The WOM factor, or word of mouth, has always been a significant force in world of commerce. Getting a recommendation or hearing a negative comment from a trusted friend carries more weight than all the marketing you can do. But the WOM factor may be getting some competition from online reviews.

In its fourth annual Local Consumer Review Study BrightLocal reports that 88% of respondents trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. This high lights the importance of building reviews for your business, but they need to be authentic reviews. There is a growing concern that some reviews are fake adding an element of skepticism to the mix.

According to BrightLocal, “The purpose of the survey is to understand how online reviews influence the attitudes of consumers toward local businesses and how they directly influence the purchase of local business services.”

Reading reviews before buying has become the norm, with nearly 9 in 10 consumers stating they read online reviews to determine the quality of local business. And they are reading a lot of reviews. Most read a least 10 reviews before making a decision and a growing number go as far as 20.

The message to SEOs is to have a minimum of 10 reviews and more if possible to satisfy demand. You also want to make sure to keep the reviews fresh as well as the study also shows that consumers only read the latest reviews. Reputation management plays a key role here to make sure your most current reviews are positive.