Claim and run your Yelp business page

The short version

• Claiming your Yelp page is free. Yelp says claimed doesn’t mean you advertise.
• Start at biz.yelp.com or the Yelp for Business app and search for your business.
• Yelp verifies by phone, using the number on the page.
• Fix your details, add real photos, and reply to reviews and messages.
• Don’t ask for Yelp reviews. Yelp’s rules say businesses shouldn’t.

How do I claim my Yelp page?

From Yelp’s guide to claiming a business page:

1. Go to biz.yelp.com, or open the Yelp for Business app.
2. Search for your business name and town.
3. Select your business and follow the prompts to create or sign in to your business account.
4. Verify by phone. Yelp calls or contacts the number on the page.
5. If phone verification fails, Yelp prompts you to send a report to its support team.

To add another location later, go to Account Settings, then Additional Options, then Add another location.

If your business isn’t on Yelp at all, you can add it from the same search. Search by phone number too, in case the page is under an old name.

What can I change once it’s claimed?

Yelp’s page on what a claimed business is lists what owners can do:

• Edit your address, phone, hours and website.
• Add an owner bio and your specialties.
• Upload and manage photos.
• Respond to reviews, publicly or by private message.
• Reply to messages and quote requests from customers.
• See how many people viewed your page and contacted you.

Make your details match your official version exactly, then check the public page a few days later.

What isn’t allowed?

Yelp is stricter than Google about reviews. Its Content Guidelines say “Businesses should never ask customers to write reviews,” and its support article says Yelp discourages owners from asking. That includes friends, family and mailing lists, and offering anything in return.

You also can’t delete reviews. You can report ones that break Yelp’s rules. Our reviews hub covers both in depth: the rules for asking on each platform and why some Yelp reviews say “not recommended”.

Yelp can also put a Consumer Alert on a page. Its alerts page lists four kinds, including alerts for paid reviews, suspicious review activity and questionable legal threats against reviewers. Following the rules keeps you clear of these.

Why claim a page you didn’t ask for?

Your business can have a Yelp page before you ever claim it, often added by a customer. An unclaimed page can show old hours or a disconnected phone, and you can’t reply to anything on it. Claiming gives you control of the facts and a voice in the reviews. You don’t have to advertise or check it daily.

What are the common mistakes and edge cases?

• Confusing claiming with advertising. Advertising is optional, and Yelp says its recommendation software treats advertisers and non-advertisers the same.
• Letting the page go quiet. Yelp says a claimed page may show as unclaimed again after a period of inactivity. Sign in now and then.
• Verifying with a number you no longer answer. Fix the phone number through support first if it’s wrong.
• Asking for reviews in a newsletter. That’s exactly what Yelp’s rules prohibit.
• Replying angrily in public. Yelp lets you message a reviewer privately; often that’s the better first step. See handling negative reviews on other platforms.

What if this didn’t work?

• The phone verification call goes to an old number. Use the report option Yelp offers when verification fails, and explain the number changed.
• Someone else claimed your page. Contact Yelp support through biz.yelp.com and explain you’re the owner.
• There are two Yelp pages for your business. Contact Yelp support from your business account with both page links. See fixing wrong listings and duplicates.
• Your page shows as closed by mistake. Contact Yelp support from your business account and ask them to correct it.

How much does it cost, and how long does it take?

Yelp says “Claiming is free.” Claiming and fixing your details takes under an hour. Yelp sells ads and upgrades, which aren’t needed to have an accurate page.

How does E-3 handle this?

Reviews are part of our SEO and AI search service, and reply drafts are written for you, checked by a person and approved by you before anything is posted. We won’t set up Yelp review requests, because Yelp’s rules say not to. If you’d like help claiming or correcting the page itself, ask us.

Related questions

• Fix your Facebook Page business details
• Which directories are worth having?
• Get on Apple Maps with Apple Business
• Do Facebook and Yelp reviews matter, or only Google?
• Back to the complete listings guide

Sources

1. How do I claim a business page? (Yelp for Business Support)
2. What is a claimed business? (Yelp for Business Support)
3. Should I ask my customers to write reviews on Yelp? (Yelp for Business Support)
4. Content Guidelines (Yelp)
5. Recommendation software (Yelp Trust & Safety)
6. Consumer Alerts (Yelp Trust & Safety)