97% of Customers Read Online Reviews, Survey Says


BrightLocal’s 2017 Local Consumer Review Survey - The Growing Importance of Local Online Reviews -- And the Dangers of Fake Reviews

Would you reconsider your attitude on consumer reviews if 97 percent of customers said they had read reviews for local businesses in 2017? Well, that is one of the findings of BrightLocal’s 2017 Local Consumer Review Survey.

For small businesses, the gain or loss of customers has a bigger impact than for a large company. Being able to gain an insight into what your customers think about your business can go a long way toward retaining them for the long run. And online reviews are one of the best ways of gauging how you are doing.

BrightLocal’s 2017 Local Consumer Review Survey

BrightLocal’s Local Consumer Review Survey was conducted in the US in October 2017 among 1,031 consumers. The survey, which is carried out annually, is designed to capture the attitude and behaviors of consumers when they are looking at an online review for local businesses. 

So, how important are online reviews?

Myles Anderson, founder and CEO at BrightLocal, said in a press release, “Every year we see even more consumers looking at online reviews when choosing a local business. And the bar is rising with half of consumers only considering businesses that have a rating of 4 or 5 stars.”

Of the 97 percent of consumers that read reviews for local businesses, 12 percent said they were looking daily. But the survey also revealed another important stat. It takes a customer an average of seven reviews before trusting a local business. And when it comes to trust, 85 percent indicated they trusted reviews as much as personal recommendations.

With reviews playing such an important role, the dangers of fake reviews become even more relevant.

According to the survey, 79 percent of consumers read fake reviews in 2017, 54 percent said they had read at least one, and 25 percent said they had read a lot of fake reviews in the last year. However, 84 percent said they couldn’t always spot the fake reviews.

Takeaway from the Survey

As small businesses compete for customers online and in the physical world, they must have a strategy in place to handle reviews.

As Anderson explains, “It’s no longer enough to expect reviews to come to you. Every business needs a strategy in place to encourage happy customers to feedback, monitor across the different review sites, and respond to both positive and negative reviews quickly and professionally. And remember — if you don’t ask, you won’t get.”

You can go through all of the valuable data in the survey here.

Image: Bright Local

13 Comments ▼

Michael Guta Michael Guta is the Assistant Editor at Small Business Trends and currently manages its East African editorial team. Michael brings with him many years of content experience in the digital ecosystem covering a wide range of industries. He holds a B.S. in Information Communication Technology, with an emphasis in Technology Management.

13 Reactions
  1. I would add that businesses should highlight reviews & testimonials on their website. If you can give people a curated second opinion on your product/service without them leaving, why not?

  2. Hi Robert,
    The reviews you receive on your site should be managed just like any other part of your digital presence.

  3. Reviews you receive on any website should be analysed properly and considered as the most important part because these are opinions people have about it.

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  5. Reviews have now become a staple part of the buying process online now. The days of dodgy companies hiding behind an advert in the yellow pages is over. Customers come first now.

    • Completely agree, however i have read several reports of so called check a trade companies who dont really vet a company and cover up negative reviews.

  6. hi…sir
    The reviews you receive on your site should be managed just like any other part of your digital presence.

  7. This percentage is a bit scary, it’s such a large number! But I can see it being true…
    Reviews are indeed important, they’re how new shoppers decide whether to buy something or not.

  8. True! Reviews are crucial for websites dedicated to sale and purchase.

  9. well said.. The reviews you receive on your site should be managed just like any other part of your digital presence.