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Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

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121–130 of 464 posts

Re: Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

#121
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.

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!”.

If they did that then companies like Yelp would immediately switch to using JavaScript to change the URL, if they aren't already.

Re: Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

#122

I can't relate to the negativity I see here. I like Yelp quite a lot. There have been a number occasions where I've found an excellent local restaurant that I wouldn't have otherwise found. Admittedly, you have to know what you're doing. If you're in a food desert, like some parts of the US, you'll need to take those 4 and 4.5 star restaurant profiles with a grain of salt. What I would really like: the ability to sel…

This sounds like one of the false reviews that people complain about.

Re: Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

#123
post #91

I can't relate to the negativity I see here. I like Yelp quite a lot. There have been a number occasions where I've found an excellent local restaurant that I wouldn't have otherwise found. Admittedly, you have to know what you're doing. If you're in a food desert, like some parts of the US, you'll need to take those 4 and 4.5 star restaurant profiles with a grain of salt. What I would really like: the ability to sel…

Yelp was involved in more than a few shady dealings over the years, and most people remember that. They manipulate their own rating for money, and for that reason many consider these ratings - their core product - to be unreliable and misleading. They will not be missed.

I don't think "most people" are even aware of Yelp's previous issues. It's probably more just Google eating their lunch.

Re: Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

#125

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!!!!

To be fair, iOS offers no capability to list the browsers a user has installed on their phone. So they have to assume Safari, which is a fair assumption for 90% of users, I imagine.

Re: Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

#126
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.

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!”.

[deleted]

Re: Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

#128

Does anyone else find that their best restaurant experiences come from places that only show up on a yelp search several pages down (if at all)? A number of years ago I stopped using yelp to find places to eat in my hometown because I found that the app completely overlooked smaller, locally run places for big name places near tourist hot spots.

If you actually run a good restaurant ( not subjectively good, but objectively good ) then you can tell Yelp to take a hike every time their sales person calls so it would never be surfaced more than some taco place which for some reason did decide to give Yelp money. I'm sure this affects placement, not to mention probably frequency of reviews/checkins plays into placement.

It is not that Aska NYC gives two cents about it not showing up on every Yelp search - after all they are a place that gets away with charging your credit card when you make a reservation and offers no refunds!

Re: Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

#129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google maps reviews is just as good if not better in some ways IMO. That's what I use as an alternative.

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.

I don't think you can really use any absolutes here. It depends very heavily on where in the world you are.

Re: Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

#130
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.

It's sad but many companies have tunnel vision - probably getting thousands of reports of people complaining of this. Unfortunately they think, for whatever reason, those are all outliers. It takes a good scathing top-rated post on HN to let them see. I'm sure a developer at Yelp that has been complaining to management for years is going to take this thread and show someone that can change it.

But I think it's too late.

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