Yelp introduced more than 20 features aimed at improving the user experience and supporting business owners. Highlights include AI-powered Review Insights, personalized in-house feeds and smarter ad optimization, marking a significant step forward in leveraging AI for local business discovery and engagement.
Why do we care? Yelp’s AI updates, like smarter ad optimization and improved lead management tools, can help connect with high-intent customers more effectively. These features simplify ad performance, improve targeting, and provide insights into consumer preferences that should help you stand out in a competitive local market.
Major updates.
- AI-powered review insights: Summarizes the reviewer’s sentiment on topics such as food, service and ambience using large linguistic models (LLM). Aggregated results (positive, neutral, critical) simplify decision-making by highlighting key details.
- Improved business pages: New features include tip policy displays, reviewer recognition, and quick link options to simplify user-business interactions.
- Custom Discovery: A revamped in-house feed offers trending searches and AI-fused videos, providing users with dynamic and engaging local business content.
- Yelp Assistant improvements: Enhanced functionality makes it easier for users to connect with service professionals and manage project details seamlessly.
- Advertiser Tools: AI ad optimization and a refreshed inbox help business owners attract and manage customers more effectively.
What’s next? Review Insights is available on iOS for the restaurant, food and nightlife categories and plans to expand to service-based businesses next year. Yelp also aims to expand its personalized discovery tools, including testing AI-generated videos to showcase local gems.
The end. Yelp’s AI updates are designed to make finding and connecting with local businesses faster, smarter, and more intuitive. By investing in AI, Yelp aims to drive efficiency and improve the overall user experience, strengthening its role as a key player in local search and business discovery.
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About the author
Anu Adegbola has been a paid media editor at Search Engine Land since 2024. It covers paid search, paid social media, retail, video and more.
In 2008, Anu’s career began with
delivering digital marketing campaigns (primarily, but not exclusively, Paid Search) building strategies, maximizing ROI, automating repetitive processes and driving efficiencies from every part of marketing departments through inspiring leadership on both the agency, client side and marketing technology.
Outside of Search Engine Land article editing, she is the founder of the PPC networking event – PPC Live and host of Weekly roundup of the PPCChat podcast.
She is also an international speaker with some of the stages she has presented at such as SMX (USA), SMX (Munich), Friends of Search (Amsterdam), brightonSEO, The Marketing Meetup, HeroConf (PPC Hero), SearchLove, BiddableWorld, SESLondon, PPC Live Chat, AdWorld Experience (Bologna) and more.