Online reviews are available for everything under the sun from products you buy to restaurants you eat at to places you vacation. Although I find myself referencing reviews regularly, I don’t take everything I read at face value. I’ve learned to approach extreme viewpoints with a bit of skepticism, since the system can be easily manipulated by disgruntled employees, unrealistic consumers, or those with a vested interest in the business, product, or service.

When using online reviews to make choices, I employ many of the same tactics I use when making business, leadership, or personal decisions. Just like I wouldn’t base a business decision on one persons viewpoint, recommendation, or suggestion, I don’t judge online reviews based on one or two negative comments. When making choices of any kind, smart leaders and smart consumers use their own judgment coupled with the opinions, advice, and information obtained from a variety of additional sources.

Here are some tips when reading online reviews:

The Meat is in the Middle: Ignore the top and bottom 10 percent of the reviews, focusing instead on what the middle 80 percent are saying. Chances are, the most consistent truths, and the experience you’re most likely to have with the venue, product, or service, will be revealed in the mid-range reviews.

Personal Attacks are Unreliable: Online reviews that come on strong with personal attacks, especially those that call out specific individuals, are unreliable at best. Often, there’s a personal history or relationship that is masked or goes unexplained in the commentary. The aim is to harm the individual, and hence, the business. You never know the true motive behind personal online attacks. The reviewer could be a former employee, an ex-spouse, or an estranged business contact who’s holding a grudge. Unless you see a pattern of consistently negative opinions of a specific person, made by a variety of different reviewers, be careful about putting too much stock in a negative, personal rant.

Padding is Possible: Remember, it is possible for a business to review themselves under a fake username. Although it’s not ethical to say the least, it does happen. Be wary of “padded” reviews that read more like a marketing brochure than an authentic critique. It’s also suspicious when there’s a string of positive reviews from individuals who are shown to be first- and only-time reviewers. This could be a red-flag to padded, self-serving online reviews.

Consider the Context: An online review can be negative for reasons that aren’t truly negative. You need to consider the context to reach an accurate conclusion. For instance, reviews might be unfavorable for a vacation destination or product that is known to be high end and therefore, costly. People sometimes give lower ratings because they were put off by an expense. Most of us know that places like the Ritz, Disney, or Hawaii are expensive in general, and that brand names like Louis Vuitton and Coach will cost more than lower-quality competitors.  But that shouldn’t be the sole reason for a bad review. Most people realize the cost differential, and want to know ratings beyond that attribute.

Criteria is Key: When rating systems are involved with online reviews, the criteria used for reaching those rankings is key. A restaurant, hotel, or product can be ranked No. 1 on a particular site’s list, but be well down the line on another reviewer’s page. That’s because the criteria varies widely from site to site. If the ranking is based on number of stars or positive reviews given, but doesn’t take into account how many reviews were actually submitted, you could be putting all your faith in the opinion of just one person.

Remember the Silent Majority: Face it…not everyone submits online reviews after a positive experience. Most people don’t have the time to write about everything they buy, everywhere they eat, and every place they visit. However, when something goes wrong, social media is often used as a vehicle for vindication. Those frustrated by one simple error might go overboard with negative comments, complaints, and low ratings. Try to keep the silent majority in mind when making judgments based on online reviews.

Last week, I picked my restaurant the old-fashioned way: blindly. I walked past, looked at the menu, and went in to try my luck. I thought briefly about getting on my phone and checking the reviews, but I was hungry and decided to take my chances. Turns out, the meal was delicious, the service was good, and I had no complaints. Later, at home, I looked online and found that out of four reviews, one was terrible, two were average, and one was outstanding. Had I read the reviews, I would probably have been underwhelmed and resistant to go in; and I would have missed out on a great experience.

Nowadays, information about the products and services we’re looking for is only a Google search away. Not only can we buy things online, book our vacations via the web, and make our dinner reservations through our iPhones, but we can read all about our potential choices with a bevy of online reviews. While these reviews can provide helpful, honest commentary and feedback, not all reviews are created equal. They can also be confusing, misleading, and deceptive. Be careful to make your decisions regarding online reviews in the same way you’d make any leadership or business decision: with careful, intelligent deciphering of information gathered from a variety of reputable sources.

–Sheri Staak