In the modern age of the internet and with the frequency at which we find information via online browsing, it has become more and more popular to look for reviews of products and services online.

We understand that the product and service industry is highly competitive and we often look for the best prices and best deals via Google or Yahoo on the web before making a purchase.

Online reviews however can often be misleading and frustrating however and the goal of this article is to fill you in on why that is.

The reason online reviews are typically worthless via most websites is because the webmasters review, rate, and rank items based on incentive and affiliate commissions. Therefore, it is typically in the average webmasters interest to present products or services in a positive light to maximize the potential that the visitor will either sign up to a service through that webmaster or buy a product through his or her website. This obviously results in the web being filled with a lot of dishonest reviews.

The Solution for Online Reviews?

The best solution to finding good reviews is to try to turn off the lazy button for a second and be strategic about where you find reviews. Typically the best reviews of products and services come from community based sites, where you can ask questions via a forum or blog. Any type of review site that allows customer feedback is more typically reliable for the reviews they give.

A great example of a pretty reliable review site is TRIPADVISOR. While they are indeed affiliates of hotels and make commissions when visitors book stuff through them, the platform for reviewing is entirely community based. It is not just a bunch of webmasters writing cookie cutter articles about a hotel.

In conclusion, evaluate a site when your looking for online reviews and try to figure out if the reviews you are receiving are reputable and include multiple perspectives.