In a significant platform update announced five days ago on December 10, 2024, Yelp introduced more than 20 new features leveraging artificial intelligence and enhanced functionality across its service. The developments mark a substantial shift in how users interact with local business information on the platform.
According to Craig Saldanha, Chief Product Officer at Yelp, the company has implemented Review Insights, a new system that employs large language models to analyze sentiment across multiple aspects of business reviews. The technology examines reviewer comments about specific attributes such as food quality, service standards, ambiance, and wait times, generating sentiment scores ranging from 1 to 100 for each category.
The sentiment analysis capability functions even when reviews do not explicitly mention particular topics, as the system comprehends contextual information within the review content. Currently, this feature operates on iOS devices and focuses on restaurant, food, and nightlife establishments, with planned expansion into service categories scheduled for 2025.
In response to user requirements for enhanced transparency, Yelp has introduced eight new business attributes specifically addressing payment and gratuity policies. These additions include clear indicators for establishments with no-tipping policies, mandatory gratuity requirements, and large party tipping protocols. The platform now also displays information about credit card processing fees, minimum payment requirements, and acceptance of alternative payment methods including Zelle, PayPal, Venmo, and Cash App.
Business owners maintain control over these attributes through their Yelp for Business accounts, where they can update their information in the Business Information section. To ensure accuracy, Yelp implements a community verification system, surveying consumers about these attributes through their "Update the community" feature on business pages.
The platform's discovery mechanisms have undergone significant enhancement, incorporating AI-generated video content that combines authentic photos, videos, and business information to create comprehensive establishment previews. These compilations showcase popular menu items and provide visual context for potential visitors.
For service professionals, Yelp has expanded its Assistant functionality to include quote requests via text and telephone communications following project submissions. The system now features enhanced conversational prompts in search results and broader platform availability. A notable integration with Apple Maps enables users to request quotes directly through the mapping interface.
The business-facing aspects of the platform have received substantial updates, particularly in advertising technology. Yelp has implemented AI-powered smart selection for advertising content, which automatically identifies optimal photographs and review text for promotional materials. This system aims to strengthen advertisement performance from initial deployment.
These developments arrive as Yelp marks its twentieth year of operation, during which the platform has accumulated hundreds of millions of user contributions. Throughout 2024, Yelp has launched more than 80 new features, with particular emphasis on artificial intelligence integration across various platform functions.
The business attributes system allows users to locate specific information under the "Payments" section within business amenities on Yelp pages. The platform maintains this information through a dual verification approach, combining direct business owner input with community-sourced updates.
For service industry professionals, Yelp has redesigned its inbox system, incorporating AI-enhanced job summaries that highlight critical information from customer inquiries. The system includes new project editing capabilities and automated relay functions for communicating revised project details to multiple service providers simultaneously.
The platform's advertising infrastructure now provides enhanced competitive analytics, enabling businesses to compare their page visit metrics against selected competitors. This functionality forms part of a broader suite of tools designed to assist business owners in achieving their advertising objectives efficiently.
These technical implementations represent Yelp's response to evolving user requirements for detailed business information and streamlined communication channels between consumers and service providers. The platform's integration of artificial intelligence across multiple feature sets indicates a strategic focus on automated data analysis and user experience optimization.