How to Rank in AI Search Results: Get Ahead in Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) with Review Data

Richard Ball

August 18, 2025

8 min read

AI search is rewriting the rules of product discovery, deciding which brands make the cut instead of showing shoppers a list of links. To win a place in those answers, you need Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) - and verified review data is your most powerful advantage.

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Platforms like Google, ChatGPT, and Perplexity now generate product and brand recommendations instead of simply listing links. If you’re not in those answers, you risk disappearing from the digital shelf. Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is how you secure visibility - and verified review data is your most valuable asset.

For years, eCommerce visibility meant ranking in Google’s organic results or paying for ads.

That still matters - but traditional search results are giving way to AI‑generated answers.

Shoppers are no longer browsing through multiple sites to compare options. AI search delivers a ready‑made shortlist of products and brands within the results - complete with features, pros, cons and trust signals - so they can make decisions faster and with more confidence.

And this change is happening fast.

Adobe reports generative AI traffic to US retail sites grew 1,200% between July 2024 and February 2025 - a massive shift in how shoppers are finding products.

This means a page one ranking is no longer enough.

If you’re not included in AI’s generated answers, you’re invisible to a growing segment of shoppers.

That’s where Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) comes in.

Want to make sure your products are visible in AI search? Book a live demo and see how REVIEWS.io gets you AI-ready with structured, trusted review data.

Summary

AI‑powered search is reshaping product discovery and brand perception. It’s no longer about ranking in links but being featured in AI‑generated recommendations.
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the new focus for merchants, ensuring both product data and company reputation are AI‑ready, trusted, and compelling.
Reviews are your most valuable GEO asset, combining structured facts about your product and brand with natural customer language AI loves.
Without structured, verified review data, even the best products or most reputable brands may never appear in AI results.
Learn how to optimize your review data for AI search - act now and make sure it’s your products and your name shoppers see first.

What is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)?

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the process of making data AI‑ready so it can be found, trusted, and featured in AI‑generated answers.

It’s built on the same principles as Search Engine Optimization (SEO) - ensuring your content is clear, accurate, and structured - but with a different primary objective:

SEO is about ranking higher in a list of search results.
GEO is about appearing in the recommendations AI shows to the user.

To understand how to optimize for both, it’s important to see where they overlap, and where they differ.

GEO vs. SEO: What’s the difference?

GEO isn’t a separate discipline from SEO. It’s a shift in focus.

Think of them as two strands of the same approach: the technical work you do for GEO will often strengthen your SEO, and vice versa.

Both rely on:

Structured data: content tagged and organized so machines can read it.
Trust signals: verified, credible information that proves authenticity.
Relevant, high‑quality content: information that matches search intent.

The difference is in how these signals are applied.

SEO algorithms use them to determine where your page ranks in a list of links - often factoring in backlinks, keyword density, and site authority.

AI search engines aren’t ranking links. They’re deciding which products and companies deserve to be featured in AI‑generated recommendations.

To make that decision, they rely far more heavily on structured, verifiable data. Not only about the product itself, but also about the reputation of the brand behind it.

That means you could have strong SEO and still be excluded from AI search results if your product and brand information isn’t in a format AI can process, verify, and confidently present to shoppers.

How do reviews help you appear in AI search results?

AI search engines decide what to recommend by assessing two things: whether a product meets the shopper’s needs, and whether the brand behind it is credible and trustworthy.

They weigh both factors before including anything in their results.

This is where review data has a unique advantage.

It delivers structured data for verifying suitability, and natural language for explaining why the product - and the brand behind it - is the right choice.

Structured data

This bit’s important. Not all review collection methods give AI the structured data it needs. But REVIEWS.io does.

When collected via our platform, company and product reviews contain machine‑readable fields that give AI a clear, reliable picture of what you sell and how you operate:

Star rating: a clear quality indicator.
Verified purchase flag: a trust signal that the review is authentic.
Product attributes (if collected): tagged features like waterproof, lightweight, true to size.
Company attributes (if collected): service‑based details like delivery speed, packaging quality, or customer support experience.
Sentiment analysis: positive, negative, or mixed tone.

Structured data means AI doesn’t have to guess whether your product meets the shopper’s needs or whether your brand is trustworthy. It’s all clearly laid out in a format it understands.

Natural human language

Alongside the structure, reviews contain authentic, conversational language from real customers.

Product reviews provide detailed, relatable stories about how the product performs in real‑world use (“kept me dry on a 6‑hour mountain hike”).
Company reviews capture service experiences, such as delivery reliability, packaging quality, and customer support, in a tone that feels human and trustworthy.

This language mirrors how people naturally search, giving AI compelling, human‑sounding content it can reuse in recommendations.

But having structured data and great storytelling isn’t just about making AI’s job easier. It’s also about proving your credibility.

Search engines, AI models, and shoppers all look for evidence that your products work as promised and your brand can be trusted. That’s where Google’s E-E-A-T framework comes in.

Why E-E-A-T Matters for GEO

E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.

It’s not a direct ranking factor, but it’s a recognised quality standard that guides how Google - and increasingly AI systems - evaluate content and decide what to recommend.

In AI-driven discovery, E-E-A-T signals influence not just whether your products appear, but whether your brand is named and cited as a trusted source.

Large Language Models (LLMs) are trained to prioritise well-sourced, credible, and reputable content, so strong E-E-A-T can mean the difference between a generic mention and a direct endorsement.

Here’s how review data helps you tick every E-E-A-T box:

Experience - Verified purchase reviews prove your products are tried and tested in real-world use.
Expertise - Accurate, detailed product and company information shows you know your category inside out.
Authoritativeness - A strong, consistent review presence across multiple trusted platforms builds recognition.
Trustworthiness - Positive sentiment, transparent service feedback, and verified authenticity strengthen confidence in your brand.

And these signals aren’t limited to your own site. Off-page factors like press coverage, reputable backlinks, and consistent ratings across third-party platforms contribute to your wider credibility footprint.

AI search engines reference this distributed trust layer before deciding which brands and products to recommend.

How to optimize review data for AI search visibility

In AI search, there’s no “page two” to fall back on. You’re either in the results AI delivers to the shopper, or you’re not seen at all.

The steps below will give you the best chance of being featured on platforms like Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT Shopping, Perplexity, and Bing Copilot.

1. Work with a Google Licensed Review Partner

Google is now embedding AI‑powered product recommendations across Search, Shopping, and Chrome. This includes:

AI Overviews in Search, summarising top products and key details at the top of results.
AI‑Powered Review Summaries in Chrome, condensing verified customer sentiment into pros and cons for quick scanning (currently US‑only, with wider rollout expected).

Google only pulls this data from licensed, structured review sources. If you’re not partnered with one, your reviews won’t be used, no matter how positive they are.

How REVIEWS.io helps:

As a Google Licensed Review Partner, every review you collect is eligible for these AI features.
Reviews are sent directly to Google in the correct structured format and linked to your Google Merchant Center listings.
Your reviews are visible across Google Search, Shopping ads, and AI features without extra manual work.

This puts your products in the running for prime placement in Google’s most prominent shopping features. And ahead of competitors who aren’t using a licensed partner.

Pro tip:

If you’re new to review collection, use REVIEWS.io’s Review Booster - a tool that lets you request reviews from past customers in bulk.

This helps you quickly build an eligible dataset for Google AI features.

2. Capture attribute‑rich reviews AI can understand

AI search engines filter results based on specific product and company features.

If a buyer searches for “best vegan leather laptop bag under $150 with fast delivery”, AI needs to see those attributes clearly tagged in your review data to match you to the query.

How REVIEWS.io helps:

Product attributes: With REVIEWS.io Review Attributes, you can add targeted product questions - like fit, size, material, or use case - to your review forms.
Company attributes: Collect service‑based feedback, such as delivery time, packaging quality, or customer service ratings, to give AI a complete picture of your business.

Reviews for a Denman hairbrush with a pop up showing specific customer attributes to filter by. Things like curly hair, straight, etc.

These responses are stored as structured data tags, so AI can instantly match you to detailed search criteria.

This means you remove the guesswork. Every review becomes a searchable, filterable data point that makes you eligible for more - and more specific - AI recommendations.

Pro tip:

Choose attributes that directly influence buying decisions in your category and keep them consistent across similar products.

For inspiration, see how other merchants use attributes to win more targeted traffic.

3. Encourage natural language in customer reviews

Structured attributes give AI the facts. Natural language gives AI the story and makes the recommendation persuasive.

A review that says “waterproof” is helpful. A review that says “Kept my feet dry through a 10‑mile hike in heavy rain” is compelling.

How REVIEWS.io helps:

REVIEWS.io’s Customizable Review Forms include open‑ended prompts to capture rich, authentic customer stories.
This narrative content adds context that product specifications alone can’t provide.

Natural language makes your product stand out in AI‑generated recommendations by adding colour, credibility, and emotional pull. All of which directly influence buying decisions.

Pro tip:

Ask experience‑driven prompts like “Where did you use this product?” or “What problem did it solve for you?”. Keep questions specific but open enough to encourage detailed, story‑led answers.

4. Make reviews machine‑readable with schema markup

If AI and search engines can’t read your review data properly, it won’t be used.

Schema markup tells machines exactly what the review is about - product, rating, reviewer, and date.

How REVIEWS.io helps:

All REVIEWS.io Review Widgets are built with schema markup enabled by default.
Once you embed them, your reviews are instantly machine‑readable for both AI search engines and traditional SEO crawlers.

Schema markup ensures your reviews aren’t just collected - they’re discoverable and usable.

This means your investment in review generation directly supports your visibility in both AI and traditional search.

Pro tip:

Enable the REVIEWS.io AI Review Summary Widget - a product page widget that displays an AI‑generated summary of your customer reviews.

It’s schema‑enabled by default, helping AI and search engines read the content while giving shoppers key insights at a glance.

5. Share reviews on multiple platforms

AI search engines don’t just reference your website. They pull from various trusted sources across the web.

If your reviews live only on your store, you’re limiting where AI can find and verify them.

How REVIEWS.io helps:

Product reviews: With REVIEWS.io’s Syndication Tools, you can push product reviews to sales channels like Walmart and Target, as well as hundreds of market specific sites.
Company reviews: REVIEWS.io’s Reputation Manager lets you collect company reviews on third‑party sites like Trustpilot and Trusted Shops.

Wider distribution for both product and company reviews means more touchpoints for AI to discover your business.

And more places for potential buyers to encounter positive sentiment about your products and brand.

Pro tip:

Regularly check your ratings on third‑party review sites. Then use REVIEWS.io’s Reputation Manager to send more company review invites to platforms where scores are lower.

This strengthens brand trust signals that AI search engines use when deciding which brands to recommend.

6. Use Q&As to build context and authority

AI doesn’t just pull from reviews. It also uses Q&A content to answer product‑specific questions in a way that supports shopper decision‑making.

How REVIEWS.io helps:

REVIEWS.io Expert Answers is a Q&A feature that lets you answer customer questions directly on your product pages.
Only you (the merchant) can provide answers, ensuring the information is accurate, on‑brand, and free from misinformation.
The Expert Answers Widget includes schema markup, making Q&A content machine‑readable for AI search engines and traditional SEO.

Q&As remove friction from the buying process and add keyword‑rich content AI can use to match your products to long‑tail, conversational queries.

Pro tip:

When responding to Q&As, write clear, detailed answers that include relevant product keywords and attributes.

This makes the content more useful to shoppers and easier for AI search engines to understand and match to specific queries.

Stay visible in the age of AI search with REVIEWS.io

New ways to search mean new ways to be found. And for merchants, that means adapting to the way shoppers now discover products and the companies behind them.

AI‑powered platforms are changing the rules, and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is how you stay ahead.

With REVIEWS.io, it’s simple. Our platform gives you structured, trusted AI‑ready data from both product and company reviews - helping AI surface your listings and your reputation at the exact moment shoppers are ready to buy.

If you’re not yet a REVIEWS.io customer, book a live demo to see how quickly you can get AI‑ready and win visibility in the new search landscape.

Frequently asked questions

Focus on Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). Optimize your product data so it’s structured, verifiable, and trustworthy. This gives AI search engines the signals they need to recommend your products.

Structured data is important because without it, AI has to guess. It spells out your product details in a format AI can instantly process and match to a search.

Yes. Reviews give AI both structured data and natural language. Together, that makes your products easier to find and more compelling to recommend.

No. GEO isn’t replacing SEO, it’s expanding it. SEO gets you ranking in traditional search results, while GEO focuses on getting your products featured in AI‑generated recommendations.