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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

#151

Post by wlesieutre »

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!!!!

Don't you want to view it in the official Reddit app for the best experience?

No, no I don't. And the official reddit app is not the best experience.

Re: Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

#152

Post by yalogin »

The problem is even now Yelp is probably the best resource out there for finding new restaurants but I find Yelp poorly run. There is no innovation, the UI hasn’t been updated or changed since the first release. They have so much potential, for example, they should have been the leaders in delivery and should have provided the api for Uber eats. They just don’t do anything outside of maintaining the servers for their basic service, at least that’s what it feels like.

Re: Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

#153

Post by oh_sigh »

barking wrote: post #142
Scoundreller wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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!!!!

They prompt you endlessly on Android as well with a huge "CONTINUE" button to install their app versus a tiny "or go to the mobile site" link to stay in the browser with just the last 2 words being the hyperlink. This annoying choice takes up fully 1/3 of the screen.

Yup, and even when you switch to old mode it frequently reverts when you use the back button. They are intentionally making the web mobile experience horrible because they think that you'll be more engaged if you use the app.

Re: Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

#154

Post by jimmy1 »

kadabra9 wrote: post #131
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 couldn't agree more. Hopefully this is a wakeup call to Yelp and other slimy sites that try to extort users into downloading their app. Also, small pro-tip for anyone unaware. If you are on mobile web and on Yelp, but don't want to download the app, hold down the refresh button, and select 'Request Desktop Site' - this will load the non mobile version of the site that will not force you to download the app. The UI…

reddit and imgur are two of the worst offenders as well.

Re: Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

#155

Post by ilikehurdles »

komali2 wrote: post #141
freehunter wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?!

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Pacific+Ocean/@-0.1930911,... Google Reviews of the Pacific Ocean.

I love that some of the reviewers are even labeled "Local Guide"s

Re: Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

#156

Post by stcredzero »

ubercore wrote: post #132
stcredzero wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So at some point I presume the go full "Yellow Pages" and just charge venues a monthly fee to appear at all in their pages. That works if they are generating significant foot traffic into the venue but fails if they can't connect the app/website use with the visit. I think it's useful at this point to ask why various directories had value during their heyday. The "Yellow Pages" had value, simply because there wasn't…

> Could AI identify long lines outside of restaurants Google already gives you the hours that restaurants are busiest, so they basically have this info

I've seen that part of the Google listing, which is part of the reason why I made the suggestion. Google shouldn't just go by raw traffic, however. Traffic means different things at different times to different kinds of venues. High traffic at the DMV doesn't mean it's an awesome place. A line of 20 people means one thing to a sit down restaurant and something very different to a Boba tea place.

I suspect that AI applied here would be highly useful.

Re: Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

#158

Post by dunpeal »

DerfNet wrote: post #123
dunpeal wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I meant "most people on this thread", which is the context GP was invoking:

> I can't relate to the negativity I see here.

And yes, Yelp calculated that they could get away with their shady money-grabbing since they had no competition.

Very clever, but like most dishonest behaviors - quite short sighted.

As soon as a competitor emerged, Yelp was unceremoniously ditched.

Also worth mentioning: you didn't have to be aware of their past misdeeds to be affected by the resulting rating distortions, which are still affecting users to this day.

Re: Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

#159

Post by jimmy1 »

rwbt wrote: post #49
faitswulff wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you use instead?

This might not be helpful, but I decided to rely on serendipity. Sometimes I feel like we think too much about finding the best of the 'best' and we rely on expert opinions of the crowd instead of taking a chance ourselves and trying out new things.

I don't rely on the rankings to find the "best" I just use reviews as a basic litmus test if it is terrible or not. I am basically just looking to avoid getting food poisoning or eating somewhere with terrible service, stuff like that -- I'll try most everything at least once. You have to be pretty consistently terrible to have something like under 3 stars, so that's my cutoff.

Re: Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

#160

Post by prepend »

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.

I think they know the experience is poor. But the economics are worth it to annoy x% of users so y% install apps that make them more than the x% through web.
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