How to Sign Up for Yelp

One of the good things about Yelp is that its core service doesn't require an account on the website in order to use it.  You can browse and search for local businesses — and read their information, ratings, and reviews — without signing up.  However, if you want to post ratings and reviews yourself, comment on the reviews of others, send private messages to other Yelp users, or post messages on Yelp's message boards, you will need your own account.

To create a Yelp account:

1. Go to www.yelp.com in your web browser.  In the top-right corner, click Sign Up.

   

2. If you have a Facebook account, you can use it to sign up for Yelp (you will be prompted to log in.)  For the purposes of this tutorial, though, let's assume that you don't have a Facebook account, or at least don't want to use it to sign into Yelp.

   In that case, simply click in the respective boxes in the screenshot below and type in:

   – Your first and last name (each in the appropriate box)
   – The address for an email account that you use
   – Asecurity password (appears as bullet points to keep it private)
   – Your mailing code (doesn't have to be a ZIP code if you're not from the U.S.)

   

   Also, if you'd like, you can click on each of the drop-down menus labelled "Birthday" and select the month, day, and year of your birth (but this is optional).

   When you've filled in the appropriate information, click Sign Up.

3. Once you've signed up, you'll have the chance to create a profile to let fellow Yelp users know a bit about yourself.  If you don't feel like doing this, or at least not right now, you can click Skip.  You can go back and fill in your profile later, if you so choose.

   

4. You will be taken to a screen where you can find people you know who already use Yelp by matching them against your email or social media account contacts.  Again, you can do this later.

   The thing that you want to notice right now is that Yelp tells you that it has sent a confirmation email to the address that you used to create your account on Yelp.

   

5. Log into the email account that you used to sign up for Yelp.  You should see a new email from Yelp in your inbox; open it, and click either of the hyperlinks in blue to confirm your email address.

   

6. You will be taken back to Yelp's home page, where you will receive a message from Yelp that your email address has been confirmed.

   

That's it!  You're all set to use all of Yelp's features!