A number of D.C.-area companies are attempting to turn local residents’ inner desires to be critics into lucrative businesses.

In the past month, two Web sites have launched featuring user-generated reviews of D.C. restaurants, nightclubs and businesses.

Industry leader Yelp.com of San Francisco also launched its D.C.-area site last month.

Kevin Taylor started Leesburg-based 5 Star Ratings after having bad experiences with home contractors.

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The former AOL employee said without investors, the company’s early days have been tough, as it costs about $4,000 a month to maintain the site.

5 Star Ratings’ business plan requires companies to pay a small fee to get a more sophisticated listing on the site, Taylor said.

Other competitors rely on traditional banner advertisement-based models, such as D.C.’s TheCityList.com.

TheCityList, which launched in May, aggregates user votes weekly (and soon immediately) to generate top-10 lists noting things such as best happy hours and favorite music venues.

Users in D.C. right now seem most interested in upcoming condominium projects, founder Jason Zucchetto said.

The sites compete with players such as AOL City Guide, which hires writers to do its reviews, and Web-based guides produced by local media.

Though TheCityList and 5 Star Ratings aren’t proven entities, Yelp.com has found success since its 2005 launch. It increased its readership by 400 percent to 4 million unique visitors per day in 2006.

The site expanded to D.C. last month and already has 1,584 restaurant reviews, its most popular category, spokeswoman Stephanie Ichinose said Monday.

There is still a market for user-driven ratings sites, according to Thomas Harpointner, chief executive officer of Atlanta-based AIS Media, which consults on Web-based marketing.

Restaurants in particular are trying to use the Internet to promote themselves and are willing to invest in more than one advertising venue online to do it, Harpointer said.

“Many restaurants have no dedicated marketing person and many of these portals can really serve them,” Harpointer said.

Competing Web sites can best distinguish themselves by offering some sort of service, such as online reservations, in addition to their ratings, he said.

melissa.frederick@dcexaminer.com