Yelp's 3 star filter trick got me 4 real reviews in a week

My shop in Toledo kept getting buried because people only post when they're mad. I started replying to every 1 star with a specific fix and asking happy customers to mention that in their review. Now those replies push my response rate above 90%, which bumps my score on the backend. Has anyone else seen Yelp actually adjust ratings based on owner engagement or is that just a rumor?

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the_henry12d ago

Hang on, I see that differently. Yelp has never shown any real proof that replying to reviews changes your rating on their end. It might push your response rate up, but that number mostly matters for your business page stats, not for how many stars they show next to your name. My guess is those 4 new reviews came from happy customers who happened to be there at the right time, not because Yelp noticed you were being more active. I've tested this myself over a few months and saw zero movement in my overall score, even when I replied to every single review. It feels good to engage, sure, but I wouldn't count on it as a ranking trick.