Does advertising on Yelp help a business get more Yelp reviews?

[irapasternack]

I've gotten this question from a few clients. There seems to be a correlation in some cases between paying to advertise on Yelp, and the volume of reviews received. Of course, correlation does not necessarily equal causation. And I can attest to the fact that other clients who have at times advertised on Yelp did not even see a correlation.

Has anyone else seen this correlation? And if so, can you speak to the possible causation or lack thereof?

[Travis_Bailey]

Well, advertising on Yelp would certainly increase their visibility on that platform. But reviews are done on an entirely voluntary basis. So in short, no.

If you look at a review as a potential ancillary benefit of advertising on Yelp, then they might not be disappointed.

[Fuel]

Agreed.

We have always found the best way to get more reviews is to tactfully ask for them via social or other channels and have not seen a correlation between advertising on the platforms and reviews.