Although Google is by far the dominant search engine, Yelp is now number two in online reviews in terms of search importance. And as my last blog post outlined, because of new strategic alliances, Yelp most likely will start closing the gap. Here are my thoughts on how to take maximum advantage of the new dynamic.

Go to yelp.com and complete your Yelp profile for your dental practice.

Start accumulating Yelp reviews from your patients. I was simply amazed when I compared Google search results to Yelp results for a dentist in a geographical area. Dentists who are high up on the local Google business page often don’t even show up on Yelp. Currently there is a big disparity here. Translation- there is a huge opportunity here.

Yelp reviews are easier to leave than Google reviews. Yelp allows any email address to be used during sign up. To leave a Google review, you need to have an existing  gmail account or have to set one up  – a major obstacle for the typically technologically-challenged individual. You also now have to join Google+Local before you can leave a Google review.

Yelp only displays the reviewer’s first name, last initial, and city.  Under the new rules of Google+Local, the reviewer’s full name is required. While this is a positive step in reducing the number of spam reviews and also the reviews by persons attempting to damage the reputation of a legitimate business, it may also be perceived as a deterrent for some people to leave a review.

Without question, local reviews are directly correlated to the success of any business. I recently read that 90% of all buying decisions – and choosing a dental practice is certainly a buying decision – are made on the Internet. Even if someone is merely validating a personal recommendation of your office,  what others are saying about you online often will seal the deal.

So continue to ask your patients for Google reviews – but in order to cover all of the bases and increase your visibility on the web,  it really is time to make the accumulation of Yelp reviews an important priority. That being said, I must warn you that I have received an inordinate amount of negative feedback from dentists all around the country regarding Yelp. In my next post, I intend to share those comments with you, and go into greater detail about the legitimate concerns we as dentists should have about online reviews.

The ultimate status recognition for a company is when its name becomes a verb. When we copy something, we “Xerox it”. When we overnight mail, we “Fedex it”. And when we search for something, we usually “Google it”. Google is hands down the dominant search engine – and by a large margin. Full disclosure – I used Google to research this information. And I have written numerous blog posts on the importance and benefits of a dental practice securing Google reviews.

But a flurry of new business activity has definitely started to modify my thinking. Yelp recently signed a deal with Bing, the Microsoft search engine, in which Bing will now display Yelp reviews and ratings similar to Google+Local. Apple also recently announced a departure from Google Maps, lending even more importance to Yelp, as Yelp reviews and ratings are already factored into Siri search results. Siri is Apple’s phenomenally intuitive voice activated assistant app.

Apple’s new mapping software will be featured in all iOS6 devices, from iPhones to iPads. Apple’s share of the mobile device market is extraordinary. In just the first Quarter of 2012 alone, Apple sold 37 million phones worldwide!  Their mapping software will display local businesses similar to Google Maps. However, Yelp reviews will now be displayed and given preference in search results.

Because of these new strategic alliances, I anticipate that Yelp will be playing a larger and more prominent role in search results rankings. So while Google reviews are still important and desirable, and a dental practice should still continue to make the effort to accumulate them, Google is no longer the only game in town. My recommendation is for dentists to begin gathering reviews on Yelp prior to the launch of Apple’s new iOS anticipated in October of 2012.

Next time – I will discuss the mechanics of accumulating Yelp Reviews.