Case Study: The Boston Consulting Group finds small businesses achieve substantial revenue gains with Yelp

Yelp Drives Real Revenue to Small Businesses

Boston Consulting Group surveyed 4,800 small-business owners to measure Yelp’s economic impact and found a clear challenge: while consumers increasingly search online to make purchasing decisions, small businesses still spend the bulk of their ad budgets on traditional channels and only about 3% online—leaving many businesses off the digital radar.

The fix is simple and effective: claim a free Yelp business page and consider advertising. BCG found free Yelp accounts drove an average of $8,000 in annual revenue per business, while Yelp advertisers saw more than $23,000 on average; category highs included Home ($54k), Automotive ($39k), and Local Services ($36k). With a typical local ad spend of $4,200/year, advertisers see strong ROI and an early-adopter advantage in customer acquisition and retention.

The Boston Consulting Group