Searchers have spoken and consumer generated media rates as one of the top resources that will keep them coming back to a site over and over again. In fact, 77% of online shoppers state that they read consumer reviews and 22% of those who post feedback on forums tend to make more purchases online. In fact, the article over at TechWeb, it's being pointed out that many consumers prefer to read reviews written by their peers instead of experts. This makes sense, especially when there's a way to tell if those consumers have other similar interests as their own.

From the article:

"The days of reading some review from an expert is dwindling because people want to obtain their information from other users," Rogoway said. "If the social network is built around the topic, travel or cars for example, you can link to the person's profile who wrote the review to see if their likes and dislikes are similar to yours," Rogoway said.

JupiterResearch analyst Diane Clarkson wrote in a report that recommendations from family and friends are among online travel researchers' most used resources, but lifestyle descriptions of content contributors are important, too.






About the Author

Jennifer Laycock is the Editor of Search Engine Guide, an educational web site aimed at translating the search marketing world into something that small business owners can understand. Jennifer specializes in common sense search engine marketing, viral marketing and customer outreach via social media and blogs. A former search marketing consultant and in-house trainer, Jennifer’s clients have included companies like Verizon, American Greetings and Highlights for Children. Her primary clients now are a little girl named Elnora and a little boy named Emmitt.

Jennifer Laycock is the Editor of Search Engine Guide, an educational web site aimed at translating the search marketing world into something that small business owners can understand. Jennifer specializes in common sense search engine marketing, viral marketing and customer outreach via social media and blogs. A former search marketing consultant and in-house trainer, Jennifer’s clients have included companies like Verizon, American Greetings and Highlights for Children. Her primary clients now are a little girl named Elnora and a little boy named Emmitt.