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Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

cnbc.com

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Re: Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

#111

Post by ma2rten »

ChuckMcM wrote: post #73
mlrtime wrote: post #9

I don't have any sympathy for a site that purposely cripples the web mobile site to force you to install their app. They lock you out of pictures after around 20 so you have to go to desktop or install their crappy app. Yelp will not be missed.

I don't disagree, what I wonder about is how management sees this as a better alternative than serving their customers. I expect it is a "damned if you do damned if you don't" type situation. They are at a tremendous disadvantage as a 'web' experience because you're getting there through Google, Facebook, or Bing rather than landing directly on their page so they have already paid that platform to put you in front. T…

This is related to what you are saying, but I think the main reason is that the app has better user retention (push notifications, icon on your home screen). Also they get location data.

Re: Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

#112

Post by freehunter »

ilikehurdles wrote: post #69
Upvoter33 wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is really really not true. I did a local comparison any Google map reviews were REALLY REALLY bad whereas Yelp knew what the good restaurants were. Not even close, at least in my area.

Seconding this. Yelp reviews have their problems but at least there's always content in the review and I can validate some of the reviewer's reputation if they're being suspiciously positive/negative in their review. Most google ratings I see have very few reviews behind them, and most of them are under a sentence long.

Someone on Google reviewed my local cemetery. One star rating, because it made them sad to drive past it. Why even allow reviews on a cemetery?!

Re: Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

#113

Post by JustSomeNobody »

mlrtime wrote: post #9

I don't have any sympathy for a site that purposely cripples the web mobile site to force you to install their app. They lock you out of pictures after around 20 so you have to go to desktop or install their crappy app. Yelp will not be missed.

Can someone in marketing help me make sense of this, please? If I'm accessing a site on the web, what makes them so sure I'd access them more frequently if I had their app?

Personally, if I'm on a web page, I am actually much more likely to never install their app if I have a bad experience.

Re: Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

#114

Post by chaostheory »

meritt wrote: post #19
faitswulff wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you use instead?

Restaurants: Tripadvisor, Google, Zagat Service Providers: Homeadvisor, Angie's List

Homeadvisor is just not a good source for service providers, especially when compared to Yelp. Angie's list is a little better, but Yelp still beats it. Maybe it's because Angie's List started as a paid service which limits the number of reviewers, even though it slightly improves review authenticity

Re: Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

#115

Post by enitihas »

Scoundreller wrote: post #102
makecheck wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mobile browsers should differentiate the style of links with URLs that resolve to apps. I am tired of tapping links expecting to remain in Safari and having useless “open in app?” prompts instead. I’m not IN an app, I’m in a browser; I want to use the browser. And when cancelling the prompt gets you nothing, it really feels like Yelp is screaming “NO SOUP FOR YOU!”.

Reddit keeps asking me if I want to download their app or Open in Safari... regardless of which browser I’m using. Not every iOS user is using Safari!!!!

It does the same on Android asking to open in "Chrome", regardless of whether I am using Brave or Firefox. However, the click always opens in the current browser for me regardless of clicking on chrome.

Re: Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

#116

Post by briandear »

meritt wrote: post #19
faitswulff wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you use instead?

Restaurants: Tripadvisor, Google, Zagat Service Providers: Homeadvisor, Angie's List

Angie’s List lost me with their user-hostile behavior. For example, cancelling an account required a phone call, also you can’t change your membership location at will, so if you spend any time outside of your local area, they didn’t let you see information for other locales.

Re: Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

#117

Post by elsewhen »

27182818284 wrote: post #2

I've never met the owner of a bar/eatery/brewery that liked Yelp. All of them dealt with Yelp as a necessary evil.

Yelp positions their product primarily as a consumer service; the fact that the other side of the marketplace (service providers) is dissatisfied may affect Yelp's business but not necessarily the product they provide to consumers.

Re: Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

#118

Post by Marsymars »

haloux wrote: post #48

Yelp is one of those YMMV apps. Absolutely terrible for smaller cities like Albuquerque, NM. I miss the days when their competitor, Urbanspoon, was really pushing the envelope on a great customer experience and review variety.

Old Urbanspoon reviews are still available on Zomato, but recent reviews (in my area) seem few and far between. Activity seems to be mostly on fb and google maps now.

To me, every time there's a migration of platform for restaurant reviews, the user experience gets worse. :(

Re: Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

#119

Post by DerfNet »

JustSomeNobody wrote: post #113
mlrtime wrote: post #9

I don't have any sympathy for a site that purposely cripples the web mobile site to force you to install their app. They lock you out of pictures after around 20 so you have to go to desktop or install their crappy app. Yelp will not be missed.

Can someone in marketing help me make sense of this, please? If I'm accessing a site on the web, what makes them so sure I'd access them more frequently if I had their app? Personally, if I'm on a web page, I am actually much more likely to never install their app if I have a bad experience.

it's not that you're accessing them more frequently, it's that installing an app gives them more access to you.

Re: Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

#120

Post by olyjohn »

Scoundreller wrote: post #102
makecheck wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mobile browsers should differentiate the style of links with URLs that resolve to apps. I am tired of tapping links expecting to remain in Safari and having useless “open in app?” prompts instead. I’m not IN an app, I’m in a browser; I want to use the browser. And when cancelling the prompt gets you nothing, it really feels like Yelp is screaming “NO SOUP FOR YOU!”.

Reddit keeps asking me if I want to download their app or Open in Safari... regardless of which browser I’m using. Not every iOS user is using Safari!!!!

If someone sends you a link in Hangouts on iOS, it asks you if you want to open it in Chrome or Safari. I don't have Chrome installed, and I use Firefox on my iPhone. Deleted Hangouts after that and only use Hangouts in Pidgin on a desktop.
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