What you'll learn:

  • 97% of consumers use reviews to decide and influence purchasing behavior and 31% now only consider businesses rated 4.5 stars or higher
  • Why reviews now influence whether ChatGPT and Google's AI recommend your business at all, and why a Google-only review profile looks thin to AI (consensus).
  • Where reviews belong on your website
  • How to reply to Google reviews so they quietly build your local and AI visibility
  • The fastest social content you'll ever make: turning your ten best reviews into a solid part of your content calendar
  • Why a testimonial belongs next to every price you send, in quotes, proposals, and even your email signature
  • How to mine reviews for headlines, FAQ topics, and full case studies written in your customers' own words
  • The honesty rules: what the FTC's fake review ban means for small businesses, when you need permission to quote someone, and how to handle a negative review without panic


Make the Most of Your Reviews + Testimonials: 5 Places to Put Your Best Marketing to Work

Most small businesses work hard to earn great reviews, then let them sit on Google collecting dust. That's a wasted asset. A review is persuasive marketing copy, written in your customer's own words, for free, and buyers now trust it more than anything you write about yourself. This year's consumer research makes the point loudly: 97 percent of consumers use reviews to guide purchase decisions, 41 percent always read them when browsing for a business, and nearly a third won't consider anyone rated under 4.5 stars.

We also talk more about AI search. When someone asks ChatGPT or Google's AI for "the best plumber near me," the AI reads reviews, on Google and beyond, to decide which businesses to cite and mention. Your review profile isn't just social proof anymore. It's part of whether you get recommended at all, which connects directly to the AI search groundwork we covered in 5 Steps to Rank in AI Search.

In this session, Patrice walks through five places to put your reviews to work: your website, your Google Business Profile, your social media, your emails and proposals, and brand new content mined straight from your customers' own words. Along the way you'll get the ground rules that keep you on the right side of Google and the FTC, and a reminder of why fresh reviews beat a big stale batch (if you need a repeatable way to keep them coming, that system is in The Review System from May).

None of this requires new tools or new budget. You'll leave with three specific action items, about 90 minutes of work total, that put you ahead of most of your competitors.