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Module 8 · Lesson 8.2 · Reviews, directories and industry sites · 3 min

Reviews, directories and industry sites: where AI looks for your name

Lesson 8.2 of the AEO and GEO course: why reviews, directories and industry sites matter to ChatGPT and the other AI engines, a real case where a directory wins instead of the site, how to ask for reviews while following Google's rules, and how to complete the listings the engines cite.

The video for this lesson is coming soon to YouTube. Meanwhile, the full transcript is right here.

Transcript

0:00Introduction

Lesson 8.2: reviews, directories and industry sites.

0:06Why they matter

When an AI engine has to recommend a business, it doesn't just trust what the business says about itself. It looks for confirmation elsewhere. A Seer Interactive study of more than 800,000 answers, from March 2026, found that review sites are the second most-cited source in AI. Together with directories and industry sites, they're where your name needs to be. With the right facts.

0:31A real case

Remember the real site from Module 2? The name that won most often in its place was a directory: clutch.co. It was cited in its place on 16 of the 49 questions. Of the five names cited most, three were directories. I promised you the second path: being there, on the directory that wins, with a complete and consistent listing. Here it is.

0:56Reviews

Let's start with reviews. Ask every customer for one, and keep it simple. Google suggests two ways: a link, or a QR code. Don't offer anything in return, no discounts and no gifts: Google calls that fake and misleading content, and it's strictly prohibited. And don't ask only your happy customers: that's prohibited too. Then reply to every review, including the negative ones. A calm, precise reply is one more piece of information about how you work.

1:26Directories

Next, directories. You don't need all of them: you need the ones the engines cite for your questions. For each one, claim your listing, if you haven't already. And complete it: category, services, area, photos, and a link to your site. Name, address and phone number exactly the same as on your site, just like in Lesson 4.1. An empty listing beats nobody. A complete, consistent listing is one more confirmation of what your site says.

1:57Industry sites

Finally, industry sites: trade associations, professional registers, portals and comparison sites in your market. These are sources an engine sees as experts on the topic. Being there, with true, up-to-date facts, is worth more than a hundred scattered profiles.

2:16Your task for today

Your task for today: in the External sources tab, mark the review sites and directories the engines cite for your questions. For the top three, claim and complete your listing. And write a simple message to ask every customer for a review.

2:46Next lesson

In the next lesson: mentions, digital PR and links, to get cited by the sites the engines already read. See you there.

Your task

In the External sources tab, mark the review sites and directories the engines cite for your questions. For the top three, claim and complete your listing. And write a simple message to ask every customer for a review.

Track it in the course worksheet.

Sources

Checked 19 October 2026.