What Is Agentic Search?

Agentic search refers to the process by which AI agents—not humans—evaluate information to make decisions on behalf of users. These digital agents are trained to sift through the web, databases, reviews, and structured data to deliver the best possible recommendation, answer, or action for a user’s query.

And here’s the kicker: agentic systems aren’t swayed by flashy ads or emotional storytelling. They prioritize relevance, consistency, reputation, and structured signals of trust. That makes online reviews, ratings, and reputation more important than ever.

Reviews and Reputation Are the New SEO

When an AI assistant decides where to book a dinner reservation, schedule a test drive, or recommend a local plumber, it looks at the most trustworthy, relevant information available. Public reviews—especially from platforms like Google, Yelp, TripAdvisor, and industry-specific sources—are central to this.

Agentic systems evaluate:

• Volume and recency of reviews (Is the business active and consistently delivering good service?)
  
• Average rating and sentiment analysis (Is the tone of feedback positive and relevant?)
  
• Topical relevance (Are reviews about the service the user is requesting?)
  
• Consistency across platforms (Does the reputation align across Google, Facebook, etc.?)
  

Simply put: If your business has few, outdated, or mediocre reviews, you’ll get skipped—by both people and their digital agents.

Reputation Powers Organic Search and Map Results

Even outside of AI assistants, Google’s ranking algorithm for organic results and map packs heavily weighs reviews. A business with strong, recent, and diverse reviews:

• Ranks higher in Google Maps searches
  
• Gains more visibility in “near me” and service-specific searches
  
• Gets featured more often in AI-generated snippets and results
  

Why does that matter?

Because map results convert at some of the highest rates in all of search marketing. Users who see your business in a Google Maps 3-pack are typically ready to act—whether that’s calling, visiting, or booking. These are bottom-of-funnel customers.

Improving your reviews directly lifts your map presence. And better map visibility brings higher-intent, local traffic that often outperforms even paid search.

How to Prepare for the Agentic Future

1. Audit your review presence: Know where your reviews live, how recent they are, and how you compare to competitors.
   
2. Ask for reviews—strategically: Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews on the platforms that matter most to your industry and geography.
   
3. Respond and engage: AI agents prefer businesses that are active and engaged. Responding to reviews boosts trust signals.
   
4. Monitor sentiment trends: Don’t just track ratings—analyze keywords and themes that show up in reviews. They matter for search relevance.
   
5. Ensure NAP consistency: Your Name, Address, and Phone number should be consistent across all listings—this is crucial for both human and agentic confidence.
   

The Bottom Line

We’re entering a world where agents—digital ones—will be the new gatekeepers. Optimizing only for human-driven search is no longer enough. Businesses that invest now in building a strong, review-powered online reputation will be the ones recommended, booked, and visited—whether by a person or their AI assistant.

Optimize for trust. Optimize for relevance. Optimize for agents.

Because the future of search doesn’t knock. It recommends.

Here’s why Maps matters—and how reviews, relevance, and optimization directly impact conversions and revenue.

1. Google Maps Is the New Front Door

When someone searches “best pizza near me,” “urgent care open now,” or “marketing agency in [city],” they’re not looking for blog posts or generic company pages—they’re looking for who’s nearby, who’s open, and who’s trusted. Google Maps listings are what show up first in these high-intent, location-based searches. These are often called “discovery searches”—and they’re booming.

In fact, over 86% of people use Google Maps to find local businesses, and Google’s own research shows that searches with “near me” have increased over 500% in recent years. This is where customers are choosing who to call, visit, or book with.

2. Maps Listings Convert Better Than Organic Results

Organic search results serve their purpose—but they don’t convert like Maps.

Here’s why:

• Visual Trust Signals: Star ratings, photos, hours, and proximity show up instantly in Maps results.
• Action-Oriented UI: Click-to-call, directions, website, and booking links make it frictionless for mobile users to take action immediately.
• Local Relevance: The algorithm surfaces businesses based on location, reviews, relevance, and activity—not just website SEO.
  

In short, a business with a strong Maps presence converts more because it’s exactly what the user is looking for, at the exact time they’re ready to act.

3. Reviews = Rankings. Rankings = Revenue.

Google Maps ranks businesses using three key signals:

• Relevance: How closely your listing matches the search query.
• Distance: How close you are to the searcher.
• Prominence: How well-known and well-reviewed your business is.

Reviews are the currency of local visibility. Google doesn’t just count how many you have—they analyze the keywords in reviews, the recency of feedback, and your response behavior. Businesses with higher review volume, quality ratings, and active engagement consistently outrank competitors—even those with better websites.

If you’re not proactively collecting, responding to, and showcasing customer reviews, you’re falling behind.

4. Google Maps Optimization Is the New SEO

Traditional SEO still matters, but for many service businesses, being able to optimize for Google Maps is now more important. That means:

• Claiming and fully optimizing your Google Business Profile
• Adding categories, service areas, hours, photos, and products
• Regularly posting updates and offers
• Actively collecting and responding to reviews
• Ensuring NAP (Name, Address, Phone) consistency across the web
  

This kind of local SEO directly influences where you appear in the Maps 3-Pack—the most valuable real estate in all of search.

5. It’s Not Just Visibility—It’s Credibility

Even if someone finds your business in organic search, they’re still checking your Maps listing for proof. The reviews. The photos. The Q&A. If your listing is incomplete or buried under competitors, you’ll lose the trust battle before you get the call.

Maps is no longer optional. It’s the heartbeat of local discovery, reputation, and revenue.

Bottom Line: Own the Map, Win the Click

If you want more calls, more foot traffic, and more conversions, your Google Maps presence needs to be polished, active, and trusted. Invest in optimizing your profile, generating high-quality reviews, and being visible where your customers are searching.

Because in the world of local search, Google Maps isn’t just a map. It’s your storefront, reputation, and sales funnel—all in one.

And if you’re relying on it as one, your institution is flying blind when it comes to what actually influences public perception and member growth in 2025.

1. NPS Doesn’t Touch Your Public Reputation

Your NPS score is private. Reviews on Google, Yelp, Facebook, Indeed, Glassdoor, and other platforms? Public—and powerful.

Those public reviews are a huge driver of search engine rankings, especially in Google Maps results. Even your employee reviews are now being factored into broader online reputations. NPS won’t help you show up higher in those search results. And it certainly won’t change what prospective members see when they Google your name.

Bottom line: You could have a sky-high NPS and still be buried on page two of Google with a 2.9-star rating.

2. Reviews Impact Paid Ad Performance and Cost

Public reviews don’t just help with SEO—they have a direct effect on paid advertising efficiency.

Google prioritizes businesses with strong, recent reviews for better ad placements, often at lower cost-per-click. That means every review you earn can contribute to lower ad spend and better conversion rates.

Relying solely on NPS while ignoring your public-facing reputation is a recipe for wasted ad dollars and underperforming campaigns.

3. Younger Audiences Trust Reviews, Not Surveys

Millennials and Gen Z aren’t reading internal bank reports. They’re searching.

And what do they see?

• Star ratings
• Review volume
• Recency of comments
• Responses from the business

If you’re not actively generating and managing reviews, you’re invisible—or worse, forgettable. NPS isn’t even on their radar. And that’s a problem if you’re serious about long-term member growth.

4. Every Ad Leads to a Search Engine

Let’s be real: no matter where your marketing starts—social, display ads, radio, TV, direct mail, YouTube—it ends with a Google search.

And what happens next depends entirely on what your reputation looks like in that moment. A high NPS score doesn’t appear in search. But your 3.4 stars and unresponded reviews do.

5. The Solution: Tech-Driven Reputation Management

If you want to move the needle on real reputation and revenue, you need a public review strategy supported by modern tech. That means:

• Automated review invitations post-interaction
• AI-powered response generation
• Integrated website plugins to showcase real-time feedback
• Reporting that ties review activity to member growth
• Tools for improving both customer and employee reviews
  

With the right platform in place, your institution can drive more trust, more traffic, more conversions—and yes, even better ad performance.

Final Word

Using NPS? That’s fine. Keep doing it if it gives your team insight.

Just don’t pretend it’s building your reputation. It isn’t.

Your reputation lives and breathes on the public internet—on Google, Yelp, Indeed, Glassdoor, and beyond. And if you’re not actively managing it, you’re not just missing opportunities… you’re paying for them to go elsewhere.

Build a real reputation strategy. Start with public reviews. Get a tech partner to do all the heavy lifting.  Start smashing growth objectives.

Why the FDIC Pays Attention to Bank Reviews

1. Customer Experience and Fair Lending Compliance
   Online reviews can reveal patterns of customer dissatisfaction, which could indicate violations of fair lending laws or other consumer protection regulations. The FDIC monitors these reviews to ensure financial institutions are treating customers equitably and providing fair access to banking services.
   
2. Operational and Risk Management Concerns
   Negative reviews often highlight issues such as long wait times, fraudulent transactions, or poor dispute resolution. If a bank accumulates a significant number of such complaints without addressing them, it may indicate weak internal processes that pose operational risks.
   
3. Trust and Stability in the Banking Sector
   A bank’s reputation is directly tied to customer confidence. A flood of negative reviews can shake public trust, leading to decreased deposits, increased withdrawals, and potential instability. The FDIC monitors these trends to assess the overall health of financial institutions and mitigate risks to the banking system.
   

How Banks Can Proactively Manage Their Reputation

With online reviews playing such a crucial role, banks must actively manage their digital reputation. However, manually tracking and responding to reviews across multiple platforms can be overwhelming. That’s where a tech partner comes in.

How a Tech Partner Can Help

1. Automated Monitoring & Real-Time Alerts
   A tech-driven reputation management solution can track reviews from platforms like Google, Yelp, and the Better Business Bureau in real time. This allows banks to respond quickly to emerging issues before they escalate.
   
2. AI-Powered Sentiment Analysis
   Advanced algorithms can analyze customer feedback to identify recurring themes and sentiment trends, helping banks address systemic issues proactively rather than reactively.
   
3. Streamlined Response Management
   A centralized platform enables banks to respond to customer reviews professionally and consistently, ensuring compliance with regulatory expectations while improving customer satisfaction.
   
4. Customer Experience Insights
   Beyond managing negative reviews, tech solutions can help banks leverage positive feedback, identify service gaps, and enhance their overall customer experience strategy.
   

Summary

In an era where digital perception shapes reality, banks must embrace technology to stay ahead of customer feedback and regulatory expectations.  The FDIC takes online bank reviews seriously because they provide critical insights into customer experiences, regulatory compliance, and financial institution stability. Banks that fail to manage their online reputation risk regulatory scrutiny and loss of customer trust. By partnering with a tech provider, banks can implement a proactive approach to reputation management, ensuring they maintain compliance, enhance customer satisfaction, and build long-term trust in their brand.

Why the NCUA Monitors Credit Union Reviews

1. Consumer Protection & Compliance
   Credit unions are expected to adhere to fair lending laws and consumer protection regulations. Online reviews can highlight patterns of potential non-compliance, such as discriminatory practices or misleading fees, prompting further investigation by regulators.
   
2. Operational and Risk Management Concerns
   Negative reviews often reveal systemic issues, from long wait times and poor customer service to fraudulent activity and security breaches. If unresolved, these concerns can pose serious operational risks and undermine the credit union’s financial health.
   
3. Member Trust and Institutional Stability
   A strong reputation is essential for credit unions, as they rely on community trust and word-of-mouth referrals. A surge in negative reviews can erode member confidence, leading to decreased deposits and weakened financial stability—concerns that the NCUA actively monitors.
   

How Credit Unions Can Proactively Manage Their Reputation

Given the importance of online reviews, credit unions must take a proactive approach to reputation management. However, tracking and responding to reviews across multiple platforms can be time-consuming. This is where a tech partner can provide a competitive advantage.

How a Tech Partner Can Help

1. Automated Review Monitoring & Alerts
   A reputation management platform can monitor reviews in real time across platforms like Google, Yelp, and social media, ensuring that credit unions address concerns before they escalate.
   
2. AI-Powered Sentiment Analysis
   Advanced analytics tools can assess customer sentiment, detect recurring complaints, and identify service gaps, allowing credit unions to make data-driven improvements.
   
3. Efficient Response Management
   A centralized response system enables credit unions to reply quickly and professionally to feedback, demonstrating transparency and member commitment while maintaining compliance.
   
4. Actionable Customer Experience Insights
   Beyond damage control, tech solutions can help credit unions leverage positive reviews, strengthen member relationships, and enhance service quality to drive growth.
   

Summary

The NCUA takes online reviews seriously because they offer a window into a credit union’s service quality, compliance status, and overall stability. Credit unions that neglect their digital reputation risk losing member trust and attracting regulatory attention. By partnering with a tech provider, they can streamline review management, gain valuable customer insights, and ensure a proactive approach to member satisfaction and compliance. In an era where digital perception shapes reality, credit unions must embrace technology to stay ahead of feedback and build lasting member loyalty.

• Effective November 4, 2022, the SEC’s refreshed “Marketing Rule” (Rule 206(4)-1 under the Investment Advisers Act) officially allows SEC-registered investment advisers to solicit and use client reviews, testimonials, endorsements, and third-party ratings in marketing materials (comply.com).
• In practical terms, this means advisers can ask clients to provide honest reviews, publish them on their website or Google Business profiles, and even feature them in emails, ads, and social media—so long as they follow all prescribed compliance steps .
• Testimonials are statements from current clients, while endorsements come from non-clients or past clients. Both are now permitted, with the usual focus on ensuring full transparency (kitces.com).
  

Key compliance safeguards

1. No cherry‑picking
   You must invite all clients, not just your best, to provide reviews (secmarketingrule.com).
2. Avoid entanglement
   You cannot edit, remove, or steer client reviews to make them more favorable—doing so transforms them into marketing materials subject to full scrutiny.
3. Proper disclosures
   If a reviewer is paid more than $1,000 or receives non-cash compensation, that must be clearly disclosed; written agreements are required (secmarketingrule.com).
4. Recordkeeping & policies
   Firms must maintain written policies and procedures, archive review collection and publication communications for five years, and document that their review process is SEC-compliant (secmarketingrule.com).

Hello, referrals—goodbye, guesswork!

• Reviews act like “evergreen referrals”, helping build trust long-term by sharing real client experiences (kitces.com).
• Stats show that consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. For financial advisors, this offers a powerful opportunity—if done the right way (kitces.com).
• Firms that have embraced this change (e.g., by adding testimonial pages or using quotes in slideshows, emails, social posts) are seeing engagement benefits (barrons.com).

Why partner with a compliant platform provider

Navigating the SEC’s new rule isn’t just about asking clients nicely—it requires a robust, auditable system. That’s where compliant review-platform partners come in:

• Automated compliance workflows ensure invitations go to all clients, monitor for entanglement, integrate required disclosures, and archive everything for SEC audits.
• Built-in safeguards against editing or filtering reviews, so you can publish content confidently and defend compliance under scrutiny.
• Better workflows = more reviews: platforms often provide prompts and follow-ups that encourage clients to respond—without compromising compliance.
• Peace of mind during SEC exams: the rule is still relatively new, and enforcement (including fines) is ongoing for misleading ads or broken processes (comply.com).
  

Final take

The SEC’s updated Marketing Rule presents a rare opportunity for financial advisors to modernize and strengthen their marketing. With the ability to solicit honest client reviews and experiences, advisors can build clearer trust with prospects—while staying fully compliant.

To safely unlock these benefits, it’s wise to work with a partner that offers compliant review management. They’ll help you:

• Send invitations to all clients consistently
• Capture and publish reviews with required disclosures
• Archive all communications in line with recordkeeping rules
• Avoid regulatory missteps—like cherry-picking or entangling reviews

Smart advisors are taking action now to automate a fully compliant solutions to give them a competitive advantage and build trust for their services.  Consider working with an established partner to build your reputation quickly and grow your client roster through prestige instead of expensive advertising.

Allentown, PA – June 11, 2025 – Reviews UP, a premier reputation management platform built for automotive dealerships, today announced a powerful new integration with CARFAX, enabling dealers to fully engage with customer reviews left on CARFAX and seamlessly display them on their own websites using Reviews UP’s advanced review widgets.

CARFAX provides reliable information that helps millions of people shop, buy, service and sell cars with more confidence.  This partnership marks a major milestone in automotive reputation management, giving dealers unprecedented access to CARFAX review data and a new opportunity to leverage it for increased visibility, credibility, and customer trust online.

“CARFAX reviews carry weight in the minds of car shoppers, and we’re thrilled to make them more actionable and impactful for dealers,” said Jason A. Causa, Founding Partner of Reviews UP. “With this integration, dealerships can now turn CARFAX reviews into a powerful marketing and relevance building asset—elevating their online reputation while driving real results.  This addition increases trust in the dealership, further enhancing business prestige and improving conversions.  This is truly beneficial to both the dealerships and their customers.”

“We’re excited to team up with Review UP,” said Bill Pilkington, Vice President of Operations at CARFAX. “We hope this move empowers dealers to highlight real customer satisfaction with our millions of verified reviews, driving engagement and boosting trust and confidence throughout the car buying journey.”

 Key benefits of the CARFAX integration include:

• Full Access to Customer Reviews: Dealers can now monitor, respond to, and manage reviews left on CARFAX directly within the Reviews UP platform.
• On-Site Review Display: CARFAX reviews can be showcased on dealership websites through customizable Reviews UP integrations.
• Boosted Search Relevance: Featuring verified CARFAX reviews on dealer sites improves keyword density, domain authority, and visibility in local search results.

About Reviews UP
Reviews UP is an industry leading reputation management solution for automotive dealerships and other businesses looking to build prestige, capture sentiment and leverage for dynamic marketing initiatives. From Google to Facebook to industry leaders like CARFAX, Reviews UP helps businesses take control of their online presence, generate more reviews, analyze direct offline feedback, build user friendly surveys, and turn reputation into revenue.

About CARFAX

CARFAX, part of S&P Global Mobility, helps millions of people every day confidently shop, buy, service and sell used cars with innovative solutions powered by CARFAX® vehicle history information. The expert in vehicle history since 1984, CARFAX provides CARFAX Car Listings, CARFAX Car Care, CARFAX History-Based Value and the flagship CARFAX Vehicle History Report to consumers and the automotive industry. CARFAX owns the world’s largest vehicle history database and is nationally recognized as a top workplace by The Washington Post. Shop, Buy, Service, Sell – Show me the CARFAX®.

S&P Global Mobility is a division of S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI). S&P Global is the world’s foremost provider of credit ratings, benchmarks, analytics and workflow solutions in the global capital, commodity and automotive markets.

Understanding, optimizing, and leveraging touchpoints is key to building trust, driving engagement, and most importantly, earning what we call credibility points: the small, consistent signals that show your brand is reliable, authentic, and worth a customer’s time (and money).

So, What Is a Touchpoint?

A touchpoint is any interaction or exposure a customer has with your brand—before, during, or after they make a purchase. This could be something as direct as reading a review on your website, or as subtle as seeing your logo on a dealership license plate frame while stuck in traffic.

Touchpoints exist throughout the customer journey, and they’re what shape perception. A well-designed touchpoint doesn’t just inform—it builds trust. A weak or inconsistent one? It can create confusion or even damage your reputation.

Touchpoints are everywhere:

• Online reviews
• Website visit
• Social media posts
• Email communication
• Test drive experiences
• Post-sale follow-ups
• In-store signage

What makes a touchpoint powerful isn’t just its presence—it’s how it makes the customer feel.

The Feedback Hack dives deeper into different examples of touchpoints and exactly how they can help gather better customer feedback. Give a listen here:

Active vs. Passive Touchpoints

Not all touchpoints are created equal. Some invite direct engagement; others work behind the scenes. Understanding the difference between active and passive touchpoints helps brands create a more cohesive customer experience.

Active Touchpoints:

These require or encourage direct interaction from the customer. Think:

• Invitations (via Email or SMS)
• Direct Mailer
• Business Cards
• QR Codes (on receipts, invoices, etc)

Active touchpoints are golden opportunities. Customers are leaning in—they want information, reassurance, or a clear next step. This is where your credibility points are either won or lost. A fast, helpful response to an inquiry, or a well-designed review request flow, shows professionalism and care.

Passive Touchpoints:

These are touchpoints that customers observe or absorb without taking immediate action. Examples include:

• Physical Signs
• Wallet Cards
• Widgets
• CRM
• Website Links
• Email Links

While they may seem subtle, passive touchpoints build cumulative trust. They plant the seed. Over time, these impressions can lead to action—and that’s the magic of credibility points. When you consistently present a trustworthy, human, and polished brand across all passive touchpoints, you’re paving the path for deeper customer engagement.

Why Touchpoints Matter

Customers rarely make decisions based on one interaction. They make decisions based on the net effect of many touchpoints, whether they realize it or not. A glowing customer review, followed by a clean website with clear inventory, followed by a quick response to a question—that’s a chain of credibility points in motion.

When brands ignore touchpoints or fail to align them, the result is a disjointed customer experience. Imagine a dealership with glowing Google reviews but a clunky, outdated website. Or a friendly sales team with a poor follow-up process post-sale. Inconsistencies chip away at your credibility—even if your core product is great.

Engaging Customers Through Touchpoints

Every touchpoint is a chance to say: “You matter.”

Here’s how to use touchpoints to actively engage and win over your audience:

• Respond to reviews—especially on third-party platforms. Platforms like Reviews UP make it easier to track and respond across multiple channels, turning passive reviews into active engagement.
• Showcase real feedback with dynamic review widgets on your website. Not only do these make your site more trustworthy, but they also multiply your credibility points.
• Humanize your communication. Whether it’s a text message or an email, touchpoints should feel like they’re coming from real people, not robots.
• Optimize for consistency. Your tone, visuals, and messaging should align across all touchpoints—from your social media to your showroom floor.
• Measure and adapt. Use reputation management tools to analyze which touchpoints are getting engagement and which might need more attention.

Building a Reputation One Touchpoint at a Time

Think of touchpoints as your brand’s daily handshake. They may be small moments, but together they shape a customer’s perception—and ultimately, their loyalty.

By understanding the power of touchpoints, distinguishing between active and passive forms, and using them intentionally, you can steadily earn the kind of trust that’s hard to fake: credibility points that add up to long-term success.

Dive deeper into how ReviewsUP utilizes touchpoints to better engage customers and gather valuable feedback:

Through this partnership, On the Mark Strategies will now deliver end-to-end review acquisition, reputation monitoring, and search optimization services to help banks and credit unions grow trust, improve local search visibility, and increase conversion rates—while reducing marketing costs.

“This partnership brings together the best of both worlds: our powerful, automated technology and On the Mark’s deep industry expertise,” said Jason A. Causa, Founding Partner of Reviews UP. “Mark and his team are trusted advisors to many financial institutions, and we’re excited to help them offer a proven way to grow relevance, engagement, and member acquisition through reviews.”

The managed solutions powered by Reviews UP include smart review request flows, deep CRM integrations, text and email automation, and advanced widgets that surface client reviews across search engines, websites, and member journeys.

“Your brand is only as strong as your reputation—and your reputation is only as strong as what people find online,” said Mark Arnold, President of On the Mark Strategies. “By partnering with Reviews UP, we’re giving our clients a powerful tool to amplify member trust and stand out in an increasingly competitive environment.”

The timing couldn’t be more relevant. With major shifts in how search engines prioritize local business results and the recent heightened impact of client testimonials in AI overviews, a strong online reputation has never been more essential.

This partnership enables community-focused banks and credit unions to stay ahead of the curve—with all the expertise and tools they need, in one place.

About Reviews UP
Reviews UP is a reputation and review automation platform that helps businesses turn everyday customer feedback into powerful marketing assets. From automated outreach and CRM integration to dynamic review displays and analytics, Reviews UP makes it easy to build trust, improve search rankings, conversions, and gain direct feedback- plus deploy 1-minute surveys, promotions and referrals.

About On the Mark Strategies
On the Mark Strategies is a consulting firm based in Carrollton, Texas, specializing in brand, marketing, and strategic planning services for financial institutions. Led by industry expert Mark Arnold, the firm empowers banks and credit unions to define their mission, differentiate their brand, and deliver meaningful growth.

Media Contact:
Jason A. Causa
Founding Partner, Reviews UP
jason@reviewsup.com
www.reviewsup.com

Mark Arnold
President, On the Mark Strategies
info@markarnold.com
www.markarnold.com