Review and Recommendation Services

Review and recommendation services provide an environment where individuals can post their personal evaluation of services, products, and businesses online for the general population to view. These types of websites can help influence consumer shopping behavior and help businesses become aware of strengths and weaknesses that may not have been known previously. That is why it is critical for businesses to understand on which websites their company is receiving reviews and recommendations. It is recommended that you provide links to various review and recommendation services on your website.

The three most relevant websites for this avenue are Better Business Bureau, Angie's List, and Yelp. See the following steps for getting started with these websites.Additional websites you may want to consider include Houzz and TripAdvisor.

Better Business Bureau

BBB is an organization that is focused on rating businesses. It is different from other rating websites because you do not get rated on like or dislike but on 13 factors including complaint volume and advertising issues. BBB assigns ratings from A+ to F-.

1. Go to http://www.bbb.org/stlouis/public/register/standard/
2. Fill out information in required fields

Angie's List

Angie's List is a review and recommendation website where members who visit the site are able to find deals and the best local services providers such as roofers, plumbers, handymen, mechanics, doctors, dentists, etc.

1. Go to http://www.angieslist.com
2. Select "Join Now" or "Sign in" in top-right corner of the page
3. Scroll to bottom of page
4. Under "Service Providers" select "Register Your Business"
5. Enter business name and zip code
6. Select business
7. Enter required fields to register as business

Yelp

Claiming your business on Yelp allows you to view business statistics, receive messages from prospective customers, respond to reviews, add photos, and update business information.

1. Go to https://biz.yelp.com/
2. Type the name of your business and city into the respective search bars and click the 'Get Started' button on the right-side of the page
3. If your business already exists on Yelp and isn't claimed yet, you can click the 'Claim this business' button on the right-side of the page to verify the existing information.
4. If your business doesn't exist on Yelp, you can click "Need help?" below the 'Get Started' button and then click "Add your business to Yelp" at the bottom of the page. Then enter your business information.