- Yelp (NYSE:YELP) moved up 4.1% today in the wake of the EU's action against Google -- and amid a spirited online debate about Yelp's reliance (or not) on Google traffic.
- Throughout the EU's look at the issue over several years, Yelp (along with travel sites like Expedia and Kayak as well as TripAdvisor) has been a vocal critic of Google's practice of including local results in search.
- In a blog post today (as well as a memo to employees), Google said people have more choice than ever in large part due to mobile: "Today 7 out of every 8 minutes on mobile devices is spent within apps — in other words consumers are going to whichever websites or apps serve them best ... Yelp, for example, has told investors they get over 40% of their traffic direct from their mobile app."
- Yelp spokesman Vince Sollitto went on Twitter to call that 40% number "absurdly inaccurate. We've never said that."
- Without supplying details, Sollitto says Yelp still gets a majority of its traffic from Google.