Online reputation analysis and review management strategy. Activates when discussing reviews, reputation, brand sentiment, negative reviews, review management, BBB complaints, Yelp reviews, online reputation strategy, or review generation systems. Phase 15. Output: {AUDIT_DIR}/reputation-findings.md
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Online reputation is a direct local pack ranking signal and an AI visibility gatekeeper. Businesses with <4.0 stars are systematically excluded from Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT recommendations, and Perplexity citations for most local service categories (2025). Review velocity — not review count — is what separates stagnant profiles from rising ones: Google's algorithm weights reviews from the last 60–90 days at 3–5× more than older reviews (confirmed via multiple local SEO studies, 2024–2025). A single SMS-based review request system set up in one afternoon can generate 4–8 reviews/month consistently — the highest-ROI action in local SEO. This phase audits the full review ecosystem, benchmarks against competitors, identifies fake/malicious content, and builds a systematic reputation management infrastructure.
2025 reputation benchmarks:
Tools for this phase:
| Tool | Purpose | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| BrightLocal | Review dashboard, NAP scan, citation audit, review generation | Paid ($29–79/mo) |
| Podium | SMS-based review requests, review inbox, webchat | Paid ($289+/mo) |
| Birdeye | Multi-platform review monitoring, AI response generation, sentiment analysis | Paid ($299+/mo) |
| ReviewTrackers | Competitive benchmarking, sentiment analysis, reporting dashboard | Paid |
| Grade.us | Review generation funnels, drip campaigns, white-label reporting | Paid ($110+/mo) |
| Google Business Profile | Direct review management, Q&A, insights dashboard | Free |
| Google Alerts | Monitor brand mentions in real-time across web | Free |
| Mention / Brand24 | Social listening, competitor review tracking, sentiment scoring | Paid |
Read {AUDIT_DIR}/intake-data.md for business name, URL, location, and services.
Read {AUDIT_DIR}/local-findings.md for GBP review baseline.
Read {AUDIT_DIR}/competitor-profiles.md for competitor review benchmarks.
Search [Business Name] [City] in Google Maps and note:
| Metric | Strong | Competitive | Weak | Critical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google rating | ≥4.7 | 4.3–4.6 | 4.0–4.2 | <4.0 |
| Review count | ≥100 | 50–99 | 25–49 | <25 |
| Velocity (per month) | ≥8/month | 4–7/month | 1–3/month | <1/month |
| Response rate | 100% | 80–99% | 50–79% | <50% |
| Response time | <4 hrs | 4–24 hrs | 1–3 days | >3 days |
| % reviews with photos | ≥30% | 20–29% | 10–19% | <10% |
| % reviews mentioning services | ≥40% | 25–39% | 10–24% | <10% |
| Negative review recovery rate | ≥80% | 60–79% | 40–59% | <40% |
Review benchmarks by market size and niche:
| Niche | Small Market (<100K) | Mid Market (100K–1M) | Major Metro (1M+) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home services (plumbing, HVAC) | 2–4/mo, 25+ total | 4–8/mo, 50+ total | 8–15/mo, 100+ total |
| Legal / professional | 1–2/mo, 20+ total | 2–4/mo, 40+ total | 4–8/mo, 75+ total |
| Healthcare / dental | 2–4/mo, 30+ total | 5–10/mo, 75+ total | 10–20/mo, 200+ total |
| Restaurant / food | 5–10/mo, 50+ total | 15–30/mo, 150+ total | 30–50/mo, 500+ total |
| Automotive | 2–5/mo, 40+ total | 5–10/mo, 100+ total | 10–20/mo, 200+ total |
Veto: Rating <3.5 → maximum reputation score 40/100; effectively disqualified from local pack. Veto: Rating <4.0 → excluded from Google AIO recommendations for most service categories.
| Platform | Review Count | Rating | Response Rate | Profile Complete? | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yelp | |||||
| BBB | |||||
| Trustpilot | |||||
| [Industry-specific] | |||||
| [Industry-specific] |
Industry-specific platforms by niche:
| Metric | Client | Comp 1 | Comp 2 | Comp 3 | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google review count | |||||
| Google rating | |||||
| Review velocity/month | |||||
| % 5-star | |||||
| Response rate |
Findings:
What do customers praise most? (Extract from actual reviews)
These are SEO opportunities — build content around what customers love.
What complaints recur?
These are operational problems AND reputation risks. Flag for business improvement.
Do reviews contain service keywords?
Service keywords in reviews help local pack rankings.
Does the business have a systematic review generation process?
| Question | Yes/No |
|---|---|
| Review request sent after every job/purchase? | |
| Review request via SMS? | |
| Review request via email? | |
| QR code at point of sale/service? | |
| Staff trained to verbally ask for reviews? | |
| Review link easily accessible on website? | |
| Review link on GBP? | |
| Follow-up system for non-responders? |
Assessment: Active system / Passive (sporadic) / None
For every 1-star and 2-star review:
Signs of fake reviews:
Recommendation if fake reviews found:
Reviews as a marketing asset:
Reviews directly influence AI recommendation engines — not just traditional search.
Test protocol:
best [service] in [city] in Google AI Overviews → Does business appear? What rating/review count is displayed?Who are the top [service] providers in [city]? → Is business mentioned?Best reviewed [service] in [city] → What review thresholds does it cite?2025 AI Review Thresholds Observed:
Critical insight: Brand mentions correlate 3× more strongly with AI visibility than backlinks (Ahrefs December 2025 study of 75,000 brands). AI platforms cite businesses they "know" from mentions across the web — not just businesses with strong link profiles.
| Platform | AI Citation Correlation | Weight | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube | ~0.737 (strongest) | 25% | AI systems (especially Gemini) heavily index YouTube. Videos, reviews, and tutorials mentioning the brand = high AI visibility. |
| High | 25% | Perplexity sources 46.7% of citations from Reddit. ChatGPT also weights Reddit discussions. Authentic brand mentions in subreddit discussions = strong signal. | |
| Wikipedia / Wikidata | High | 20% | ChatGPT sources 47.9% from Wikipedia. Wikidata entity = 3× more AI citations. The #1 entity signal for AI. |
| Moderate | 15% | Copilot (Bing) weights Microsoft ecosystem. Thought leadership posts and company page completeness improve Copilot citations. | |
| Domain Rating / Backlinks | ~0.266 (weak!) | 15% | Traditional backlinks still matter for organic SEO but are a weak predictor of AI citation. Brand mentions outperform links 3:1. |
Key takeaway: A business with 50 genuine brand mentions across YouTube, Reddit, and industry forums will likely have better AI visibility than a business with 500 backlinks but no platform presence.
For each platform, search "[Business Name]" and document:
| Platform | Search Method | Mentions Found? | Sentiment | Recency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube | Search [Business Name] on youtube.com | Yes/No — [count] videos | Positive/Neutral/Negative | Last 6 months? |
Search [Business Name] on reddit.com | Yes/No — [count] threads | Positive/Neutral/Negative | Last 6 months? | |
| Wikipedia | Search [Business Name] on en.wikipedia.org | Article / Mentioned / Absent | N/A | N/A |
| Wikidata | Search [Business Name] on wikidata.org | Entity exists? Q-number? | N/A | N/A |
Search [Business Name] on linkedin.com | Company page? Posts? | Positive/Neutral/Negative | Active? | |
| Quora | Search [Business Name] on quora.com | Yes/No — [count] answers | Positive/Neutral/Negative | Last year? |
| Industry forums | Search niche-specific communities | Yes/No | Positive/Neutral/Negative | Recent? |
| Component | Points | How to Score |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube presence (channel exists + brand mentioned in videos) | 25 | 25 = active channel + external mentions; 15 = channel only; 5 = mentioned by others; 0 = absent |
| Reddit presence (genuine discussions, not spam) | 25 | 25 = active contributor in relevant subreddits; 15 = mentioned positively; 5 = minimal mentions; 0 = absent |
| Wikipedia/Wikidata entity | 20 | 20 = Wikipedia article; 15 = Wikidata entity; 10 = mentioned in other articles; 0 = absent |
| LinkedIn company page (complete + active) | 15 | 15 = complete + regular posts + employee engagement; 10 = complete; 5 = basic; 0 = absent |
| Cross-platform mention consistency | 15 | 15 = consistent NAP + brand description across all platforms; 10 = mostly consistent; 5 = some conflicts; 0 = major inconsistencies |
| Action | Impact (1–5) | Feasibility (1–5) | Priority | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Create YouTube channel + publish 3 educational videos | 5 | 3 | 15 | 8–16 hrs |
| Participate authentically in 2–3 relevant subreddits | 5 | 4 | 20 | 2 hrs/week ongoing |
| Create Wikidata entity (if business has external coverage) | 4 | 4 | 16 | 2–4 hrs |
| Complete + activate LinkedIn company page | 3 | 5 | 15 | 1–2 hrs |
| Encourage customers to post YouTube review videos | 4 | 3 | 12 | Ongoing |
| Answer Quora questions in business category | 3 | 4 | 12 | 1 hr/week |
| Add sameAs schema linking all platform profiles | 4 | 5 | 20 | 30 min |
| Set up brand mention monitoring (Google Alerts + Brand24) | 3 | 5 | 15 | 30 min setup |
If average rating < 4.0 or significant negative content:
Priority Recovery Roadmap:
| Step | Action | Effort | Timeline | Impact (1–5) | Feasibility (1–5) | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Resolve operational issues causing negative reviews | 2–20 hrs | Immediate | 5 | 3 | 15 |
| 2 | Set up SMS review requests via Podium/Birdeye | 2 hrs setup | Week 1 | 5 | 5 | 25 |
| 3 | Respond to every existing negative review | 30 min/review | Week 1 | 4 | 5 | 20 |
| 4 | Request removal of clearly fake reviews (GBP flag) | 15 min each | Week 1 | 3 | 4 | 12 |
| 5 | Create suppression content (FAQs, About page, PR) | 4–8 hrs | Month 1 | 4 | 4 | 16 |
| 6 | Implement Birdeye/Podium for systematic management | 4 hrs setup | Month 1 | 5 | 4 | 20 |
Provide 3 customized response templates:
5-Star Response (Personalized): "[Customer name], thank you for taking the time to share your experience with [specific service mentioned]. We're thrilled [specific thing they praised]. [Business name] team loves serving the [city] community. See you next time!"
Negative Review Response (Empathetic): "[Customer name], we sincerely apologize this wasn't the experience you expected. We take feedback very seriously. We'd love to make this right — please contact us at [phone] so we can resolve this personally. — [Owner name], [Business Name]"
Neutral Review Response: "Thank you for your feedback, [Name]. We appreciate you choosing [Business Name]. If there's anything we can do to make your next experience a 5-star one, please let us know."
| Action | Impact (1–5) | Feasibility (1–5) | Priority Score | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Set up SMS review request system (Podium/Birdeye) | 5 | 5 | 25 | 2 hrs setup |
| Respond to every unanswered review (positive + negative) | 5 | 5 | 25 | 30 min/batch |
| Resolve operational issues driving negative reviews | 5 | 3 | 15 | Varies |
| Add AggregateRating schema to homepage + service pages | 4 | 5 | 20 | 30 min |
| Flag and report fake/competitor reviews via GBP | 3 | 5 | 15 | 15 min/review |
| Train staff on verbal review request after service | 4 | 4 | 16 | 1 hr training |
| Display top reviews on website (testimonials section) | 3 | 5 | 15 | 1–2 hrs |
| Create review-optimized landing page with schema | 4 | 4 | 16 | 2–3 hrs |
| Set up QR code for review requests (print + digital) | 3 | 5 | 15 | 30 min |
| Build multi-platform review monitoring dashboard | 4 | 4 | 16 | 2 hrs setup |
ratingValue, reviewCount, bestRating:5, worstRating:1. Validate at search.google.com/test/rich-results. Expected: star ratings appear in SERP snippets = +17–25% CTR.| Category | Weight | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Google review count vs. competitors | 15% | /15 |
| Average rating (target: ≥4.5) | 20% | /20 |
| Review velocity (≥4/month for mid-market) | 15% | /15 |
| Response rate (100% = perfect) | 15% | /15 |
| Multi-platform presence (3+ platforms complete) | 15% | /15 |
| Brand mention authority for AI (YouTube/Reddit/Wikipedia/LinkedIn) | 20% | /20 |
Veto: Average rating <3.5 → maximum score 40/100 regardless of other factors. Veto: Average rating <4.0 → flag as AIO exclusion risk; note in report.
Write to {AUDIT_DIR}/reputation-findings.md with YAML frontmatter:
---
skill: local/reputation-audit
phase: 15
date: [YYYY-MM-DD]
business: [Business Name]
url: [URL]
score: [X/100]
status: [healthy|needs-attention|critical]
google_rating: [X.X]
google_review_count: [X]
review_velocity_monthly: [X]
response_rate_pct: [X%]
aio_eligible: [yes|no|borderline]
veto_triggered: [yes|no]
---
Include:
Output files:
{AUDIT_DIR}/reputation-findings.md — findings with score and review profile analysis{REPORTS_DIR}/phase-15-reputation.pdf — auto-generated PDF after phase completesKey consumers:
cross-cutting/local-impact-auditor — Online Reviews dimension (O in LOCAL-IMPACT)local/local-seo — shares review baseline datalocal/brand-serp — reputation signals affect Knowledge Panel trustoutput/report-generation — reputation section in master report| Platform | Local Ranking Impact | AIO Citation Impact | Min Reviews Target | Effort to Optimize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Business Profile | Critical (primary signal) | High — feeds AIO local pack | 50+ (4.5 stars) | 30 min/week (respond to all) |
| Yelp | High (Yelp/Apple Maps/Siri) | Medium | 20+ (4.0 stars) | 15 min/week |
| Facebook Reviews | Medium (Meta search, brand SERP) | Low | 15+ | 10 min/week |
| Industry-specific (Houzz/Angi/Healthgrades/Avvo) | High in niche | Medium | 10+ per platform | 20 min/week |
| BBB Rating | Medium (trust signal) | Low | A- or better | 1 hr setup |
| Trustpilot | Low-Medium | Medium (cited by ChatGPT/Perplexity) | 10+ | 15 min/week |
Review widgets (embedded Google Reviews, Trustpilot widgets) are common INP killers — they inject late JS that blocks user interaction. Load review badges lazily or use static HTML snippets with AggregateRating schema instead of live widgets for fastest page response.
| Business Type | Min GBP Reviews | Min Rating | Review Velocity | Star Display |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurant/food | 100+ | 4.3+ | 20+/month | AggregateRating schema |
| Medical/dental | 50+ | 4.5+ | 5+/month | AggregateRating schema |
| Legal/professional | 30+ | 4.4+ | 3+/month | AggregateRating schema |
| Home services | 50+ | 4.5+ | 8+/month | AggregateRating schema |
| Retail/e-commerce | 75+ | 4.3+ | 15+/month | Product + Organization schema |
| General local SMB | 25+ | 4.0+ | 2+/month | AggregateRating schema |