Yelp Helps Local Businesses, Study Finds

Yelp drives an average of $8,000 in business to small businesses that have profiles on the site, according to a study conducted by the Boston Consulting Group but funded by Yelp.

Businesses that advertised on the social reviews site Yelp drew an average of $23,000 in additional businesses, after spending an average of $4,200, the study found after polling 4,800 small businesses.

But the benefits of advertising varied widely depending on the type of business. Restaurants, for example, saw a very small benefit from advertising on Yelp as opposed to simply having a profile.