More consumers use Google reviews over other sites when researching, study shows

A new study shows people rely more heavily than ever on local business reviews to research their purchases beforehand.  Small business owners said that five-star Google reviews are as good as gold when it comes to growing their operations, but some worry about what the future holds after dozens of their best ones either vanish from their site or never appear. Nicholas Bissett, who founded My Organic Turf in 2019 with one truck, credits Google reviews for growing his company into a nine-person, seven-truck operation in under four years.