A long time aggregator of information provided by third parties, the perfectly named local search engine; Local.com, has launched their own proprietary local consumer ratings and reviews system whcih allows users to create an account and enter ratings and reviews for any business listing that appears on the site.
Now, in a Yelp or Yahoo Local style fashion, Local.com users can enter comments, rate a business using a five-star rating system and view all of the reviews they have previously submitted. Local.com says that the ratings and reviews entered on the site will appear immediately on business listing profile pages, but are subject to a user validation process.
“According to Jupiter Research, 77 percent of online shoppers use ratings and reviews when making a purchase,” said Kim LaFleur, Local.com vice president, product management. “We are pleased to launch our own ratings and reviews engine to allow consumers visiting Local.com to both add and access important information on local businesses throughout the U.S. , enabling them to make more informed purchasing decisions. In addition, this allows our business customers to more proactively manage their own reputations and understand their customers’ opinions (both good and bad) of their own products and services.”
