3 top ways duplicate Yelp listings can negatively affect SEO

There’s a lot of talk in digital marketing circles about how important Google reviews are to search engine optimization (Hint: They’re VERY important to ranking highly). Yet there are other types of reviews out there that can affect the SEO of your website or content, and one of them is Yelp reviews.

How important could positive Yelp reviews be for a business?

Yelp reviews have the potential to help a business in a lot of ways. For one thing, having a Yelp profile allows a business to receive reviews from the 92 million unique mobile users who visit Yelp on average every month. These reviews not only show that customers trust a business, which search engines love, they can also lead to an increase in a company’s revenue. Research shows that every star a business gains on Yelp can lead to an up to 9% revenue increase. However, businesses have to be careful because having duplicate Yelp listings can affect SEO, and in turn revenues, in negative ways. 

Having duplicate Yelp listings can negatively affect SEO in these 3 ways

It can happen so easily. The employee who managed the Yelp listing for your company leaves suddenly. They don’t have the chance to fill the new Yelp managing employee in on your listing, so the new employee creates a new listing for your company. Boom. Multiple Yelp listings. 

Unfortunately, having multiple listings on Yelp can actually negatively affect your company’s SEO. Here are three negative effects multiple Yelp listings can have on your SEO:

1.Someone might report you. 

If a customer — or even worse, a competitor — notices that you have multiple Yelp listings, they may report your business. This may result in one or both of your listings being removed from Yelp and a subsequent drop in the appeal of your site to search engines. 

2. Your brand may appear less trustworthy.

Most people would say that a clear, well-thought-out Yelp listing is a sign that a business is organized. That organization may lead to an increase in customer trust and a higher ranking from search engines. Yet the opposite can also be true. A business that has multiple listings may appear disorganized and less trustworthy to customers and search engines alike. 

3. Your potential customers may receive incorrect information.

Listing elements like your address, telephone number and hours of operation are often updated to reflect changes. However, such changes aren’t likely showing up in duplicate listings. The two sets of information can lead to confusion and misunderstandings with your customers and potential customers and trigger poor reviews. And poor reviews will likely lead to a drop in search rankings. 

Want to ensure that duplicate Yelp listings aren’t affecting your SEO? BURG+CO. can help

Yelp listings, Google Business Profile listings and others play a role in boosting SEO, increasing traffic to your website. In turn, more traffic can trigger more conversions and can help bring in new clients. However, it’s difficult to attract visitors to your site when your business has multiple listings on review or business information platforms. Fortunately, BURG+CO. can help your business create and manage your listings effectively. 

Our team has years of experience in helping businesses improve their digital presence to attract new leads and retain existing ones. If you’re looking to perform better in search engine results and attract more visitors to your site, we’re ready to talk to you to see how we can help. Contact our team today for more information about our top-notch digital marketing services or to schedule a complimentary consultation.

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