How the Yelp v. Google Lawsuit Could Impact Online Reviews, A Lawyer Explains

Positive reviews are vital for contractors’ leads and reputation. So what happens to those positive reviews when the two most known review platforms go head to head in court?

What is the Yelp v. Google Lawsuit About?

Last month, Yelp filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google in federal court, arguing that Google self-preferences its own results, leading to Google dominating the local search and advertising market.

Put in simpler terms, Yelp claims that Google displays its own inferior local results and reviews in response to a search inquiry.

It comes on the tail of an August 2024 ruling that held that Google had an illegal monopoly on internet search.

Yelp Argues Google’s Reviews are Low Quality

Yelp claims self-preference because the quality of reviews on Yelp and other similar sites are of a higher caliber than Google’s. This is different from Google finding the best results and reviews in response to a search inquiry and promoting those results. Yelp says the search engine giant artificially preferences their own internal reviews and results.

As evidence, Yelp points to a May 2024 Federal Trade Commission article that states that 32% of Google reviews have no text whereas Yelp reviews require the reviewer to write text and give a number rating.

Yelp goes on to state that Google buries the non-text reviews below text reviews, but includes non-text reviews in their total review count. This gives the researching consumer a false view of the company by leaving out information that might be important to the consumer searching for a trustworthy rating based on quality reviews.

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What Does it Mean for a Builders’ Reviews?

The goal of this suit is to stop Google’s practice of self-preference and allow reviews from all types of sources to come up in a search, giving consumers more choices.

The big question now is what this means for residential contractors and their reliance and focus on Google reviews or other third-party review sites.

What Will Happen as a Result of the Lawsuit?

If Google were to win this suit, the way reviews show up on Google will not change.

Should Yelp win this suit, Google would have to end their self-preference practice and reviews from third-party sites would be more likely to come up during an internet search.

Google ending their self-preferencing practice is not necessarily something that should cause companies to change their focus from reviews on Google to Yelp or another third party.

Encourage Substantial Text Reviews

Simply focusing on making sure reviews are posted online is the most important part. If reviews are posted on Google and include text, they will show up despite Google or Yelp winning.

As the legal landscape around online reviews continues to evolve, it's crucial for residential contractors to stay vigilant about where their reviews appear and how they are perceived.

Whether Yelp’s claims lead to a shift in how Google presents reviews or not, the core takeaway remains clear: high-quality and substantive reviews are essential.

Ultimately, the goal should be to maintain a comprehensive and transparent review profile that reflects the true caliber of your work, no matter how search algorithms or legal rulings may shift.

Thomas Croessmann is the managing partner of Croessmann & Westberg, P.C., a construction law firm that focuses on representing residential and commercial contractors with all aspects of their business. Thomas Croessmann can be reached at twc@cwattorney.com or by phone at (703) 483-3550.