It's tempting to think reviews are about the average: 4.8 good, 3.9 bad. AI treats them differently. It reads the text and uses it to describe you. When ten reviews say 'gentle,' an assistant is likely to call you gentle. That's your reputation, in the model's own words.
Recency beats volume
A hundred reviews from three years ago say less to an AI than a steady trickle of recent ones. Fresh reviews signal that you're active, and they give the model current language instead of dated impressions.
Specific beats generic
'Great service' gives AI nothing to work with. 'Fixed our AC the same day and explained the bill' gives it something concrete to repeat to the next person asking. Encourage detail: a nudge to mention what was done often produces exactly the phrases you want AI to echo.
The words to watch
The flip side: negative themes get repeated too. If reviews cluster around 'hard to reach' or 'pricey,' AI may pass that along. Watching which words AI actually uses about you is the fastest way to know what your reviews are really saying.
See where you stand
TownCheck asks ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity the questions your customers ask — every week — and shows you your score, who's being recommended instead, and what to fix. A one-time checkup is $14.99.