to focus specifically on windows. Can she keep her GMB reviews and just change the name of her business, then reverify with Google? She doesn't want to lose her current local pack ranking.

                                  Reviews and Ratings | | obkommy
                                  1
                                • Silkstream

                                  Why does Google return 1 star reviews in local listings as the "most helpful"?

                                  I have a client who has recently received two 1 star reviews on Google local (unhappy customer and unhappy customers boyfriend). This is affecting an otherwise flourishing business as these two 1 star reviews are displayed prominently when you search for the brand in Google. They have since received more positive reviews, however Google insists on displaying, what they term, the "most helpful" reviews first. Why are these 1 star reviews deemed "most helpful"? In all honesty, they aren't even really that helpful, with the latter verging on slanderous. We are in the process of reporting this one as it personally attacks a member of staff, however, whilst we tentatively wait weeks for a response, I wondered if anyone has any idea on how G decides which reviews are "most helpful"? When there is no option for other users to rate these reviews as helpful (such as on play store).

                                  Reviews and Ratings | | Silkstream
                                  0
                                • RosemaryB

                                  Moving my photography business to another state. Is it possible to transfer Google My Business listing WITHOUT losing my Google Reviews?

                                  A friend of mine is transitioning her photography business to another state.  She moved about 5 years ago and consequently lost all of her Google+/Yelp reviews.  Having reviews as a photographer is EXTREMELY important for her business reputation.  She doesn't want this to happen again. Is it possible to change the location of a Google my Business page and keep the existing reviews? Thanks

                                  Reviews and Ratings | | RosemaryB
                                  0
                                • menachemp

                                  How can I avoid duplicate content when building a review widget?

                                  My website has a profile page for each of the home improvement contractors who signs up.  They accumulate reviews on those pages.  I want to build a review widget to display our reviews on our contractors' websites.  How can I avoid duplicate content issues for the reviews? Example of a profile page with a few reviews:  http://www.thehomefixers.com/members/425/waterheaters-plus-llc.php

                                  Reviews and Ratings | | menachemp
                                  0
                                • 19958

                                  Do schema review numbers have to be manually updated?

                                  Hi! I've had success with review schema rendering in SERPs but have had to manually code the numbers and update those numbers as more reviews come in (which is a bit time-consuming). Is there a way to use auto-generated numbers that will still render schema or do those numbers have to be manually added? I've looked at the schema for sites like IMDB, and their schema numbers seem to be manually added, which seems like a huge lift. Advice/input is appreciated!

                                  Reviews and Ratings | | 19958
                                  0

                                Get started with Moz Pro!

                                Unlock the power of advanced SEO tools and data-driven insights.

                                Start my free trial
                                Products
                                • Moz Pro
                                • Moz Local
                                • Moz API
                                • Moz Data
                                • STAT
                                • Product Updates
                                Moz Solutions
                                • SMB Solutions
                                • Agency Solutions
                                • Enterprise Solutions
                                • Digital Marketers
                                Free SEO Tools
                                • Domain Authority Checker
                                • Link Explorer
                                • Keyword Explorer
                                • Competitive Research
                                • Brand Authority Checker
                                • Local Citation Checker
                                • MozBar Extension
                                • MozCast
                                Resources
                                • Blog
                                • SEO Learning Center
                                • Help Hub
                                • Beginner's Guide to SEO
                                • How-to Guides
                                • Moz Academy
                                • API Docs
                                About Moz
                                • About
                                • Team
                                • Careers
                                • Contact
                                Why Moz
                                • Case Studies
                                • Testimonials
                                Get Involved
                                • Become an Affiliate
                                • MozCon
                                • Webinars
                                • Practical Marketer Series
                                • MozPod
                                Connect with us

                                Contact the Help team

                                Join our newsletter
                                Moz logo
                                © 2021 - 2025 SEOMoz, Inc., a Ziff Davis company. All rights reserved. Moz is a registered trademark of SEOMoz, Inc.
                                • Accessibility
                                • Terms of Use
                                • Privacy

                                Looks like your connection to Moz was lost, please wait while we try to reconnect.