4-5 PAGE MARKETING PAPER DUE TOMORROW 8/20

Yelp! and Its Online Marketing Success

EarRaina Ringo

July 29, 2017

Wilmington University

In the world of online domination, some companies are excelling more than others. A company that is a go to of mine is "Yelp". I've chosen this company as a primary example in successful internet marketing for several reasons. First, it is a key player in its field. Secondly, as it regards to reliable information, it is a company that takes great stride in providing quality information. Lastly, it is primarily online based. There are no store fronts or physical locations associated with Yelp. Its growth is strictly related to the power of online marketing. So what makes Yelp so successful?

History of Yelp

If you aren't familiar with Yelp, it was founded to help people find great local businesses like dentists, hair stylists and mechanics. Yelp is company that originated in 2004 by and was founded by previous  Paypal employees Russel Simmons and Jeremy Stoppelman. Yelp expanded quickly and embossed numerous sources of funding by 2010. By that time, the company raised $30 million in revenue and the website itself had published more than $4 million crowd-sourced reviews. From the years of 2009 to 2012, Yelp grew throughout the world expanding to countries such as Asia and Europe. Due to the success the company attained since its founding, Yelp became a public company in March 2012 and became profitable for the first time two years later in 2014. As of 2016, Yelp.com has received great traffic and now has 26 million monthly visitors and 95 million reviews. (Yelp, 2017) 

Yelp is in the business of reviewing companies and creating an online community of trusted users who are reliable sources. When evaluating Yelp and its direct competitors, I feel that Yelp's number one competitor is Google. (Boitnott, 2015) Google has a unique way of finding its way into every market available. Google has the option to review companies that exist. Google is probably the go to website for most internet users’ needs. With that being said, it's easy for Google to be a major competitor. 

Yelp’s Online Presence

As it regards web presence, Yelp is currently a major player in its market. When it comes to reviews, most people seek Yelp as a trusted resource for services provided in their area. Personally, I rely on Yelp to contribute inside information on my peers’ experience within local businesses. Most people would agree that word of mouth is an essential way to grow or decline a business' revenue. Yelp is substantially an online way to give word of mouth testimonies. Yelp is evolved several times as far as appearance as well as functionality. With each evolution, it becomes more user friendly. 

When I look at Yelp's current website and considering its "grade", I'd give Yelp's website an overall "B". There are aspects of the website that I feel could use improvement, but there are also areas that I love and feel exceed its purpose and practicality. First, I enjoy the layout of the website. It is easy to navigate and clear and concise with regards to the purpose. When I want a straightforward review of any service company, Yelp provides me access to the information I need. As I continue into the final project, I look forward to expounding on Yelp as a whole. 

Reference:

About Us. (n.d.). Retrieved July 28, 2017, from https://www.yelp.com/about

John Boitnott, Special for USA TODAY. (2015). Yelp's list of mighty review rivals. Retrieved July 29, 2017, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/2015/05/29/yelp-google-yp-tripadvisor-angies-list/28152759/