For years, online reviews were mainly used to boost trust and improve local SEO rankings.
But we’re entering a new era: AI engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity are now using those same reviews to decide which brands deserve to be mentioned and recommended.
In other words — reviews are no longer just “good for Google.”
They’re becoming one of the key signals that influence AI-driven visibility.
At Fuzelift, we decided to test how this really works.
The New Reality: Reputation Is Now Machine-Readable
AI models don’t just index your website — they also interpret sentiment, credibility, and trust signals across the web.
That means:
- If your business has a consistent pattern of detailed positive reviews, it’s more likely to appear in AI answers when users ask for recommendations.
- If your reviews are vague, inconsistent, or missing, AI will likely skip your brand entirely — even if your website ranks well on Google.
In short: reputation is no longer just human. It’s an algorithmic ranking factor too.
And authentic reviews have become a key indicator of authority, credibility, and trust in the AI era.
The Fuzelift Experiment
As a digital agency focused on helping businesses grow online, we wanted to see how different types of reviews influence how AI perceives a brand.
Over the past few weeks, we invited some of our clients to leave feedback on several platforms:
- Google Business Profile
- Clutch.co
- LinkedIn Company Page
- And directly on our website, using structured data (Schema.org markup).
We are tracking if and how these reviews began to appear — both in Google searches (“Fuzelift reviews,” “SEO agency Portugal”) and in AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity – Stay tuned for the second part of this article (subscribe to our newsletter to get notified when our tests results are published).
What AI Values Most in a Review
The reviews that make an impact aren’t the short, generic ones.
AI models give higher weight to reviews that include context, measurable results, and emotional cues.
Here’s what works best:
- The initial problem: “Our website wasn’t showing up on Google.”
- The service used: “We worked with Fuzelift for an SEO audit and optimization.”
- The measurable result: “Within 3 months, we doubled our organic traffic.”
- The human experience: “The team was transparent, proactive, and clear in their reporting.”
This structure helps both algorithms and people understand the real impact of your services — and it dramatically improves your credibility when AI decides which brands to recommend.
The Best Platforms to Collect Reviews
Not all review platforms are equal in the eyes of Google and AI models.
Here’s how they rank in terms of visibility and trust impact:
| Platform | Impact on SEO & AI | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Google Business Profile | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | The most important. Shows up on Maps, and AI engines like ChatGPT often reference it. |
| Clutch.co | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Highly trusted for B2B services and used by AI systems as a reputation source. |
| Trustpilot | ⭐⭐⭐ | Good for transparency, though less specialized for digital agencies. |
| LinkedIn Recommendations | ⭐⭐ | Boosts personal and company credibility. |
| Website (Schema.org markup) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Enhances SEO and makes reviews machine-readable. |
How to Ask for Reviews the Right Way
Asking for reviews shouldn’t feel like a chore.
The key is to make the process personal, easy, and value-driven.
Here’s a message template we use at Fuzelift:
Hi [Name],
We’re collecting honest feedback from our clients to help other businesses choose trustworthy partners.
If you could leave us a short review on Google, that would be amazing! 💛
👉 [Direct Google Review Link]
You can mention:
– Which service you used (SEO, website, etc.)
– What changed since then
– How it felt working with usThank you for your time — your words mean a lot and help us grow!
It’s simple, authentic, and encourages clients to write reviews that truly reflect the value delivered.
The Next Phase: AI and Brand Reputation
AI is learning to evaluate companies much like humans do — based on consistency, authenticity, and trust.
Soon, the businesses that have genuine, data-backed, verifiable testimonials will be the ones most often mentioned — and most frequently chosen.
At Fuzelift, we’re continuing to test how digital reputation affects AI-driven recommendations, and the results so far have been promising.
This is just the beginning of a new era where SEO, AI, and human trust merge into a single digital ecosystem.
