To leave a review on Yelp, sign in to a Yelp user account, search for the correct business location, open its business page, and select Write a Review. Choose a star rating, describe your first-hand experience, add relevant photographs if appropriate, and follow the prompts to publish the review.
A useful Yelp customer review should be accurate, specific, relevant, and based on the reviewer’s own experience. It should help future customers understand what happened without including private information, hearsay, threats, promotional content, or unrelated complaints.
This guide explains how to post a review on Yelp, what the review means for customers and businesses, what to write, and what happens after submission.
If you want a structured Yelp campaign with transparent packages, gradual delivery, and dashboard tracking, compare current options on the Buy Yelp Reviews service page.
How to leave a review on Yelp
The basic process is:
- Create or sign in to a Yelp user account
- Search for the business
- Confirm the correct location
- Select Write a Review
- Choose a star rating
- Write about the experience
- Add relevant photographs if desired
- Review the content
- Publish the review
The exact labels and screen layout can differ between Yelp’s website, iPhone app, Android app, and regional versions.
How to post a review on Yelp from the website
Step 1: Sign in
Open Yelp and sign in to your user account.
If you do not have an account, create one before attempting to publish feedback. Yelp connects reviews to user profiles so readers can see additional context about the reviewer’s activity.
Step 2: Find the business
Use the search bar to enter:
- The business name
- The business category
- The city or location
Search results may contain multiple businesses with similar names or several locations of the same company.
Step 3: Verify the location
Before writing, confirm:
- Business name
- Street address
- City
- Photographs
- Category
- Phone number
- Website
A review posted to the wrong location can mislead customers and the business.
Step 4: Select Write a Review
Open the correct business page and select Write a Review.
Yelp will guide you through the remaining steps.
Step 5: Choose a star rating
Select the rating that best represents the complete experience.
A practical interpretation is:
- 1 star: Very poor experience
- 2 stars: Below expectations
- 3 stars: Mixed or average experience
- 4 stars: Good experience with minor issues
- 5 stars: Excellent experience
The written review should explain the rating.
Step 6: Write the review
Describe what happened in clear and useful language.
Relevant details can include:
- Product or service purchased
- Date or general timing
- Booking or ordering process
- Communication
- Staff helpfulness
- Wait time
- Product or service quality
- Pricing expectations
- Delivery or completion
- Problem resolution
Avoid publishing sensitive personal details.
Step 7: Add photographs
Photographs can provide useful context when they are original and relevant.
Examples include:
- Food and drinks
- Store or restaurant interiors
- Products
- Completed work
- Menus
- Publicly displayed pricing
- Venue accessibility
Do not upload unrelated, copyrighted, private, or misleading images.
Step 8: Review and publish
Check:
- The correct business location
- The selected star rating
- Names and dates
- Spelling
- Personal information
- Unsupported claims
- Photograph relevance
Publish the review when the content accurately represents the experience.
How to leave a Yelp review from the mobile app
The mobile process is similar:
- Open the Yelp app
- Sign in
- Search for the business
- Open the correct location
- Tap Write a Review
- Select a star rating
- Write the review
- Add photographs if desired
- Follow the prompts to post
App navigation may change with updates, but Yelp’s official instructions continue to direct users to the business page and the Write a Review action.
Can you leave a Yelp review without an account?
Yelp requires a user account to publish a review.
An account gives the platform and readers context about reviewer activity. It also allows the reviewer to:
- Edit a review
- Remove a review
- Post an update
- Manage photographs
- View previous contributions
- Receive platform notifications
Creating an account does not guarantee that a submitted review will be recommended.
What does a Yelp review mean?
A Yelp review is a public description of a consumer’s first-hand experience with a business.
It combines:
- A star rating
- Written feedback
- Reviewer profile context
- Publication date
- Optional photographs
- Optional business response
- Yelp recommendation status
The review can help other consumers decide whether a business fits their needs.
For the business, reviews can reveal:
- Strengths customers repeatedly notice
- Service problems
- Communication gaps
- Product quality issues
- Staff performance
- Booking difficulties
- Opportunities for improvement
One review represents one person’s perspective. It should not automatically be treated as a complete or objective measurement of the business.
What is a Yelp customer review?
A Yelp customer review is feedback posted by a person describing a local business experience.
The reviewer may discuss:
- A purchase
- A visit
- An appointment
- A reservation
- A delivery
- A professional service
- A quote or consultation
- Customer support
Yelp’s content guidelines emphasize first-hand experiences. Reviews based only on rumors, news stories, political disagreements, or another person’s experience may not belong on the platform.
What should you include in a Yelp review?
Explain the context
Tell readers what type of experience you had.
For example:
- Dined at the restaurant
- Hired the contractor
- Visited the clinic
- Purchased a product
- Requested a quote
- Used delivery
- Booked an appointment
Context helps readers decide whether the feedback is relevant to them.
Describe specific details
Specific details are more useful than generic praise or criticism.
Instead of:
Great service.
Explain:
The appointment started on time, the staff explained the options clearly, and I received the final documents the same afternoon.
Instead of:
Worst place ever.
Explain:
My confirmed reservation was missing when I arrived, and the staff could not provide an estimated wait time.
Keep the timeline understandable
Describe the experience in a logical order:
- What you expected
- What happened
- How the business responded
- What result you received
- Why you chose the rating
Mention resolution
If a problem occurred, explain whether the business:
- Responded
- Offered a replacement
- Corrected the work
- Issued a refund
- Explained the policy
- Did not resolve the issue
Resolution can materially change how readers interpret a complaint.
What should you avoid in a Yelp review?
Avoid:
- Hearsay
- Fabricated details
- Conflicts of interest
- Threats
- Hate speech
- Private personal information
- Medical or financial account details
- Unrelated political commentary
- Promotional links
- Copied text
- Reviews written for another person
- Claims that cannot be connected to the experience
Strong opinions are allowed, but the underlying facts and context should remain accurate.
How long should a Yelp review be?
There is no single ideal length.
A useful review is long enough to explain:
- What happened
- What mattered
- Why the rating was selected
- Whether the business resolved any issue
One or two detailed paragraphs may be more helpful than a very long review containing repeated or irrelevant information.
Quality matters more than word count.
Can you edit a Yelp review?
Reviewers can manage previously published content through their Yelp account.
Depending on the platform and device, available options may include:
- Edit the review
- Remove the review
- Add or remove photographs
- Post an update after a new experience
Editing is appropriate when correcting:
- Spelling
- Incorrect dates
- Wrong details
- Private information
- Unclear wording
If a new experience occurred later, a review update may provide better context than rewriting the original history.
How to update a Yelp review
Yelp allows reviewers to post an update after a new experience with the same business location.
On Yelp’s website, the general process is:
- Open the Reviews section of your account
- Select the existing review
- Choose Write an Update
- Describe the new experience
- Add a new star rating
- Publish the update
The update appears with the earlier review so readers can understand how the relationship changed.
Yelp states that the newest star rating is used in the business’s overall rating calculation.
When should you update instead of edit?
Use an update when:
- The business resolved the complaint
- You returned for another purchase
- Service improved or declined
- Ownership or management changed
- A refund or replacement occurred later
- You had a materially different new experience
Use an edit when the original review contains an error or needs clearer wording.
Why is my Yelp review not showing?
A review may not appear as expected because:
- Publication is still processing
- The wrong business location was selected
- The content was saved as a draft
- The review was removed
- The account has a technical issue
- The review is in the not-recommended section
- Yelp is evaluating suspicious or policy-related signals
Check the reviewer profile and the business page while signed in.
If the review is missing, confirm that it was actually posted rather than saved as a draft.
Why is a Yelp review not recommended?
Yelp uses automated recommendation software to evaluate every submitted review.
The software considers hundreds of signals related to:
- Review quality
- Reliability
- User activity
- Reviewer history
- Business activity
- Possible conflicts of interest
- Possible incentives
- Coordinated behavior
A review can be not recommended when Yelp does not know enough about the reviewer or does not have sufficient confidence in the activity.
Not recommended does not necessarily mean fake or deleted.
Recommendation status can change over time.
Can a business choose whether a Yelp review appears?
Businesses cannot approve reviews before publication or select which reviews Yelp recommends.
A business can:
- Respond publicly
- Report content that may violate guidelines
- Update business information
- Provide relevant context
- Contact Yelp support where appropriate
Disagreeing with a customer is not, by itself, a reason for Yelp to remove the review.
How businesses should respond to Yelp reviews
A useful response should:
- Thank the reviewer
- Address the relevant issue
- Avoid private account information
- Correct factual details carefully
- Explain available next steps
- Remain professional
- Avoid arguments
For negative feedback:
- Acknowledge the concern
- Avoid admitting unsupported claims
- Explain what can be verified
- Offer an appropriate support channel
- Describe any corrective action
For positive feedback, keep the response specific and concise.
Can businesses ask customers to leave a Yelp review?
Yelp’s current Trust & Safety guidance says businesses are not permitted to ask customers for reviews.
Businesses should review Yelp’s latest policies before using:
- Review request emails
- Text messages
- QR codes
- Receipts
- Printed signs
- Employee scripts
- Incentives
- Third-party campaigns
A review collection method permitted by another platform may not comply with Yelp’s rules.
How Yelp reviews affect a business
Yelp reviews can influence:
- First impressions
- Customer comparisons
- Restaurant and service discovery
- Perceived trust
- Calls
- Quote requests
- Reservations
- Website visits
The effect depends on the market, category, profile visibility, review volume, recency, rating, content quality, and customer behavior.
One review rarely determines the complete reputation. Patterns across many experiences matter more.
Frequently asked questions
How do I leave a review on Yelp?
Sign in, find the correct business location, select Write a Review, choose a star rating, describe your first-hand experience, and publish the review.
How do I post a review on Yelp?
Use Yelp’s website or mobile app to open the business page and select Write a Review. Follow the prompts to add a rating, text, and optional photographs.
What does a Yelp review mean?
A Yelp review is public feedback combining a star rating and written description of a customer’s experience. It can help consumers compare businesses and help owners identify recurring strengths or problems.
Do I need a Yelp account to write a review?
Yes. Yelp requires a user account to publish and manage reviews.
Can I leave an anonymous Yelp review?
Reviews are connected to Yelp user profiles. Users should follow Yelp’s profile and content rules and avoid including private information in the review.
Can I change my Yelp review later?
Yes. Reviewers can edit or remove previous content and may post an update after a new experience.
Why did Yelp filter my review?
Yelp’s automated recommendation software may decide it lacks enough confidence to recommend the review. Recommendation status may change as the system learns more.
Can a business delete my Yelp review?
A business cannot directly delete a review. It can report content to Yelp, and Yelp decides whether the review violates its guidelines.
Final checklist before posting
Before selecting publish, confirm:
- The business and location are correct
- The review describes your own experience
- The star rating matches the text
- Important details are accurate
- The content is relevant
- Private information is removed
- Photographs belong to the experience
- The language is understandable
- Any later resolution is included
Final thoughts
Leaving a useful Yelp review takes only a few steps, but the quality of the review matters.
Find the correct business, select a fair rating, explain the experience with specific details, and avoid irrelevant or private information. If the situation changes, edit the original review or publish an update.
Businesses researching Yelp reputation options can also review the upcoming Yelp review campaign service.
