Yelp unveils AI features to streamline local business discovery

Yelp, a popular platform for local business discovery and reviews, has recently introduced over 20 new features aimed at improving user experience and supporting business owners. These updates include AI-powered Review Insights, personalized home feeds, and smarter ad optimization, showcasing Yelp’s commitment to leveraging artificial intelligence for enhanced engagement and discovery.

One of the key updates is the AI-Powered Review Insights feature, which uses large language models to summarize reviewer sentiment on various topics such as food, service, and ambiance. By providing aggregated scores (positive, neutral, critical), this feature simplifies decision-making for users by highlighting key details upfront. This can help users make more informed choices when selecting a local business to patronize.

Additionally, Yelp has enhanced its business pages with new features such as tipping policy displays, reviewers’ recognitions, and quick connection options to streamline user-business interactions. These updates aim to make it easier for users to engage with businesses on the platform and provide valuable feedback to business owners.

The personalized discovery feature offers users a revamped home feed that delivers trending searches and AI-stitched videos, creating dynamic and engaging content for users to explore. This feature aims to help users discover new local businesses and attractions in their area, making the platform more interactive and user-friendly.

Yelp has also made improvements to its Yelp Assistant, expanding its functionality to make it easier for users to connect with service professionals and manage project details seamlessly. This enhancement aims to provide users with a more streamlined experience when seeking out services on the platform.

For business owners, Yelp has introduced AI-powered ad optimization and a refreshed inbox to help attract and manage leads more effectively. These tools aim to improve ad performance, target the right audience, and provide valuable insights into consumer preferences, helping businesses stand out in a competitive local marketplace.

Looking ahead, Yelp plans to expand the Review Insights feature to service-based businesses next year and continue to enhance its personalized discovery tools. The platform is also testing AI-generated videos to showcase local gems and further enhance the user experience.

In conclusion, Yelp’s AI-powered updates are designed to make local business discovery faster, smarter, and more intuitive for users. By investing in artificial intelligence, Yelp is aiming to drive efficiency and enhance the overall user experience, solidifying its position as a key player in local search and business discovery.

FAQs:

1. How can businesses benefit from Yelp’s AI-powered updates?
Businesses can benefit from Yelp’s AI-powered updates by improving ad performance, targeting the right audience, and gaining insights into consumer preferences.

2. What features are included in Yelp’s enhanced business pages?
Yelp’s enhanced business pages include tipping policy displays, reviewers’ recognitions, and quick connection options to streamline user-business interactions.

3. What is the personalized discovery feature on Yelp?
The personalized discovery feature on Yelp offers users a revamped home feed that delivers trending searches and AI-stitched videos, creating dynamic and engaging content for users to explore.

4. How does Yelp’s AI-Powered Review Insights feature work?
Yelp’s AI-Powered Review Insights feature uses large language models to summarize reviewer sentiment on topics like food, service, and ambiance, providing aggregated scores to simplify decision-making for users.

5. What is Yelp’s future plan for expanding its features?
Yelp plans to expand the Review Insights feature to service-based businesses next year and continue to enhance its personalized discovery tools, including testing AI-generated videos to showcase local gems.