The majority of small business owners and consumers are heavy users of review and ratings websites for a variety of professional and personal reasons, according to new survey by LexisNexis.

More than 90 percent of small business owners and 80 percent of consumers engage in some type of activity on review and ratings websites, but respondents indicated concerns about the reliability and trustworthiness of these sites.

Nearly 30 percent of higher-income consumers said social media influenced their decision making when it came to home repair services, a higher percentage than other income groups, according to a new study by Ad-ology.

The study found this group had significantly high reports of recent maintenance services performed.