How To Delete a Business from Yelp

There are plenty of reasons why a business owner might not want their business listed on Yelp. Sometimes the internet trolls can ruin hard-earned ratings in a matter of days. On the other hand, consistently poor service will inevitably lead more and more people to leave bad reviews.

Unfortunately, not as many satisfied customers leave feedback compared to unhappy customers. This can cause a significant drop in customer base, which – let’s face it – no one wants.

Sometimes you may even find your business on Yelp because a competitor submitted it. It’s quite the common practice these days – get your opposition more exposure so that you can trash them in public.

But what if there was a way to remove your business from Yelp? Would you jump at the opportunity?

Can You Remove Your Business from Yelp?

The reality is that Yelp doesn’t delete business profiles even at the request of the business owners.

Even if your business has closed, Yelp will not remove the listing. As the company states; this is because they will show that your business is closed in the listing.

To report a business closure you’ll need to do this:

1. Visit the Yelp website and log in to your business account.
2. Click on ‘Edit.’
3. Select the option that best matches your business.
   
4. Provide any details about your business and click ‘Submit Changes.’

You can also let Yelp know that your business is closed using the iOS and Android app by logging in and tapping on the three-dot menu icon in the upper right-hand corner. Tap on the ‘Edit Business’ option and make the appropriate selections.

If you are in the process of remodeling or you’ll be closed for an extended period of time you can report a temporary closure. Using the same methods above, select the ‘Temporary Closed’ option.

Note: Even though you can’t permanently delete your business, following any of the above-mentioned steps does mean that your business will appear lower in the search results. While Yelp users may still find the business, it won’t appear at the top of the list.

With Yelp clinging to their ‘information is a matter of public record and concern’ policy, it’s hard to imagine them ever implementing a removal feature. Furthermore, it’s how the company makes money.

How Does Yelp Work?

As mentioned briefly above, users and business owners can submit a listing to Yelp. This, in most cases, is a great thing. It is estimated that approximately 92 million people use Yelp each month. So, it’s basically free advertising assuming you can get good reviews.

Yelp offers plenty of free tools that business owners can use to improve the profile by adding relevant information, offering deals and reservations, and essentially working with Yelp to gain more customers.

Yelp suggests that even businesses that come down to a 1-star rating could turn things around with the right mindset and planning. There are enough success stories you can read in various articles around the web.

It’s Still Worth Trying If You’re Desperate

That’s not to say that there can’t be some special circumstances when Yelp might be helpful. You may get in touch with Yelp after you’ve claimed your business page. If the circumstances are extreme, then Yelp may be willing to make an exception.

However, it’s hard to say what those extreme circumstances would have to entail. Ultimately, your best bet is to ensure that you are getting the best reviews possible.

Fortunately, Yelp does have content guidelines that protect you from defamatory reviews. This can include your competitors leaving negative comments, it doesn’t pertain to the customer experience, or it includes inappropriate content.

You can report a review for removal. The Yelp team may remove the content based on the content guidelines provided here.

Is It Necessary?

Although there’s no easy way to delete a business from Yelp, there are some methods that could work. However, they won’t work for just any business and for just any reason, so for the most part, you’re stuck with your ratings and reviews.

If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better to just give in and try to make it work? After all, Yelp does offer plenty of tools and assistance to all business owners who are willing to work in a partnership.

There is also a more private method of receiving negative comments. If you don’t want your business profile to be muddy, you can use the TalkToTheManager tool from Yelp.

This allows customers to send their feedback via SMS. You can also reply to them. Don’t worry, as your number will not be made public. Even better, you don’t have to commit to using this. You can just try it out for a month and see how it goes before you decide to spend any money on implementing it.

Another cool thing about this tool is that it’s all happening in real time. Therefore, if a customer wants to complain, they can do so while still at the location. This might give you a chance to fix the problem before the customer leaves and unloads on your Yelp profile.

Frequently Asked Questions

I’ve sold my business. How do I unclaim the listing?

One common question is how to unclaim your business on Yelp. If you’ve sold it or transferred management you can use this link to report the transition to Yelp.

Of course, you can also transfer ownership directly to the new person in charge using the instructions at this link.

How can I claim a business as mine?

If your business is already listed and you’d like to claim it visit the Yelp Business Page and log in. Then, click on the ‘Claim this business’ link. When you’ve claimed the listing you can update hours and other information pertinent to your customers.

Final Word

There is no way to remove your business from Yelp on your own, but you can request it. Unfortunately, this request is rarely granted due to Yelp’s policy and monetization plan.

Unless you have some special circumstances that may trump freedom of information and public concern laws, you’re likely out of luck. The good news is that you can still turn your business around if you stop fighting and start working with the tools Yelp puts at your disposal.

After all, short of closing down your business or using Yelp, there’s not much you can do but try to make the best out of a bad situation.