Does ChatGPT use Google reviews?
By Citeon · Published
Not in the way Google Maps does, as far as anyone outside OpenAI can tell. ChatGPT is not a Google product, and OpenAI has not announced any feed of Google Business Profile reviews. What it can read are the web pages its search finds: review platforms, directories, articles, forum threads and your own website. So reviews still matter for AI, but not only on Google. Google's own AI, in Gemini and AI Overviews, is a different case, because Google has its own business data.
Where ChatGPT gets its picture of your reviews
When ChatGPT answers a question like "who is the best plumber in Newcastle", it often searches the web first and then summarises what it found. The pages it finds might include review platforms, local and industry directories, "best of" articles, Reddit and forum threads, and business websites. If those pages describe you, and describe you well, you have a better chance of being mentioned.
You can see this for yourself. Ask ChatGPT "what do reviews say about [your business]?" and look at the sources it cites under the answer. That list is a direct view of where it is reading about you.
Why Google reviews still matter
Google's AI Overviews appear above Google's search results, often right beside its map listings, and Gemini is built by Google. For both, Google's own information about your business is close at hand. Google reviews also feed Google Search itself, which shapes which pages about you exist and get found.
So keep asking for Google reviews. Just do not stop there.
What makes a review useful to AI
Specific. "They rewired our whole house in Hobart in two days" says what you do and where. "Great service!" says neither.
On more than one platform. Reviews spread across the sites that rank for your kind of business give an AI several independent sources that agree.
Recent and steady. A trickle of new reviews shows the business is active today, not just two years ago.
Answered. A short, polite reply from the owner, especially to a critical review, shows how the business behaves and often restates the service in plain words.
What to do this week
Search "[your service] [your area] reviews" and list the sites that come up. Make sure you have an accurate profile on each, with the same business name, address, phone and website everywhere. Then ask your next few happy customers to leave a review on one of them, and suggest they mention the service and the area.
Reviews are one piece of a bigger picture. The full set of steps to get recommended by ChatGPT is here, and Citeon shows you which sources each AI cites when it answers your customers' questions, so you can see which review sites and directories are actually shaping the answer.
Common questions
Should I stop asking customers for Google reviews?
No. Google reviews still matter for Google Search, Google Maps and Google's own AI features, and they often show up on other pages that AI tools read. The change is to stop treating Google as the only place reviews count.
Which review sites matter most for AI?
The ones that already appear when you search for your kind of business in your area. Search "[your service] [your area] reviews" and note which sites come up: those are the pages an AI's web search is likely to find too.
Can I get ChatGPT to ignore a bad review?
No. You cannot edit or remove what an AI reads about you. What you can do is respond to the review publicly and calmly, fix the underlying issue, and earn enough recent, specific reviews that one bad one is not the whole picture.
Is it worth buying reviews to look better to AI?
No, and it is illegal in many places. Fake or misleading reviews breach the Australian Consumer Law, the US Federal Trade Commission bans them, and review platforms remove them and can penalise the business.
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