Online Reviews and AI Recommendations: A Reviews-Everywhere Strategy for ChatGPT and Google AI
Published Oct 14, 2026 · 5:04 · Michael Hermon
Do reviews affect whether ChatGPT and Google AI recommend your business? BrightLocal's 2026 data shows 45% of consumers use AI for local recommendations, and ChatGPT can't see inside Google's reviews. Here's a reviews-everywhere routine for small business marketing.
This episode covers how many reviews customers expect, why recency matters, picking three review platforms, asking for specific reviews, responding to every review, and staying within FTC and platform rules.
Timestamps
- 00:00 Intro
- 00:26 Why reviews matter even more now
- 01:03 The walled garden problem
- 01:37 What customers expect from reviews
- 01:59 AI users still check reviews
- 02:13 Your reviews-everywhere routine
- 03:19 A hypothetical example
- 03:45 Stay on the right side of the rules
- 04:00 Common mistakes
- 04:19 Recap
- 04:45 Questions
Sources
Ask a question
Email [email protected]. Good questions may get an episode answer.