A study released this week reports that online reviews play a critical role in consumers’ perceptions of local businesses.
According to the Local Consumer Review Survey, more consumers are using the Internet to find local businesses and over a quarter of consumers regularly read online reviews when evaluating local businesses.
But to those of us at GDON, here’s what stood out most about the findings:
“Approximately 72% of consumers surveyed said that they trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, while 52% said that positive online reviews make them more likely to use a local business.”
In other words, the perceived legitimacy of online reviews is also on the rise.
Read the article at Search Engine Land.