For years, we haven’t considered Yelp a major priority for most of our local SEO clients. Google Business Profile, Google reviews, and strong local website optimization have generally been much more important.
That may be starting to change.
OpenAI recently expanded its relationship with Yelp, allowing ChatGPT to use Yelp business information, ratings, reviews, photos, and other local data when helping users find and evaluate local businesses.
Why does this matter?
More people are beginning to search with AI instead of traditional search engines. Rather than typing “plumber near me” into Google, someone may ask ChatGPT:
- “Recommend a reliable plumber near me with good reviews.”
- “Who is a good roofing contractor in my area?”
- “Find a highly rated remodeling company near Chicago.”
Yelp can now be one of the sources ChatGPT uses to help answer these types of questions.
Does this mean Yelp is suddenly more important than Google?
No. Google Business Profile and Google reviews remain extremely important for local businesses.
But it does mean we can no longer simply ignore Yelp.
A complete Yelp business listing, accurate company information, correct services, quality photos, and positive customer reviews may become increasingly important as customers use ChatGPT and other AI tools to research local companies.
What should businesses do?
We’re currently evaluating how Yelp profiles and reviews are being used within ChatGPT and how this should fit into our local SEO strategies.
For our existing active customers, we’ll soon provide recommendations on Yelp optimization and whether additional work on your Yelp presence makes sense for your business.
The way people find local businesses is changing quickly. Our goal is to make sure our customers are positioned not only for traditional Google searches, but also for the growing number of searches happening through AI.