Yelp has announced a series of significant updates to its platform, including enhanced AI-enabled search capabilities, the addition of video support for reviews, and a new satisfaction guarantee program called Yelp Guaranteed.
With the implementation of advanced AI algorithms, Yelp can now better comprehend users' search intent and showcase relevant information in convenient snippets under each business listing in search results. This ensures a more seamless search experience for users as they can easily find what they are looking for. For instance, by searching for tennis courts on Yelp, users will find highlighted review snippets about tennis courts under each relevant park or facility listed.
Moreover, Yelp’s AI will provide improved search suggestions based on a user's search intent, irrespective of their location, enabling effective planning for future experiences across the entire U.S. To further encourage exploration, the platform has introduced a Surprise Me feature that presents users with a unique, highly-rated recommendation close to their current location. Users can click on the recommendation for multiple alternatives if they don't like their initial one.
Aside from gratifying users' search queries, Yelp has introduced clickable category tags for restaurants, food, and nightlife businesses. These categories will aid users in refining their search result clearer.
Yelp now allows users to upload high-resolution videos up to 12 seconds long alongside their text review and photos. The addition of video reviews offers a distinct viewpoint of users' experiences, ranging from their recent hike to their most recent hotel stay.
In an effort to improve the quality and engagement of reviews, Yelp is launching new interactive review topics that focus on food, service, and ambiance. These topics serve as reminders to users, automatically turning green with a checkmark when addressed within a review. Yelp is planning to expand these relevant review topics to additional categories such as services, beauty, health, and shopping.
To enhance user interaction with reviews, Yelp has introduced four new review reactions: helpful, thanks, love this, and oh no. These reactions will supplement the existing ones: useful, funny, and cool.
Yelp Guaranteed is a satisfaction guarantee program that allows users to claim up to $2,500 back if they face issues with their project. Users automatically enroll in the program when they hire an eligible business through Yelp's Request a Quote feature. Claims can be submitted if users are unsatisfied with the work performed, if property damage occurs, or if a pre-paid job results in a no-show.
Yelp is also redesigning its navigation bar for restaurant, food, and nightlife business pages to make it easier for users to find information quickly. Furthermore, the platform has revamped the photo viewing experience on business pages by introducing AI-driven photo categories for food and nightlife businesses and a new sort feature to quickly browse recently added photos.
Lastly, Yelp has implemented a new login experience, which eliminates the need for users to remember their passwords. When logging into Yelp, users will receive a unique email link that offers secure and seamless authentication with just one click.
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