Matt Turley, Continuum. Updated November 5, 2026.
What we can say from the data, what we cannot, and how to approach reviews without gaming them.
Probably, as part of being present on the sites the tools read, but we have not tested reviews as a cause. What we measured is where the answers look: 27.9% of citations for local trades went to directories and review sites. Being listed and described accurately on those sites is the safest move.
Across 17 Dallas trades, 27.9% of the citations in the answers on average went to directories and review sites. When ChatGPT names a local business it often does so with details such as a phone number and a review count it read on another site. See the HVAC example.
That is correlation in a log of answers. We did not run an experiment that adds reviews and watches the result, so we do not claim reviews cause a recommendation.
Do not buy reviews or write them yourself. Platforms act against it, customers notice, and fake reviews can breach consumer-protection rules as well as platform rules. A smaller set of honest reviews on the right sites is worth more than a pile that has to be explained later.
To see which sites the tools read for your questions, run the free AI visibility check or read how the research logs sources by type.
Enter your business and the free check asks four AI engines the questions your customers ask, then shows whether you were named. No signup. It is a first look; the paid reports repeat each question several times.
Run the free AI visibility check. Or book a call and talk it through.