
// Development
Yelp Website Clone - How to Create a Business Directory Website Like Yelp?
// Development
Yelp is a business directory for searching local services and businesses, from restaurants, cafes and bars to mechanics, dentists, gas stations, and more. It has the highest ratings and biggest profits. In this article you will learn: why this service has become so popular how to create your own business catalog like Yelp and monetize it.
And there are only two ways that startups can go to become successful in this business. The first involves the development of an online listing, better than that of competitors, with the help of creative, unique features and a better user experience. It is difficult, expensive, long and does not guarantee success, but it is possible: the success of TripAdvisor, BBB.org and Foursquare is proof of this.
Here are some promising niches for online business listings:
The new version of the site is a familiar catalog of enterprises (services) with an honest rating and comments (reviews) that anyone could leave and see. And this idea shot: the number of reviewers on the site increased from 12 thousand in 2005 to 100 thousand in 2006, and by the summer of 2006, one million people visited the site a month. Further, the platform’s popularity only grew.
The value propositions of the redesigned Yelp for its main user groups are:
The Yelp site works with three types of users: business (service providers), users (service consumers), and platform administrators. When creating your Yelp clone, you need to implement most of the original functions for them, relying on the following things:
Authentication system. To improve the user experience, your site should support quick registration / login through accounts on social networks. In addition, it is important to create a verification algorithm for service providers that will weed out unreliable entrepreneurs and outright scammers. But, you should not go too far, as the essence of Yelp is in user comments and reviews. You can only evaluate the legitimacy of a business (registration, license), and not the quality of its services. This will be done by users using reviews and a rating system.
Secondly, we need tools to evaluate reviews (points, stars, emojis), so that users encourage reviewers who tickle their imagination. In addition, you also need some real rewards for the best reviewers (like on Yelp): special events, symbolic rewards or, possibly, real money rewards, like on Medium.com or other similar sites.
Thirdly, user ratings and ratings should influence the position of service providers in the listing of recommendations. Moreover, the system should also take into account the “usefulness” of the reviewer. So, on Yelp at the top of the screen there are reviews of active reviewers with the largest number of positive ratings from other users. Whereas reviews from dubious accounts either appear on the second page or simply hidden.
SaaS and white label solutions. Almost ready-to-launch solution that you resort to if you want to launch the site as quickly as possible, and reduce startup costs. In addition, usually SaaS solution providers assume the support and development of the platform, which also simplifies the process of launching their site. Cost - from 20 to 1000 dollars per month. Cons - stereotyped and completely dependent on the SaaS service provider (in the event of a critical software error or supplier bankruptcy, you can’t do anything).
WordPress themes. This is the easiest option to run a clone of the Yelp site. You simply configure WordPress CMS, download the theme you need and activate it after a little setup. The cost of a Yelp clone is usually in the region of 50-500 dollars, but you can find free options. The minuses - the stereotypenes and low security of the site and users' personal data. In addition, some topics require an understanding of how to connect and configure the necessary plug-ins (integration with Google Map, Google Ads payment gateways, etc).