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In today’s digital landscape, reviews, especially Google reviews, are critical in shaping a business’s online reputation and visibility. At Lewis Media, our team helps local business clients navigate this evolving space every day. 

In our previous blog, we explored how reviews and engagement drive local SEO rankings and real results. Those principles still hold true today, as authentic engagement and consistent feedback remain the foundation of local visibility. 

But as search evolves, the stakes have risen. AI-driven platforms like Google’s AI Overviews and other emerging tools are now interpreting, summarizing, and even recommending businesses based on review signals. Even our metrics are changing, but what's paramount now is making sure that AI platforms speak highly of, reference, and cite your business. Reviews are one crucial lever to pull in order to make sure that’s the case. Reviews aren’t just influencing rankings anymore, they’re shaping whether your business is even part of the conversation in AI-powered search.

Understanding the Importance of Google Reviews

Reviews are far more than customer feedback; they’re digital trust signals that shape how real people and AI platforms view a business.

According to online review statistics for 2025, 93% of consumers read online reviews before making a purchase, and 53% trust them as much as personal recommendations. That means for most potential customers, your review profile is your first impression. For search algorithms, it’s a measurable signal of trust and relevance.

Historically, a strong review footprint improved local rankings and conversions. But with AI transforming how people discover and evaluate businesses, the stakes are even higher.

Why Google Reviews Matter Even More in the AI Era

Think of the last time you asked AI or typed a question into Google, like: “What’s the best spot for dinner in my area?” or “Find a top-rated plumber near me that’s open now.”

Instead of scrolling through ten blue links, you probably saw a single, confident AI-generated answer. That response likely came from Google’s AI Overviews, Gemini, ChatGPT Search, or another AI system that favors credible, well-reviewed, and up-to-date businesses.

If your business has no reviews or only a handful of outdated ones, AI systems may not even mention you in these results. For example, a restaurant with 150 recent reviews and a 4.8 average star rating will almost always outrank one with 3 reviews from two years ago when AI generates an “answer” for “best restaurant near me.”

If your brand isn’t generating new, consistent, authentic reviews, it’s likely invisible not only to customers but also to the AI platforms that are recommending local options.

AI Platforms Don’t Just Rank a Business, They Recommend Them

Unlike traditional search results, AI-driven platforms are selective with their results. They generate a short, confident list based on trust signals like review volume, recency, and sentiment of the reviews.

When consumers use AI-powered search for local-specific responses, your business either appears as part of the answer or it doesn’t. There’s no “page two” of these search results.

These AI-generated responses can pull information from public reviews across a business’s Google, Yelp, or other online review profiles. The response will reflect the sentiment of your reviews, summarizing positive and negative feedback into a brief first impression for potential customers. 

Since many users will make a decision based on the provided summary alone and not research more results, local businesses are tasked with overcoming this challenge.

In addition to sentiment and star ratings, AI systems analyze patterns. They look at how often new reviews appear, whether the business responds, and what themes emerge. A review profile that lacks new reviews or reviews in general can signal to AI that a business is inactive, even if it is thriving offline.

This trend extends beyond Google. Emerging platforms, from OpenAI’s ChatGPT Search to Perplexity, increasingly reference reviews in their recommendations. The pattern is clear: AI doesn’t just index local reputation; it interprets it.

Common Pain Points in AI-Driven Search

At Lewis Media, we’ve partnered with many businesses that face the same challenges:

• “We’re not getting new reviews”: In AI-driven search, recency equals relevancy. The more recent the reviews are, the more visible your brand becomes.
  
  
• “We have great service but no visibility”: Even if there are positive reviews, without a steady flow of them, AI won’t surface you as a trusted result.
  
  
• “Our competitors always appear first”: They likely have more review activity, and this is something that AI engines are on the lookout for.

These aren’t minor SEO issues anymore. They are barriers to having your business included in AI-generated search results, which, for many users, have replaced traditional browsing altogether.

How Lewis Media Can Support AI Visibility

At Lewis Media, we help businesses turn their online reviews into a true competitive advantage. We don’t just focus on garnering better local rankings, but also on stronger visibility in the AI-driven search landscape.

Our local listings management and SEO experts stay ahead of how review data interacts with evolving search algorithms and emerging AI platforms. We ensure that your business’s review signals, like volume, freshness, and sentiment, tell both customers and AI engines that your brand is active, credible, and trustworthy.

We take the complexity off your plate so you can focus on what you do best: running your business, while we provide the guidance you need to ensure you’re seen, trusted, and chosen.

In the age of AI-powered search, reviews cannot be ignored. They’re the foundation of discoverability. With 93% of consumers reading reviews before making a purchase and relying on Google reviews to guide their decisions, your online reputation now determines whether AI even includes your business in results.

By partnering with Lewis Media, you gain a team that understands not just how reviews impact rankings, but how they shape the way AI perceives and recommends your brand. Together, we’ll make sure your business is the one both people and AI mention first, because in this era of instant AI answers, visibility starts and ends with trust.

Ready to Strengthen Your Brand’s Online Visibility?

Let’s make sure your business stands out in search, in AI, and in the minds of your customers. Contact the Lewis Media team in Richmond today to start building a smarter local presence that gets noticed everywhere it matters.