How Google Came to Dominate Local Reviews
Google owns the local review economy. It wasn't always that way. Here's how it happened.
- A 7-year case study of a ~200 restaurant chain tells the story of Google's review growth and ultimately domination.
- Before 2014 Google lagged badly behind Yelp because of its friction-filled review process, part of Google+ at the time.
- Google ultimately made it easier to leave reviews and ask for reviews at scale. Local Guides helped. Yelp maintained rigid policies causing review growth to stagnate.
Last week we reported on the now-obvious fact that Google owned the local review economy. It hasn't always been that way.
When and why did Google come to so dominate the space?