Reviews are an important component for all businesses on the Web.

While Yelp has the local business review niche all but wrapped up, there are other companies out there that are innovating in the space and aiming to make a significant impact. One of those providers is FeedbackJar, a site which provides a way for customers to communicate with each other and with local merchants. More than a review site alone, Feedback Jar is a "crowdsource customer support community."

The service differs from Yelp in that customers can help answer questions, share ideas, and resolve problems with products and services they use in their community. FeedbackJar encourages merchants to join the conversation with their customers. Businesses can create and claim a profile (and manage it), receive feedback on their business products or services and eliminate repetitive customer support tasks (as users can search popular topics). FeedbackJar is limited to 96 local areas, but covers all the major cities and even a few decent sized towns as well.