Your G2 and Capterra profiles influence what AI recommends

A client called us in January, a bit shaken. They'd asked ChatGPT: "What's the best project management software for a 15-person agency?" Their direct competitor appeared in the response. Not them.

We compared their online presences. The product is comparable. The price too. The difference? The competitor had 247 reviews on G2 with a 4.6/5 rating. Our client: a G2 profile created in 2023, 12 reviews, no responses to comments.

The numbers that explain everything

The Otterly.AI 2025 study analyzed the sources ChatGPT uses to formulate its product and service recommendations. The results are clear-cut.

Companies with active profiles on at least two review platforms (G2, Capterra, Trustpilot, TrustRadius) are 3.4 times more likely to be mentioned in ChatGPT responses than those without review profiles. G2 is the most cited for B2B SaaS, Capterra for SMEs, and Trustpilot for B2C.

This isn't a coincidence. LLMs love user reviews for the same reason humans do: it's third-party validation. When GPT-4 has to recommend a tool, it won't rely on your "About Us" page. It looks for what others say about you.

G2 vs Capterra vs Trustpilot: which first?

It depends on your market.

G2 is the leader for B2B SaaS, especially if your market includes the US or UK. It's the platform ChatGPT cites most for software recommendations. If you sell software, start with G2.

Capterra reaches a more SME and more European audience. For a Belgian company targeting other SMEs, Capterra is often more accessible (less competition, fewer reviews needed to stand out). Capterra belongs to Gartner, which gives it weight with LLMs.

Trustpilot is the B2C reference in Europe. If you sell to end consumers, it's your priority. Trustpilot also has the advantage of being very well indexed by Google, reinforcing the dual SEO + AI effect.

Our advice: pick one, master it, then expand. Better to have 80 reviews on one platform than 15 on four.

What an "AI-optimized" profile contains

Creating a profile isn't enough. We analyzed the profiles of companies that appear most in ChatGPT responses, and here are the commonalities.

A description that answers questions, not one that sells. "Our software helps agencies of 10-50 people manage their client projects with integrated profitability tracking" works better than "Innovative next-gen project management solution." Why? Because ChatGPT receives precise questions ("best tool for a 15-person agency") and looks for descriptions that match.

Well-chosen categories. On G2, you can appear in multiple categories. Each category is a potential entry point into an AI response. Don't limit yourself to your main category -- explore adjacent categories where your product is also useful.

Responses to every review. Yes, every one. Positive or negative. Responses show the profile is active and the company is engaged. LLMs process the entire page, not just the rating.

Minimum 50 reviews. Below that, you don't have enough signal for the AI to consider you a reliable source. That's the threshold we observe in our analyses. Above 100, AI mentions increase significantly.

How to get reviews (without cheating)

The biggest obstacle for our European clients: "We struggle to get reviews." We get it. The review culture is less ingrained in Europe than in the US. But here's what works.

Ask at the right moment. Not after the sale. After a moment of satisfaction: a problem quickly resolved, a goal achieved, a compliment received by email. When the client is happy, they say yes.

Make it easy. A direct link to the G2 or Capterra review form, in a 3-line email. Not a 5-step process. "Got 2 minutes? Your review here would help us enormously: [link]."

Build it into your process. After every completed project, after every contract renewal, after every support ticket resolved with a high satisfaction score. Automation helps: an automatic email 48 hours after closing a positive ticket.

Never buy reviews. G2 and Capterra have detection systems. And beyond the platform, LLMs are starting to spot artificial review patterns (same date, same length, same structure). It will backfire.

The compound effect on AI visibility

Review profiles don't work in isolation. They create a network effect in the AI ecosystem.

Your G2 profile is indexed by Google. Google AI Overview cites it. Perplexity scrapes it. ChatGPT has it in its training data. Bing Chat finds it in real time. A single well-maintained profile makes you visible across five different AI engines.

Add G2 badges ("Leader," "High Performer," "Best Of") which get picked up by dozens of aggregation sites. Each badge generates additional web mentions, which feed the LLMs.

A client told us: "We invested 6 months in G2 reviews. It's the best marketing investment we've made in 3 years." They weren't talking about traffic from G2. They were talking about the fact that ChatGPT now recommends their product in 4 out of 10 responses for their sector.

The plan for the next 60 days

Week 1: create or complete your profiles on G2 and Capterra. Precise description, well-chosen categories, logo, screenshots.

Weeks 2-4: launch a review campaign. Identify 30 satisfied clients. Send a personal email (not a template) with the direct link. Goal: 15-20 reviews in one month.

Weeks 5-8: respond to every review received. Launch a second wave. Goal: reach 40 reviews.

Month 3: check your AI visibility. Ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini the questions your prospects ask. Does your name appear? If yes, you're on the right track. If not, continue and diversify to Trustpilot or TrustRadius.

We do this tracking for our clients every month. If you want to know where you stand, our AI visibility audit covers exactly this.