According to a survey conducted by Kudzu.com, 86% of consumers are checking out online business reviews before making purchasing decisions. The survey aimed to gain insight into online behaviors of consumers who search for local services.

That number might be misleading, as primarily local-based sites are routinely featuring reviews (only the best of course) on their sites, but all things equal, 90% of the 600 users polled said they trust reviews they read online and more than half place a high value on online reviews when looking for "trustworthy" home service professionals.