Consumers are turning to AI to decide where to shop. The companies he recommends are those that have recent, credible reviews spread across the web.
For years, a business’s online reputation consisted of the reviews and discussions a customer found after typing a few keywords into a search engine. This journey is changing. In BrightLocal 2026 Surveythe share of consumers using ChatGPT and others AI tools the share of commercial recommendations increased from 6% to 45% a year later, directly competing with Google and Facebook.
This shift changes what it takes to present yourself to customers. THE SEO tactics what once helped with search rankings matters less now, and LLMs rely on something harder to game. “Previously, the viewability model was quite predictable,” says Michael Lai, CEO of the consumer reviews platform. Smart Customera company that helps businesses build a brand reputation for AI search. “AI has rewritten it. But one signal matters more than ever: what real customers say about you.”
This signal now goes further than finding buyers clicking on blue links. It has become clear that AI models synthesize reliable sources from around the web and integrate them into a recommendation. “Reviews have always been a signal of trust to customers,” says Lai. “Now they have become an essential component for AI models. The AI reads them like an attentive shopper would, then responds within seconds.”
How AI uses your reviews
AI relies customer reviews in several ways, and it is useful to know which one. “Many people think that A.I. knows things,” Lai says. “There are really two systems at work. One of them was trained maybe months ago and has an idea of your reputation from that point on. The other goes out and reads the web whenever someone asks you. It is therefore essential to have something current to find.
The first system explains why first impressions stick. Templates do not necessarily store reviews one by one. They pick up patterns, so when customers keep bringing up the same points about a companythis impression becomes the model’s shorthand, for better or worse.
The second system explains why a new activity is important. AI search tools generate live pages as they respond, rewarding businesses for staying active. An analysis found that those who actively collect and respond to reviews appear in 75% of AI-generated recommendations, compared to 1% of those without reviews present. Researchers who changed the publication dates of seven major models found that newer content consistently ranked higher, even when older content was just as relevant.
Both systems seek the same thing: proof that reality is real. people are talking about you. An Ahrefs study on 75,000 brands found that brand mentions across the web, along with how often a business is referenced in reviews, articles, and forums, was the best predictor of visibility in Google’s AI insights. “AI models measure the extent of actual conversations about you,” says Lai. “It cares less about what you say about yourself than what others say, and that comes from having your buyers share their experiences in relevant places. »
Share your reviews on all platforms
Since AI synthesizes from many sources, no single platform gives it the complete picture. AI models learn from places where people already leave reviews, including Google reviews, the Better Business Bureau, Tripadvisor, Yelp, and SmartCustomer. The companies that appear are those that have a consistent history across several of them. A concentrated reputation in one place gives AI a narrow and easily biased view, and leaves room for competitors to define it instead.
What to do now
The strategy is not complicated, but it is continuous. Ask customers for feedback in several places. Integrate requests for opinions into daily life customer experience to facilitate the collection of new reviews. Encourage details rather than generic praise, because details give AI more possibilities. Respond to reviews, including negative ones, because a helpful response signals responsibility to readers and machines. And conduct an audit to see what AI tools are saying about you, noting competitors and the sources they cite.
“You can’t bury a bad brand more,” says Lai. “The enduring strategy for large companies is to continue to get honest, current feedback and let it grow where AI can find it. »
