Getting listed on the right business review sites is one of the most effective ways to improve your brand presence, boost local SEO performance, and acquire new customers.
That’s because online reviews — more so than traditional marketing and sales messages — heavily influence consumers’ purchase decisions. According to customer reviews research:
- 92.4% of consumers use reviews to guide most of their ordinary purchase decisions.
- 94% of consumers said a negative review convinced them to avoid a business.
- 4 in 5 consumers will reverse a decision after reading negative reviews.
- 25% of consumers only trust reviews as much as personal recommendations if there are multiple reviews to read.
- 53% of Internet users typically visit a business within 48 hours of performing a local search. Photos (24%), reviews (21%), and position on local search engine results pages (SERPs) are the three things they considered “most important.”
33% of diners wouldn’t eat in a place with a restaurant star rating of fewer than 4 out of 5 stars.
The Importance of Getting Listed on Business Review Sites
Getting your business locations listed on the best review sites not only helps improve your brand presence in search results. It also increases your brand’s visibility to new customers, which leads to more website or store visits and sales.
This isn’t to mention the huge reputational benefit of having customers talk about your brand. Positive reviews are like thank-you cards the whole world can see.
Keep in mind, though, that planting your business’s flags on all the possible existing business review sites and online directories is not the most effective strategy. The majority of new business comes from only a handful of the best review sites. Brands need to differentiate themselves by proactively managing their presence on these top sites, and not by getting listed on every single directory.
For enterprise-level organizations with tens or hundreds of business locations, implementing a local listing management solution is often a helpful way to improve search performance and acquire new customers.
However, if you’re just getting started with listing your company on business review sites or with creating an online review management strategy, you can use this updated guide to identify where your brand should have a presence.
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General Business Review Sites
These review sites are not industry-specific. At the very least, you should create claim your company’s business listings on these sites because they influence buyers, hold strong domain authority, and boost search engine rankings.
Google / Google Maps / Google My Business
Apart from being a search engine giant, Google also happens to be one of the best review sites because of products like Google Search and Google Maps, which display business information alongside Google reviews and ratings.
- Google Maps itself has approximately a 70% market share.
- Based on ReviewTrackers data, Google also holds 73% of all reviews posted online.
- 63.6% of consumers check reviews on Google alone before they visit a business.
You can claim or list business locations using Google My Business, a dashboard that streamlines the management of business information across multiple Google sites, services, and products.
Here’s a step-by-step guide:
- Visit https://www.google.com/business/ to sign in or create a Google account for a business.
- Once logged in, you can search for a listing by typing the business name and address in the search box. Results will appear in a list as well as on the map.
- If none of the results match your business, you can click “Add Your Business.” You will then choose the business type: storefront (restaurants, hotels, etc.), service area (taxi service, delivery, etc.), or brand (products, brands, causes, etc.).
- The next step is learning how to use the Google verify my business feature. The verification code will be mailed to you – this takes one to two weeks – and once you’ve entered the code into your account, you’ll finally be able to start managing your local business information on Google.
- If a business has ten or more locations, you can sign in to your account and add them all at once using the bulk upload tool. See our guide to bulk Google My Business uploads to learn more.
Facebook is a top platform for companies hoping to build and enhance their social media presence. With a Facebook business Page, brands can connect with consumers, share news and announcements, and set up Call to Action buttons that drive engagement.
The social media company also added Facebook reviews or (later re-branded as) Recommendations, a feature that allows users to review and recommend (or not) local businesses. Recommendations and reviews on Facebook continue to be increasingly crucial in influencing the purchase decisions of consumers.
- To manage a Facebook page that includes Recommendations, you have to select Local Business or Place as your category. Please keep in mind that not all Facebook pages can enable and display recommendations, reviews, and ratings.
- Once you select a category, you’ll have to submit business information, such as the page’s secondary category, the business or place name, address, and phone number. Make sure that the information provided is complete, correct, and up-to-date.
- To make sure that your Facebook page is review- and recommendations-ready, you have to choose Local Business as your page category, which means that you’ll also have to specify a physical address or location. You then have the option to narrow this page category down to, say, a restaurant, a café, a hotel, a hospital or healthcare facility.
To change your page’s category to Local Business:
- Go to the About tab on your Facebook Page and click Page Info.
- Select Local Business as the page Category.
- Select a more specific category such as restaurant or café.
- Save the changes.
To add your business’ physical address or location:
- Click Page Info on the About tab of your Facebook Page.
- Click Address to enter your business’ physical address, and fine-tune your location by dragging the pin on the map.
- Check the box next to Show map and check-ins.
- Save the changes.
Read this guide for detailed information on Facebook reviews and how to set them up on your Page.
Yelp
Founded in 2004, San Francisco-based Yelp has collected approximately 214 million crowd-sourced reviews of businesses and companies in a wide range of categories — from restaurants and hotels to dentists, boutiques, and mechanics.
Studies have shown that 82% of Yelp users visit the site when preparing to spend money. Also, 93% of Yelp users go on to make purchases at the business they looked up and researched on the site.
You can use the Yelp for Business dashboard to manage and respond to reviews. You can also read ReviewTrackers’ guide to claiming your business page on Yelp. Before you create a Yelp business profile, make sure that another user hasn’t already added the business. Once that’s confirmed, visit https://biz.yelp.com/claiming.
- Click on the “Claim my Business” button.
- Yelp will prompt you to enter the name of the business and its geographical location. For added accuracy, or if the business is part of a chain, enter the specific street address.
- Yelp will show you a list of businesses with similar names to help you see if a listing already exists.
- If a listing exists, click on it and you will be prompted to follow additional steps to claim it and validate the claim.
- If the listing is not available, you’ll be asked to add the business to Yelp. Yelp validates the business entry through email.
- Once you receive the validation email, you will be able to access the full Yelp profile.
Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor describes itself as the world’s biggest travel site, and it’s hard to disagree. Founded in 2000, the travel planning and booking site has collected over 350 million customer reviews and opinions covering more than 6.5 million accommodations, restaurants, and attractions. It also generates 340 million unique visits per month, operates in 48 markets worldwide, and operates other travel media brands, including BookingBuddy, Oyster, SeatGuru, Viator, and VirtualTourist.
According to World Travel Market, Tripadvisor ranks ahead of personal recommendations, tourist board websites, and guidebooks as the most trusted source for travel planning.
Don’t get the wrong idea: while Tripadvisor is a great platform for hotels, it isn’t just for hotels. The review website also offers reviews and ratings of restaurants, tourist attractions, tour operators, theme parks and entertainment attractions, museums, landmarks, and other types of businesses that cater to travelers.
Claiming a business on Tripadvisor allows you to connect with customers and travelers from all over the world, and generate unique new opportunities to build your brand, acquire new customers, and grow the business.
Here’s how to claim your Tripadvisor listing.
- Go to the Tripadvisor owners page and click on the “Claim Your Listing” button on the navigation toolbar.
- You can create a new Tripadvisor for Business account with an email address or with an existing set of Google or Facebook credentials.
- If your business doesn’t appear in the search box of the “Claim Your Listing” page, you may add a new listing by filling out the form at https://www.tripadvisor.com/GetListedNew.
- Once you find your business, you may connect it with your Google or Facebook account.
- You have two options for verifying ownership of your Tripadvisor listing: phone or credit card. Choose one of the options to confirm your identity.
For more information, check out our guide to using Tripadvisor for business.
Healthcare Review Sites
Healthcare is an industry where reviews and ratings can heavily influence patients’ decisions. Whether you’re a solo practitioner, an exec representing a hospital or healthcare network, a multi-location practice with tens or hundreds of clinics and offices, or a marketing agency specializing in serving healthcare clients, these healthcare review websites should be on top of your list.
Healthgrades
Along with Yelp, Healthgrades ranks as one of today’s most trusted doctor review sites. Nearly 1 million people a day rely on Healthgrades to research, compare, and connect with physicians and other healthcare professionals.
You can claim and update your free profile on Healthgrades by registering on the site and visiting the signup page. The site also has sponsored programs for providers who want to promote their practice. Those managing or marketing a hospital or another healthcare facility can also check out Healthgrades’ solutions suite to drive growth, increase engagement, boost patient acquisition, and improve clinical performance.
Those claiming a listing on Healthgrades for free can follow the steps below:
- Visiting the signup page.
- Enter the name of the medical provider and their location then click on the “Get Started” button.
- If you can’t find your name or your provider’s name, contact Healthgrades.
Vitals
Vitals.com is home to over 1 million doctor, dentist, and medical facility profiles and more than 9 million reviews and ratings. Vitals’ database allows users to search by specialty, name, location, condition, and insurance.
Those with a Vitals profile can manage and edit their business information, including display name, practice address, specialties and expertise, and education and awards. A Vitals profile also allows medical professionals to respond to reviews.
To claim a listing on Vitals:
- Navigate to the signup page.
- Complete the form and agree to the terms of service and privacy policy.
- Click on “Claim Your Listing”
For more information, check out the blog post on how to manage your Vitals reviews.
RateMDs
RateMDs is home to over 2 million patient reviews and ratings, as well as current health trends coverage and medical specialties information.
Doctors and healthcare providers are listed on RateMDs for free. Claim an account by clicking on the “Claim Doctor Profile” button on the RateMDs home page. You can also contact RateMDs to remove out-of-date or fake listings.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating or claiming your business listing on RateMDs.
Click on the “Claim Doctor Profile” link on the RateMDs home page.
- Enter the name of your practice and its city then click “Get started.”
Doctor.com
Doctor.com is a platform that lets health professionals tap into multiple healthcare networks. The Doctor.com network has an audience of about 30 million people each month and incorporates data from popular business review sites like Google, Yelp, Bing, Vitals, and Healthline.
Signing up for Doctor.com provides visibility on sites across its network and access to review generation tools, a Showcase Page, and experienced consultants.
Here’s how to add a listing on Doctor.com:
- Visit https://www.doctor.com/solutions/listing-accuracy.
- Scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Book a Demo.”
Restaurant and Food Service Business Review Sites
In today’s digital age, diners quickly become online critics on restaurant review websites. With their words, they’re making personal recommendations not only to their friends and family but to the whole world.
By getting listed on review websites listed below, you can expand your brand’s digital footprint and position your restaurant locations to drive more traffic, reservations, orders, and deliveries. For a more comprehensive list, be sure to read our updated guide on restaurant review sites.
OpenTable
OpenTable, a San Francisco-based website, lists over 40,000 restaurants worldwide, and 21 million monthly users find a new place to eat thanks to the OpenTable platform. Here’s how to add a new restaurant to the website.
- From there you can fill out a form, which gives basic information to OpenTable such as:
- Your first and last name
- Email address
- Phone number
- Restaurant name
- Restaurant location (city, state/province, zip/postal code, country)
- After filling out the form, OpenTable will contact you via phone or email to “provide information about OpenTable’s products and services.”
- Instead of filling out the form, you can also opt to call the company directly at (866) 951-7154.
Grubbub, Eat24, and MenuPages
Chicago-based Grubhub is an online and mobile food ordering and delivery platform that connects diners with local restaurants. The company also owns Eat24 and MenuPages.
To add your restaurants to these business review sites, you’ll have to sign up directly on the Grubhub website.
- Navigate to https://get.grubhub.com/join.
- Fill out the form and enter your name, email, phone number, restaurant name, and restaurant location. Then click “Get started.”
- A sales representative will contact you as soon as possible.
Hotel and Travel Business Review Sites
Online reviews are shaking up the hotel, travel, and hospitality industry. In a world where consumers are exposed to a seemingly unlimited number of travel and recreation solutions, what others say about a property or operator, or how they rate their experience on review websites can spell the difference between a brand and its competition.
Booking.com
Booking.com aims to offer the best prices for any type of property, from small, family-run bed and breakfasts to executive apartments and five-star luxury suites. Booking.com also publishes verified guest reviews to accompany its listings.
When you create your business listing, you’ll have to add your property details, photos, and payment policies during registration. Here’s a step-by-step guide:
- Click on “List your property” on the top-right corner of the home page.
- Complete the form and click “Get Started” to continue the listing process.
Expedia, Hotels.com, Travelocity, and Orbitz
Expedia is one of the most well-known travel brands online, with several travel sites to its name, including Expedia.com, Hotels.com, Travelocity, Orbitz, Hotwire.com, Trivago, Egencia (formerly Expedia Corporate Travel), Venere, Expedia Local Expert, Classic Vacations, Expedia CruiseShipCenters, and eLong.
Expedia.com, Travelocity, and Hotels.com function as accommodation booking services that also serve up online reviews and ratings for information-seeking travelers.
- Go to the Expedia Lodging Partner Services home page and click on the “List your property” button on the top-right corner of the page.
- You will go to another page where you have to fill out a form. In addition to a full name, email address, and phone number. You will also have to tell Expedia the number of properties you plan to add that have different addresses.
Automotive Review Sites
The automotive industry is in the midst of an exciting transformation. Sales-oriented corporations are taking a backseat to tech innovators and customer experience leaders. With a wide range of channels generating a wealth of customer data, organizations that listen to the Voice of the Customer on channels like business review sites and social media are the ones that will be able to truly understand customer needs and desires.
Cars.com and DealerRater
Owned by DealerRater, Cars.com is one of the most popular review websites for car buyers and dealerships. Apart from dealership reviews, it also offers comprehensive automotive information for shoppers in the form of price comparison tools, inventory search, auto loan calculators, expert opinions, photo galleries, and a large new and used car inventory.
DealerRater is an automotive review site that has more than 1.5 million reviews, and a sophisticated process that ensures every review is written by a real person with a real-life automotive shopping experience. DealerRater reviews are organized based on the level of customer service, quality of work, friendliness, price, and overall customer experience.
Planting your flag on Cars.com or DealerRater is easy. The first option is to sign up for Basic Listing access.
- A Basic Listing account is a free account that allows you to claim your dealership listing on DealerRater and utilize features like the ability to respond publicly to reviews, update your dealership listing and contact information, and even tag employees on reviews.
- From the DealerRater home page, click “Are You a Dealer?” in the upper-right corner of the page. (If your dealership is located in Canada, make sure you access this page from DealerRater.ca.)
- This will take you to DealerRater’s Dealers page. Scroll to the bottom of the page, and click “Claim Your Dealership Now”.
- Enter the name of Your Dealership in the pop-up window which will open, and click the auto-fill listing for your dealership when it is displayed.
- Enter your contact information (first and last name, job title, and email address) in the spaces provided.
- Note that DealerRater will ask you to claim your listing with an account registered to your dealership email address. If you do not have access to an email address under your dealership’s domain, you will have to provide DealerRater with a contact at the dealership who can authorize your access.
- Click “Claim This Dealership” to submit your request. Your request will be routed to DealerRater’s Client Services Team, and you should receive notification that your request has been processed within 2 business days.
The second option for claiming your business on DealerRater is by signing up for DealerRater Connections. A paid service, DealerRater Connections helps your dealership engage with potential customers, monitor your presence across the web, and promote your reviews, employees, and reputation across major search engines and automotive sites.
DealerRater Connections gives you access to extra features like the ability to start asking for reviews more easily with DealerRater’s LotShot tool, syndicate customer reviews to a network of millions, display your reviews in one place with an enhanced testimonial feed, allow shoppers to pre-select their salesperson, and make your listing stand out with premium ad placement.
Other Popular Business Review Sites
The number of business review sites continues to grow. There is no shortage of sites that focus on specific industries, ranging from banking and financial services to real estate, senior housing, legal services, and automotive.
Glassdoor
Employers have to do more to stand out for job applicants, and that starts with claiming a Glassdoor business page. Job applicants are looking for a new job in the same way a consumer looks for a new product, and that means looking at reviews.
- The first step is to visit the Glassdoor for Employers website. Clicking on the green “Sign Up” button will take you to a page where you can fill out a form for a free employer account.
- Glassdoor’s form asks you to fill out basic information such as your first, last, and company names. You’ll also need to put in your job title, the number of open jobs available at your office, a work email address, and a password for the profile. You also have to check a box, which confirms that you are a representative of your company’s HR, recruiting, marketing, or PR departments.
- You’ll also have to fill out some additional fields on the following page before the application is sent to Glassdoor’s Content and Community team for final verification. The overall process can take up to a maximum of 3 business days.
For more information, read our guide to using Glassdoor for employers.
SeniorAdvisor
SeniorAdvisor.com features trusted reviews and advice on local senior living communities, providing the information users need to make an informed decision.
- Those without a SeniorAdvisor business account can get one by filling out the form on the sign-up page.
- With a business account created, click on the blue “Claim this Profile” link that sends a claim request to SeniorAdvisor.com. You will be notified via email within 1-2 business days once the request is approved.
- Complete the form that appears, then click “Schedule my demo now.”
Zillow
Zillow’s database includes information on 110 million US homes, complete with online reviews and ratings of real estate pros and firms.
To claim your listing, you will have to create an account and click the “I am a landlord or industry professional” box to create a profile. From there, you will need to fill out additional information such as your professional type and contact information. According to Zillow, real estate agents will need to make sure that ” the email addresses of your Zillow profile and the listing must be the same.” This is because Zillow listings are syndicated by various listing feed providers, which makes it easy for information to sync across all listings.
- Navigate to Zillow’s new account page.
- Add your email address and create a password. Then click on the “I am a landlord or industry professional” box.
- Selection your profession and add details about your name, ZIP code, and contact information.
- Click “Continue” to finish the process.
Avvo
Avvo allows private parties to ask for legal advice on the phone, or online at a very low cost. Users can do it for free by asking for advice on the Q&A forum.
Avvo displays about 97% of all practicing attorneys in the United States, and it uses a proprietary algorithm that rates attorneys on a scale of 0 – 10 through customer-generated reviews and ratings based on data pulled from public records, bar associations, regulatory agencies, and court records.
With over 6 million unique visitors every month, Avvo is the place to be to connect with high-value legal leads and prospective clients.
- Navigate to the Avvo “Claim your profile” page and enter a lawyer’s full name, city, state, and zip code.
- Depending on the results, you can have one of two options: create a profile from scratch, or locate the existing profile within the Avvo directory and claim it. If the lawyer in question passed the bar and was practicing for at least one year, then chances are high that Avvo automatically created a professional profile.
- There are up to four different options available to verify your identity and claim your profile: LinkedIn, Facebook, Email, or Phone. Follow all directions during the verification process to complete the claim.
- If for some reason you don’t have a profile yet, then you will have to follow these steps: using the “claim your profile” page, go to the listing of lawyers with names similar to yours.
- Those that don’t have an existing profile can scroll to the bottom of the page of listings to find an option to create a new profile. You will need to fill out basic personal and professional information that includes your license to practice and states where you are a member of the bar. You will also need to indicate if you are currently under any disciplinary action.
- You can finish claiming by creating a username or by logging in with a Facebook, Twitter, Google, or LinkedIn account.
Lawyers.com
Lawyers.com provides consumers with legal information, and the ability to search for lawyer reviews by location or expertise. The site collects both client ratings and peer ratings, which appear on every listing. Over 34 million people search for legal assistance and legal services on Lawyers.com every year.
To create or manage the information on your business listing on Lawyers.com, you will have to create a profile on the Martindale Legal Marketing Network.
Final Thoughts
Once you have your listings claimed and set up, you should continue to proactively manage your brand presence on these business review sites. Not only will this help your company stand out from the competition; it should also improve your search visibility, boost your customer acquisition strategy, and drive more conversions.