I started Yelping about a year ago when I was desperate to find an authentic Mexican joint near my place. What I quickly discovered was a whole community of fellow food bloggers like myself who are avid about eating food and sharing their experience. Now I use it whenever I need to find a good restaurant, whether it’s in my own hood or around the world (I even consulted Yelp on my recent trip to France).
What Makes Yelp Attractive
I think what’s so attractive about Yelp is that it’s so genuine. The reviews come from real people like you and me; the comments are from their real experience in language that I can understand, unlike the undecipherable jargon by restaurant critics.
How to Start
If you’re just looking for restaurant or business ratings, you don’t need to register for a Yelp account. But to be an amateur restaurant/business critic, you will need to sign up.
The website version is easy to use. You fill out a profile of yourself so that other Yelpers can get to know you better. Yelp recommends that you put up a real picture of yourself to give more credibility to your reviews.
Save with Yelp
After you get your Yelp app, you can find deals in your area, like free appetizers or half off. Just make sure to check-in a restaurant or business to unlock your deal.
Get Social
Yelp is designed to be a social experience. They really want you to interact with other Yelpers by sending each other compliments like “You’re Cool” or “Good Writer”. Afterwards you can add friends through people’s profile page. You can also invite your own friends to join Yelp through Facebook. There are many Yelpers who have more than 1000 friends (the limit is 5000).
Yelp hosts a lot of socials for Yelpers, such as parties for Yelp Elites (you can apply to become an elite member after writing a couple of good reviews). Subscribe to the Yelp newsletter to know what’s happening in your area.
Be a Critic
A common misconception about Yelp is that people only write about restaurants. But in fact, many Yelpers review businesses in their local area, such as dry cleaners, car repairs, dentists, etc. You’ll be surprised at the places (or things) people review on Yelp!
As a business owner, you can create your own Yelp business page so that other Yelpers can post their reviews on your business.
Yelp on the Go
Plus, Yelp has many convenient apps for your iPhone or Android that you can use to locate businesses on the go. You can also write reviews and share pictures right on the spot, and send compliments to fellow Yelpers. It makes me feel like a restaurant critic reviewing the restaurant while eating their food.
So what are you waiting for? Get Yelping today!