More people than ever use the internet when making purchasing decisions. At their fingertips, they can find reviews and feedback from consumers like them to help aid their decision. It seems like a new review site pops up almost daily, making it hard for smaller businesses to monitor everyone. So, what review sites should your business pay close attention to?

There are five big sites you need to be sure your business looks at first. Google My Business, Yelp, Facebook, Yahoo Local and Bing Places are the first places you should look to. A ReviewTrackers study found that more than 60% of consumers look to Google online reviews when considering a purchase. So if you haven’t claimed your Google My Business Listing yet, make that a priority. Yelp is the second most trusted site with 45%, and Facebook follows not far behind.

While these sites are important, they aren’t the only sites to turn to. Every industry has trusted review sites that consumers turn to.

• Citysearch can be beneficial for those in the food, entertainment, shopping or pampering industries.
• Angie’s List is mostly for home services and healthcare, and includes a message center where you can communicate directly with customers.
• Foursquare can benefit those in the food and drink, entertainment and shopping industries.
• Home Advisor is similar to Angie’s List, offering consumers the opportunity to review home services.
• Manta is an alternative to Yelp, and operates in much the same way, serving as a business directory that allows consumers to leave reviews.

It’s certainly no secret that positive reviews are good for your business. But the impact online reviews can have on your business is increasing every day.

• Nearly 90% of consumers trust online reviews as much as they do personal recommendations.
• More than 90% of consumers turn to online reviews when making a local purchasing decision.
• Over 90% of consumers say they have avoided a business after reading negative online reviews.
• 80% of people don’t trust business with less than four out of five stars.

If you are paying attention, you can use reviews to improve your business. But if you aren’t looking at the review sites your potential consumers are using, you can’t be a part of the conversation. If you want to compete in today’s online world, don’t ignore the importance of online reviews.