Yelp vs Google Reviews: Which Is Better for Businesses in 2025?

You’ve probably asked yourself this after checking your business online—

"Why do I have way more reviews on Google but better ones on Yelp?"

Or maybe a customer told you they left a glowing review, but you can’t find it on your Yelp profile...

Or you're just starting out and thinking, “Where should I focus first—Yelp or Google?”

If any of that sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

Choosing where to invest time and energy in building your online reputation can feel like a guessing game—especially when both platforms offer visibility, customer trust, and public feedback.

So... which one’s better for your business? Let’s break it down.

Yelp and Google Reviews Overview

Before anything else, let's take a look at what Yelp and Google Reviews exactly are, how they work, and why they matter for businesses collecting public feedback.

What is Yelp Reviews?

Yelp Reviews is a public platform where users rate and review local businesses—from restaurants and salons to dentists and auto shops.

Every review must include written feedback, encouraging users to describe their experiences in detail.

Yelp uses an automated recommendation system to determine which reviews appear on a business’s public profile. It looks at signals like reviewer credibility, post frequency, review length, and overall behavior.

Reviews flagged as low quality or suspicious are filtered out... even if they’re positive. These filtered reviews don’t count toward a business’s star rating, which can be frustrating for owners trying to grow their reputation.

The platform also fosters a community of active contributors. Reviewers who consistently write detailed, helpful content can earn Elite status, giving their opinions more visibility.

If you're running a business that values detailed customer stories and curated reputation, Yelp offers structure. But the lack of control over which reviews stay visible... that’s often the tradeoff.

Pros

• Encourages detailed, story-driven reviews
• Strong filtering system to detect fake or biased content
• Builds community through Elite status and reviewer credibility

Cons

• Filters can hide genuine 5-star reviews
• Lower overall review volume compared to Google
• Some users and businesses find the platform restrictive or unfair

What is Google Reviews?

Google Reviews appear on your business profile in both Google Search and Google Maps.

Any user with a Google account can leave a star rating and optional comment. The process is fast—most users write short blurbs or none at all. Some attach photos. Many leave ratings without even logging back in.

Google’s system also moderates spam and abuse, but it's less strict than Yelp. Reviews with keywords, photos, or recency tend to rank higher. While quality varies, the volume and ease of access make Google Reviews essential for visibility.

What sets Google apart is its integration with search.

Reviews influence local SEO, affecting your chances of appearing in the local pack when people search for phrases like “near me” or “top-rated mechanic in [city].” More reviews and higher ratings can directly lead to more clicks, calls, and customers.

For businesses, this means Google Reviews are not just feedback—they’re a visibility tool. The more (and better) reviews you get... the more likely people are to find and trust you.

Pros

• Integrated directly into Google Search and Maps
• Easy for users to leave a review—leads to higher volume
• Strong influence on local SEO and visibility

Cons

• Lower average review quality (many are short or vague)
• Less strict filtering—more prone to spam or fake reviews
• Difficult to dispute or remove harmful reviews

Comparing Google and Yelp Reviews

Both Yelp and Google Reviews serve as powerful platforms for gathering customer feedback and influencing business reputations.

Let's take a look at where these two differ and where they are similar.

Similarities

Social Proof & Trust Building

Both platforms help businesses build credibility. A higher volume of positive reviews tends to increase consumer trust and conversion rates.

• Studies show that nearly 99.5% of consumers research purchases online, and 93% say reviews affect their decisions.
• Both Yelp and Google let viewers see ratings and feedback that validate a business’s quality.

Feedback Can Drive Revenue Impact

Businesses benefit from better ratings across both platforms:

• On Yelp, a one-star increase in rating has been shown to boost restaurant revenue by 5–7%.
• While exact data for Google is less cited, high review volume and average ratings correlate strongly with increased search visibility and customer actions like clicks and calls.

Fraud Detection & Review Moderation Systems

Both platforms use AI-powered and manual review moderation to flag fake or spam content.

• Yelp employs a recommendation algorithm to filter out suspicious submissions from public view without counting them toward a business rating.
• Google similarly flags obvious abuse and fraud using machine learning and human review safeguards.

Apart from the main points, both platforms are free to use, open to public reviews, and rely on user engagement. Businesses can claim profiles, respond to reviews, and boost visibility.

Differences

Audience Reach and Volume

Google Reviews reaches a vastly larger audience—around 63% of consumers read reviews on Google compared to 45% on Yelp.

Google’s massive integration with search and Maps means more people see and post reviews—while Yelp remains more niche and community-driven.

Review Filtering and Visibility

Yelp automatically filters out 25–40% of submitted reviews, especially from new or inactive users, which don’t count toward your public star rating.

Google uses moderation too, but its system is less aggressive—allowing more reviews through, including brief or spam risk ones.

Soliciting Reviews

Google explicitly allows businesses to request reviews via direct URLs or links on receipt emails, while Yelp prohibits solicited reviews. Violating that policy can lead to review removal or account penalties.

On top of that, Yelp encourages more detailed, story-driven reviews from an engaged community, while Google tends to collect shorter, quicker feedback.

And when it comes to local SEO, Google Reviews carry more weight—directly influencing your visibility in search results and Maps—whereas Yelp’s impact is mostly limited to its own platform.

So, Which Is Better Between Yelp or Google Reviews for Your Business?

Now, after all that talking about these two, you might be thinking to yourself... which is better??

This applies all the more if you're a business owner because you want to know where you should maximize your efforts and not waste any time on either Yelp or Google Reviews.

Well, here are the factors that you can use to determine which is better for your business.

Google Reviews is Better If:

Local SEO and Visibility Are Key

Google Reviews directly impact your ranking in both Search and Maps. The quantity, recency, average star rating, and inclusion of keywords and photos all play a critical role in securing placement in Google’s Local Pack. In fact, review signals account for around 17% of local ranking factors, making them vital to discovery and conversions.

You Want High Volume and Broad Reach

Google’s massive ecosystem means nearly anyone with a Google account can leave a review. This ease of access leads to far greater review volume, and broader exposure—especially for businesses in high-traffic, ‘search-to-visit’ categories.

You Can Actively Solicit Reviews

Google explicitly permits review requests via direct URLs, receipt links, or email follow-ups, enabling businesses to build review momentum ethically and efficiently.

Quick Feedback Matters to Your Strategy

If you're optimizing for fast feedback and conversion metrics—clicks, calls, directions—Google Reviews provides a fast-moving stream of consumer signals that's ideal for measuring market sentiment in real time.

Ease of Management Within Google Ecosystem

With your Business Profile dashboard, you can easily keep info updated, respond to reviews, add photos, and keep your listing optimized—all in one place that directly ties into search visibility.

Yelp Reviews is Better If:

Deep, Story-Driven Reviews Matter

Yelp encourages longer, narrative-focused reviews. Every rating includes written feedback and often photos—an ideal format for showcasing quality service, atmosphere, or product details. This builds trust especially in dining, hospitality, and service industries.

You Value Reviewer Credibility and Community

Yelp filters suspicious reviews and highlights contributions from Elite reviewers. That means feedback tends to be more considered, detailed, and trusted—even if volume is lower.

Reputation Management Is a Priority

The platform’s filtering system flags low-quality reviews, protecting your visible ratings. While you can’t control filtering directly, you benefit from a curated environment where high-quality feedback drives perceived credibility.

Your Business Depends on Trust and Context

Industries where atmosphere, customer experience, and service nuance matter most—like restaurants, salons, or healthcare—benefit from Yelp’s storytelling nature and the weight of long-form reviews.

You’re Targeting an Intentional, Local-First Audience

Yelp’s users are often research-minded, slower to convert, and looking for rich context before deciding. If your marketing strategy depends on building customer trust through exploration, Yelp’s audience is a better fit.

Conclusion

We know choosing between Yelp and Google Reviews can feel like a lot—especially when you're trying to grow your business, manage your reputation, and keep customers coming back.

Whichever direction you decide to take from here, we’re rooting for you.

If you're looking to take the next step, we’ve put together a few helpful resources you might want to check out.

For starters, if you’ve been losing customers lately and want to understand why, this breakdown on customer loss might help shed some light. Or, if you’re working on building a stronger brand presence, here’s how to create a more positive social media identity.

And if you're ready to streamline how you manage reviews, referrals, and repeat customers, we’ve built tools specifically for that.

You can explore how we help businesses collect and respond to feedback with our Reviews tool, drive more word-of-mouth through Referrals, uncover actionable trends using Insights, or improve retention with our Repeat customer solution.

Whatever you’re planning next, we’re here to support you.

You can always find more strategies and stories on our blog or explore everything we offer at SurgePoint.

Good luck—and let’s grow your reputation together.