Worrying about your online business reviews? Wondering who leaves those complimentary reviews, and who leaves the unfair ones? Review forums are a valuable place to build brand awareness and reputation. And in this case, it's power to the people. The opportunity to review small businesses and franchises gives every consumer a voice. If you've ever wondered who reviews your company, here's a demographics review of Yelp and Google Reviews.
Yelp
Potentially the most notable for businesses, Yelp has tilted the Internet average in many categories. The average Yelp viewer, according to Quantcast, is more likely to be female than male. Yelp reviewers are also more likely to have higher education, including both college and grad school. Yelp reviewers and viewers are typically between the ages of 18 and 44, with the most significant age group between 25-34. Yelp interests all ethnicities, with a higher than average engagement from the Asian population.
When looking at Yelp's marketing, these demographics are unsurprising. Yelp has many strategies, like Yelp Elite, to target dedicated reviewers. Yelp Elite caters to reviewers with regular postings and engagement, and entices these users to apply to Yelp Elite with free parties and promos (ideal for that age range). Yelp ranks as the 35th highest-traffic website in the United States. Therefore, if you're a company that appeals to young adults, definitely consider Yelp a part of your business plan.
Google My Business
In order to leave a Google review, a person must have a Google Account. A Google account can access Gmail, YouTube, Maps, Google+, and other Google products. Therefore, people that leave Google reviews tend to be huge Google advocates.
Both women and men leave Google reviews. Additionally, the same young demographics as Yelp (ages 25-34) applies to Google. After all, online behavior and engagement still favors the young. However, everyone can see Google reviews now that they appear in local search. While a business will typically have more Yelp reviews than Google, Google reviews will have more visibility thanks to the powerhouse search engine's algorithm.
Looking for more information about review forums? Read our article on online review management or contact professionals at Frost Media Solutions today.
