Reviews, directories and mentions: why they matter more now

Your website is what you say about yourself. Reviews, directory listings, articles and discussions are what others say about you. Search engines have long paid attention to both. AI tools that summarize the web lean on them heavily too, because an answer to "who's a good electrician in Leeds?" is naturally built from what many sources say, not one company's own site. This guide explains why this matters and how to build that presence honestly.

Consistent factsThe same details everywhere
ReviewsA steady stream of genuine reviews
MentionsEarn mentions by being useful

Stage 1 of 3: Consistent facts

Write down your canonical details, then update your profiles, directories and old listings to match. See Step 1.

Stage 2 of 3: Reviews

Ask every satisfied customer, make it easy, reply, and follow each platform's rules. See Step 2.

Stage 3 of 3: Mentions

Associations, local press, partners, editorial articles and real expertise shared in public. See Step 3.

Why third-party mentions matter

Google already says so for local results. Google's local ranking guidance describes prominence, and says it's based partly on information from across the web, such as links, articles and directories, and on review count and score. See Local SEO basics.

AI answers summarize many sources. When someone asks an AI tool for a recommendation or a comparison, the tool typically searches and reads several pages. Those often include review platforms, directories, "best of" lists, news articles and forums. If you're absent from those sources, you're less likely to be in the answer, even if your own site is excellent.

They're how AI tools check facts about you. When your hours, address or services appear consistently across many reputable sources, there's less room for an AI tool, or a person, to get them wrong. When they conflict, errors creep in.

People trust them more than your own claims. This was true before AI, and it's why reviews feature so heavily in conversion. See Trust signals.

Step 1: Get your facts consistent everywhere

Write down your canonical details. Exact business name, address (or service area), phone number, website, hours, a one-sentence description and your main categories.

Update your Google Business Profile to match. It's the single most influential listing for local searches. See Google Business Profile for SEO.

Claim and update Bing Places for Business and Apple Business (formerly Apple Business Connect). Bing data matters for Copilot and other tools that use Bing's results, and Apple's for Apple Maps and Siri.

Update major directories relevant to your country and industry, such as Yelp, industry-specific platforms, your chamber of commerce and trade associations.

Update your social profiles, especially LinkedIn and Facebook, which often appear in search results for your name.

Hunt down old listings by searching for your old address, old phone number and old business name. Correct or remove what you find.

Step 2: Build a steady stream of genuine reviews

Ask every satisfied customer, at the moment they're happiest: job completed, problem solved, product delivered.
Make it easy. Send a direct link to your review page. Google Business Profile gives you a shareable review link.
Ask for detail. "If you have a minute, it helps other people if you mention what we did for you" gets more useful reviews than "Please leave us a review."
Spread across the platforms that matter in your industry, not just one.
Reply to reviews, positive and negative. Google suggests replying to reviews, and prospects read how you handle problems.

The rules on reviews

Review rules are strict and enforced. In the US, the FTC's rule on consumer reviews and testimonials, which took effect in 2024, prohibits buying fake reviews, reviews from people who haven't used the business, and conditioning incentives on positive reviews, among other practices. Review platforms have their own policies: Google, for example, prohibits fake engagement and reviews from employees or others with a conflict of interest. Some platforms, such as Yelp, discourage asking for reviews at all. Read each platform's rules before running any review campaign.

What's generally fine: asking all customers for an honest review, without filtering for happy ones in a way that the platform prohibits, and without rewards tied to the review being positive.

Step 3: Earn mentions that AI tools and searchers find

These take effort, and they're also the most valuable:

Industry associations and certifications that list members on their sites.
Local press and community sitesSponsorships, events, expert comment on local stories.
Partners and suppliers who list the businesses they work with.
Comparison and "best of" articles in your niche. Some are pay-to-play; be careful, and favor genuinely editorial ones.
Podcasts, webinars and guest articles where you share real expertise.
Community discussions like Reddit and industry forums. Take part honestly as yourself; disguised self-promotion tends to backfire and breaks most communities' rules.
Original, useful content that others want to reference: a local price guide, a survey of your customers, a clear explanation of a confusing regulation.

Links from these sources help traditional SEO too. See Backlinks, explained.

What to avoid

Buying reviews or "review packages."
Paying for listings on low-quality directories that exist only to sell links.
Mass-submitting your business to hundreds of directories. A handful of reputable, relevant ones is far better.
Planting fake recommendations in forums or comment sections.
Inconsistent names"Smith & Sons Plumbing", "Smith and Sons", "Smith Plumbing Ltd" across different sites.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find out where AI tools are getting their information about me?

Ask them, and look at the sources they cite. Perplexity and ChatGPT search usually show their sources. See How to check whether AI tools mention your business.

Can I get a negative review removed?

Only if it breaks the platform's rules, for example spam, a review of the wrong business, or a conflict of interest. Each platform has a process for flagging reviews. If it's a genuine but unfair review, a calm, factual reply is usually the best response.

Do directory listings still matter if nobody uses those directories?

Some do, some don't. Reputable directories in your industry and area still help with local search signals, and they're often among the sources AI tools read. Very low-quality directories add little and can make you look spammy.