![Trust In Online Reviews By Reading Frequency, June 2014 [CHART]](http://www.emarketer.com/images/chart_gifs/177001-178000/177381.gif "Chart - Trust In Online Reviews By Reading Frequency")
Despite the buzz surrounding phony online business ratings and reviews, consumers haven’t stopped reading other people’s posts about their experiences with companies. In fact, a June 2014 study by Bright Local found that more consumers were reading reviews to determine the quality of a local business than in the past: 88% of US internet users, vs. 85% in 2013.
Respondents were also reading more online reviews before putting trust in a local business, with the percentage who looked at over 20 climbing from 2% to 7% year over year. Though most responses still fell between four and six, the portion of respondents who read between zero and three reviews dropped, while higher totals saw increases. Bright Local noted that increased usage levels could be good or bad, driving higher engagement, but possibly indicating that trust had gone down. Read the rest at eMarketer.
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