Vet study: AI named the most-reviewed clinic in 57 of 59 places

Pet Industry News published a vendor study on October 23. Seenmetric, a Sydney firm, asked ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google AI Mode which vet to use. In 57 of the 59 places with more than one clinic, the clinic with the most Google reviews was named. Clinics rated 4.8 or above were named no more often than clinics rated 4.5 to 4.7.

The questions were about veterinary clinics in Australia. The article says the answers vary by user and change over time, so the results describe patterns rather than guarantees.

What they asked

In the first days of October, Seenmetric pulled 3,371 Google listings for vet clinics across every state and territory. After it removed individual vets’ profiles and near-empty listings, 2,785 active clinics remained.

It asked two questions in each of 60 suburbs and towns, from Cairns down to Hobart. One asked for a good vet in that place. The other asked which vet to take a new puppy to. Each assistant answered both. That made 360 answers.

For review counts, the article uses the 256 active clinics in those 60 places. A clinic counted as named if it appeared in at least one of the six answers for its place.

Reviews, then the top stars

Among those 256 clinics, 37 percent with fewer than 50 reviews were named. The share was 88 percent at 50 to 199 reviews, and 99 percent at 200 or more.

Clinics at 4.8 or above were named no more often than clinics at 4.5 to 4.7.

The article says a separate Google AI Mode check on October 2 left out a Ballarat clinic with a 5.0 rating from 204 Google reviews. The five clinics it named had between 245 and 431 reviews each. The article calls the clinic that was left out the best-rated in town.

Dima Smetanin, co-founder of Seenmetric, says, “An AI assistant doesn’t have an opinion about your clinic.” He then says it repeats what it can find: reviews, hours, and what clients say about the team.

The article says that nationally, three in 10 active clinics still have fewer than 50 Google reviews.

What the answers gave as reasons

Seenmetric read the 180 answers that asked for a good vet.

Reviews or ratings came up in 98 percent of them. Three in four said something about how the team treats people and animals, usually in the words clients use in reviews. About the same share mentioned after-hours or emergency cover. Seven in 10 mentioned opening hours. Nearly half said whether the clinic is open on weekends. Surgical capability, equipment, and qualifications barely featured, except as items in a list of services.

For the same suburb, the three systems agreed on roughly half the clinics they named. They linked to different pages. Gemini linked to Google Maps listings in 97 percent of its answers and to almost nothing else. ChatGPT linked to clinic websites in 89 percent of answers and to directories and review sites in 35 percent. Google AI Mode cited Google listings in 86 percent of answers, clinic websites in 32 percent, and online booking pages in 30 percent.

The article says that if opening hours on the profile and the website disagree, somebody is going to be told the wrong thing.

What named clinics had filled in

Seenmetric compared clinics that were named with clinics that were not. The article says the differences had nothing to do with medicine.

Claimed profiles were named 79 percent of the time. The 23 unclaimed ones were named 17 percent of the time. The article says claimed means the practice has verified the profile and can edit it.

Clinics open on a Saturday were named 88 percent of the time, against 48 percent for those closed that day. Profiles with at least 10 photos were named 90 percent of the time. Profiles with fewer photos were named 32 percent of the time.

Of the 2,785 active listings, a quarter have fewer than 10 photos and a quarter have no business description. One in 14 has never been claimed, so nobody at the practice can correct the hours or reply to a review. The article says busy clinics tend to have all of these things anyway, so claiming a profile will not by itself get a clinic recommended.

Count before stars

Use public pages. Write the numbers down. The article’s first step for these clinics is to ask every client for a review, including clients you suspect were unhappy, and not to offer anything in return.

1. Record whether your Google profile is claimed, the review count, the star rating, and whether at least 10 photos are public.
2. If the description is empty, name the job customers ask for.
3. Make the profile hours match the website. If you are closed on Saturday, leave Saturday closed.
4. Ask ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google AI Mode the same local question. Save the names.
5. Write the public review count and star rating of each named business next to yours.

If a named business has more Google reviews than you, compare counts before treating stars as the difference. Clinics at 4.8 or above were named no more often than clinics at 4.5 to 4.7. If the named businesses do not have more reviews, compare claim status, photo count, and whether Saturday hours are accurate.

What to do this week

• Record your review count, star rating, photo count, and whether the profile is claimed.
• Ask ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google AI Mode the same local question, and save the names.
• Set each named business’s public review count and star rating next to yours.
• Make the website hours match the profile.
• If you ask for a review, include customers you suspect were unhappy, and do not offer anything in return.

New Reward’s Rival Map is where AI names you, your rival, or nobody, for the questions your customers ask, and the mark is dated.