If You Respond to a Google Review Can the Poster Respond Again

Google Reviews: How to Respond to Positive and Negative Google Reviews (+19 Examples)

The ultimate DIY guide for responding to reviews on Google, Facebook, Yelp, and industry-specific review sites. Use these techniques to impress your customers, encourage more Google reviews, and rank higher in local search results.

Every central technique Widewail'south review response team have perfected over 500,000+ responses is explained beneath.

If you lot run a multi-location business, we've helped thousands of clients improve operational efficiency with our review monitoring and human-led response managed services. If you need a response plan to scale, but also look similar a human is responding, we recommend you read The Pros and Cons of Google My Business Review Response Automation Software.

Bottom line:If you want to larn how to reply to bothpositive and negative Google reviews, and why online review management is integral to any digital marketing strategy in 2022 - you'll dearest this guide.

Why are reviews important?

Consider your futurity customer

In today'due south marketplace, customers rely upon reviews to vet local businesses. In fact, 85% of customers trust online reviews as much every bit a personal recommendation.

Permit's say that y'all're a consumer searching for a local car dealership. You caput to Google, type in a few keywords, and are faced with the following ii options.

Clearly, you're going to choose #ane.

And yous're not alone.

• Consumers read an boilerplate of 10 reviews earlier they experience they tin trust a local business (Brightlocal).

  57% of consumers will only consider a business if it is rated iv stars or higher.

This concluding statistic is especially important to go along in heed. Did you know that there are certain search situations in which Google only displays businesses with ratings above 4.0?

See the example below:

While this might be frustrating for businesses rated 3.ix or lower, it makes sense. Google'southward all-time involvement is to show searchers the results that are near likely to offer a proven practiced experience. That means businesses with higher ratings become a boost.

If your business doesn't take many reviews, potential customers will take less information to help them make a conclusion about where to store. Even worse, they are less likely to find your business in the outset place.

"The prominence of reviews isn't particularly shocking, as it'south a way for Google to crowdsource ranking factors, information technology's hard to spam, and the most problematic type of abuse is illegal."

Source: Local SEO Guide

See these techniques in action. We found 19 unique review response scenarios from around the spider web to demonstrate review response techniques. Download the real-world examples guide.

Reviews boss local SEO

In traditional SEO, reviews have a relatively modest impact on ranking. Just local search is a unlike story. Reviews play an outsized office in local search rankings (specifically the Local Pack).

According to Moz, reviews are the 2nd nearly important ranking factor in 2020, moving up from third, surpassing proximity. This alter means the expected quality of experience (reviews) is more than important than where the searcher is physically (within reason). Because of this, review direction should be a cadre part of your concern's SEO strategy.

A slap-up mode to explain this is what we call the "deli example" (illustrated below).

Say you lot are in a new city, it's lunchtime, and you would similar to find a good deli nearby. Y'all search "deli nigh me". Historically, Google would recommend the closest deli commencement. In the case of this case, Cafeteria A. Today, if Deli B has more than reviews and higher ratings, Google volition recommend Cafeteria B first, in spite of the fact that the searcher volition accept to walk a few more than blocks.

A significant change, the local business organisation can now proactively influence search visibility for a wider geographic surface area, While the business organisation has no control over where a search comes from, managing reputation data to influence search ranking is well within the business'south control.

If you remember near information technology from Google's perspective, it makes full sense. Its business organisation relies upon searchers beingness satisfied with the businesses Google recommends. How does it selection the best businesses to recommend? Reviews.

E'er be listening

Reviews are an excellent source of feedback. Satisfied customers will rave nearly the products they love, while unhappy guests will explain what went incorrect during their visit.That's right, fifty-fifty negative reviews can be beneficial.

Customer feedback is a great way to improve your business offerings and monitor customer experience trends over time.

Can you respond to Google reviews?

Yes. As a business organization owner with admin access to your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business/GMB) you are able to monitor and reply to customer reviews.

Here'southward how you lot Answer to Google Reviews

1. Sign in to Google My Business by navigating to business.google.com

2. Select "Reviews" on left-side navigation

3. To respond to a review select "View and reply"

If y'all would like to get a direct link to your review page that you tin share, get to business.google.com, and from your home page discover "Get more reviews" and select "Share review form" to admission the link.

Why reply to reviews?

Now that we understand why reviews matter, let's hash out why responses matter only equally much.

Review response is all near taking command of your business'due south public-facing content. While the internet tin sometimes experience like a one-way conversation, responding to reviews gives your business a voice.

Significant SEO Bear on

Here are the review factors that influence SEO:

• Volume

• Rating

• Keywords

• Unique, up-to-date, and ongoing content

If you lot are interested in digging into this topic in more detail, check out our guide:How Reviews Impact Local SEO.

Book

More reviews will enable your customers to get a better agreement of the feel they tin can expect to have at your shop. Responding can boost this result, the Harvard Business concern Review finding in arecent studythat businesses who respond consistently go 12% more than reviews.

Worried near a negative review? A pile of new 5-star reviews volition help drown out an isolated negative experience. Potential customers are looking for trends, not individual situations.

Review book also keeps your information current. Co-ordinate to BrightLocal,40% of customers only accept into account reviews written in the prior 2 weeks. Considering that this statistic increased 18% from the twelvemonth prior, we call back this tendency will proceed.

An even more reliable mode to get more reviews is through our review generation productInvite. You can utilise Invite to request reviews from private customers via text, or yous can sync information technology upwardly with your point of auction system to reach all of your customers automatically.

Rating

Your online business organization rating is likely the first quality indicator your potential customers will encounter. At a minimum, a rating higher up four.0 should exist your target.

This volition get you past the beginning round of cuts. Generally, 4.0-4.v is practiced and four.v-five.0 is the peak of the pack.

Keywords

This is whereGoogle review managementactually comes into play. Yes, your customers' reviews will sometimes contain keywords, just responding gives yous the risk to ensure Google knows exactly what your business is about.

Relevant keywords to consider in your review responses:

• Business organization name

• Location

• Products

• Services

Compare these two responses. Which i has a improve SEO value?

Both are pleasant, only number two also provides Google with helpful information. The 2d response lists the accurate name of the business and the full product proper name. The customer mentioned "Prime number Toyota", simply the consummate business organization name is "Prime Toyota Boston." By responding, Google at present has access to the proper proper noun.

Unique, up-to-date, and ongoing content

To Google, a strong indicator of a healthy and active business organization is new content on a consistent basis. Responding to reviews volition effectively double your GMB content activeness.

"Amongst consumers that read reviews, 97% read businesses' responses to reviews." Source: Brightlocal

The "Adult in the Room" Theory

Past actively participating in your business organization'southward review conversation, you are likely to see a drop in curt, negative reviews. If a customer know that the manager is probable to read and respond to their review, they will be less likely to leave a little negative review. The remaining negative reviews will provide feedback for your team or an opportunity to remedy a poor situation.

Identify and Solve Problems Early

Conventional wisdom says addressing a problem is improve than letting information technology fester. Reviews are no different.

In our experience, dealing with a customer frustration caput-on as rapidly every bit possible is most likely to atomic number 82 to a positive issue.

Furthermore, responding to reviews demonstrates to time to come customers that if they patronize your business and take a trouble they can wait prompt client service.

Improve customer service = happier customers!

8 Types of Review Responses

Types of Review Responses:

• No response

• Negative-negative response

• Barely-there response

• Spellcheck response

• Robo response

• Eager-beaver response

• Keyword-less response

• Widewail response

1. No Response

Coming in dead last: no response at all.

Reviews stack upwardly without acknowledgment. Hundreds of customers go unthanked. Rude language and misinformation remain online. All in all, ignoring reviews makes it look like the company doesn't intendance nigh its guests or its reputation.

2. The Negative-Negative Response

The positive reviews get the attention they deserve, simply negatives become overlooked.

This might be the worst message to ship potential customers: that guests without complaints will be treated with kindness but those looking for help will exist ignored.

Even beyond customer service,negative reviews provide valuable information to businesses about how they can improve. The but thing worse than ignoring negatives is responding to them in acrimony. No thing what the review says, answering in an aggressive tone makes the company seem trivial and volition invite a very public client service fire.

three. The Barely-At that place Response

1 step above ignoring reviews is responding with as petty effort as possible. Each positive review receives the same "Thank y'all," while unhappy customers are provided a full general email address where they tin can send their feedback. At to the lowest degree in that location is an respond, but no one believes that anyone from the company is actually concerned about resolving their patrons' problems.

4. The Spellcheck Response

Even a response that contains great content can exist ruined with grammer issues, incorrect spelling, and awkward prose. Mistakes like these, particularly ones that would be stock-still with a elementary proofread, paint the company in a very unprofessional light.

If the business doesn't care about the details when it comes to communicating with their clients, will their intendance about the details when it comes to their service?

five. The Robo Response

It's obvious that these responses are copied and pasted from a template, or otherwise written by a auto. While detached responses might seem similar the about professional person pick, they may further upset unhappy customers.

These dissatisfied guests are looking for answers and they want to speak to a existent human being, not an automated message.

Future customers might be turned off as well, believing that the service they can expect in person will be as common cold as the interactions they viewed online.

Read the pros and cons of anautomated vs. managed servicereview response solution.

6. The Eager-Beaver Response

We know that businesses are enthusiastic near their customers, merely information technology's possible to go overboard when it comes to answering online review.

All-caps paragraphs running longer than the review itself, multiple thank yous, excessive emojis and exclamation points all will be overwhelming to the reviewer. Customers should be treated with respect, not pandered to.

seven. The Keyword-Less Response

This response meets all the basic requirements, just it's missing a huge opportunity: SEO keywords.

Terms like the dealership name, car makes and models, and services offeredhelp increment the visitor'due south rank in local GMB searches. While not necessarily bad in terms of customer services, these responses aren't doing anything for SEO optimization.

eight. The Widewail Response

Finally, the all-time option: aresponse written past experts.

Piece of cake to read,professional with a personal touch, packed full of SEO terms without being clunky. This is the response which will thank current customers properly, boost the company site's ranking with the GMB, and encourage potential clients to give the business a chance. We too know whatnon to exercise.

All-time of all, it requires no additional effort from the team assisting guests in person. They can focus on their job, knowing that their clients volition be well taken care of even subsequently they leave the store.

Read more about the tactics used past the Widewail squad when responding to positive and negative reviews in the upcoming sections.

Best practices for responding to positive reviews

How to respond to positive reviews:

• Work keywords into your positive review responses

• Use the customer's name

• If a client mentions a product, repeat it in your response

• Mention boosted products you sell

• Share your company values

No big surprise hither - your concern should exist responding to all positive reviews. A common mistake is to reply only to unhappy customers. Operationally this makes sense, merely because Google tends to favor reviews that are engaged with, by simply responding to negative reviews you run the risk of pushing that content to the top of your page. Avoid this by responding to all of your customers.

Positive reviews are a way to engage with happy customers and continue the conversation going later the sale. A positive response to a positive review will leave a good impression on the customer, leading to a higher probability of repeat business concern.

Work keywords into your positive review responses

Equally mentioned higher up, a positive review response is an obstacle-free opportunity to add relevant keywords to your GMB (without keyword stuffing). Local business keywords are generally business proper noun, location, products, and services.

Use the customer's name

Calculation the reviewer'southward proper noun to the response is an easy personal bear upon.

If a customer mentions a product, repeat it in the response

If the customer mentioned the make or model of the vehicle they purchased, be sure to include it in your review response. If yous aren't sure which vehicle the customer purchased, don't guess!

*Note - It is mutual for reviewers to use shorthand versions of the model they purchased (i.eastward. "2019 Civic"). Your response is an opportunity to include the total keyword set, "2019 Honda Civic."

Mention other products

Another way to make the about out of your review response is to mention other products the customer could potentially purchase in the hereafter.

Warning: it can be piece of cake to become overboard when calculation keywords. Brand sure you are confident that the additional product y'all are recommending is useful to the reviewer.

Share your visitor values

Identify some of your business's core values. For case, your business may pride itself on offering a transparent and stress-complimentary shopping feel. Utilise the review response as an opportunity to communicate that to future customers - the people reading your reviews!

Other tips

• Avoid repetition whenever possible. While it's challenging to come up with different ways to say essentially the aforementioned affair, diverseness is primal to providing personalized service to your customers.

• One simple way to vary review responses is to switch between "I" and "we." For example, "I am glad to hear that you had a good experience" vs. "we thanks for sharing your positive experience."

• If a client indicates loyalty or echo business in their review, acknowledge that in your response.

• Positive review responses should e'er be conversational. Anyone reading the response should exist able to tell it was written by a real person. This is specially important to think when including keywords. While you want to get the most SEO benefits possible, make sure that your responses are tasteful to a higher place all else.

11 Positive Review Response Examples

Nosotros've nerveless a handful of examples on how to reply to positive Google reviews. These examples are real customer reviews and responses sourced from Google.

We've tried to select a variety of scenarios.

Why it works

This response checks the boxes for almost all of the positive review response tactics:

• Information technology's personal, repeating the proper name of the employee listed in the review

• It reiterates the company values mentioned past the reviewer, such every bit timely communication and professionalism

• Information technology includes the store name and a prompt for the reviewer to come back for some other service.

Finally, an accent is placed on saying thanks.

Remember, customers with positive experiences have limited motivation to mail a review, so it is important to bear witness your appreciation.

What you should steal: The line "cheers so much for sharing" is an crawly way to acknowledge the actress effort this customer put forth on the business'southward behalf.

Why it works

As you tin can run into in this response, commenting on how a positive review "makes our day" is a overnice personal touch.

What y'all should steal: The words "fantastic" and "grateful" are descriptive adjectives to consider.

About importantly, all the basics are covered: the customer name, the store name, and the product proper name are all mentioned.

Why it works

When customers make a successful purchase, especially a big purchase such every bit a car, they frequently accept a sense of accomplishment.

Engage with this emotion past offering your congratulations.

If a customer offers praise of a specific employee, utilize information technology as an opportunity to repeat their compliments and reinforce that, yes, this person is great. It's not a stretch to assume hereafter customers will wait at Luis equally an instance of the customer service they can await from this business concern.

Why it works

In their response, the business organization suggests that they have a daily service goal.

This is an splendid way to reinforce that hereafter customers can expect a similar experience, no affair when they choose to patronize the business.

What you lot should steal: "Validating" is a great give-and-take to suggest that positive reviews are more than a sign of fiscal success; they are a personal success as well.

Why it works

Starting your response with a quote from the original review is a great way to highlight the most flattering slice of the review.

Because this business answers reviews on a consistent footing, they can conclude with the note "this holiday season."

What you should steal: time-specific sign-offs are a good way to personalize responses.

Why it works

This customer mentions they traveled a long distance to visit the dealership and the response acknowledges their additional endeavor.

Why it works

The phrase "earning your business" helps to portray the business as apprehensive. Nobody wants to deal with arrogance.

Why it works

This response does a good task of communicating the business organization's "great prices," but doesn't come up off overly salesy. Ending with a personal argument of well-wishes adds a nice bear on.

Why it works

The well-nigh common Google reviews are five-star, no-comment.

To make responding like shooting fish in a barrel and ensure a diversity of answers, this business has created a list of response templates.

They update the template with the reviewer's name and the business's name before publishing.

Why information technology works

The customer mentions a specific trouble the business solved: addressing a flat tire.

This data forms the footing of the response.

Why it works

Rather than repeating "give thanks y'all for the recommendation," this response employs a great culling: "we appreciate your endorsement." A number of phrases are interchangeable: "we appreciate" and "thank you;" "recommendation" and "endorsement;" "rating" and "review;" "honored that" and grateful for."

Even unproblematic give-and-take changes like these make responses seem more unique and human.

Widewail Tip: Switching up perspectives, like swapping "nosotros" with "I," adds variety to responses.

Best practices for responding to negative reviews

How to respond to negative reviews:

• Stay professional

• Don't speculate

• Minimize emotion

• Present the facts

• Apologize for the customer'southward frustration only

• Do not publicly admit guilt for the material issue

• Avoid public accusations of review fraud

• Provide a productive next stride

When responding to bad reviews, the #1 goal is to move the conversation offline.

Offer to resolve the situation via telephone or email and then follow-upwardly with the customer apace. Google reviews is non the identify to get into a debate.

Professionalism is key

Practise your best to avoid being defensive, overly emotional, or sarcastic. Leave out personal opinions nigh politics, ethics, faith, or social issues. Review responses should remain professional and neutral.

Avert public accusations of review fraud

False reviews do happen, just you should respond to them in the same manner as any other negative review. If yous believe a review is fraudulent,report it through the proper channels.

Is it possible to remove negative reviews? Yes, but merely if the content violatesGoogle's Review Policyguidelines.

Apologize for the customer's frustration merely

While there are certain situations that require an apology, don't say deplorable if it isn't necessary. Focus on apologizing for the fact that the client is upset and relieve addressing the material issue for a direct phone call or email.

Ideally, you lot'll demonstrate pity for your customers without making a public admission of guilt. The next reader knows there are two sides to every story.

Provide a productive next footstep

When it makes sense, let the client know you plan to take activity immediately. This will prepare the customer for your call and show hereafter customers your willingness to take action.

Don't speculate

When the customer says that they're frustrated but doesn't say why, what practise you exercise? Don't speculate. Simply admit that the client is upset and kindly ask them to share more data near their experience with you over the phone.

8 Negative Review Response Examples

Why it works

Reviewer A feels as if they were treated in an unprofessional manner throughout the duration of their experience. They've also admitted to taking their business organisation elsewhere, so at that place is likely no opportunity to win dorsum the deal.

In cases like this one, the business organization should employ this shopper's feel equally a learning opportunity.

The response starts off past firmly establishing that professionalism is important to their business concern and they regret having lost Reviewer A's business concern. Annotation the response does non explicitly apologize for the cited unprofessional behavior, but simply acknowledges the reviewer's frustration. The response is completed past offering the reviewer an opportunity to discuss their experience farther.

If the shopper follows up, great!

The business will have the chance to address their concerns. If non, time to come shoppers volition see that they are open to customer feedback.

Widewail Tip: If y'all are unable to locate the customer'southward contact information, politely request they requite you a telephone call, leaving a direct phone number at the end of the response.

Why it works

Although what Reviewer B has written is a chip confusing, it's easy to sympathise that they are unsatisfied with the service they received and the delay in their repairs. This perspective may or may not be accurate, just equally responders, information technology's not our job to go to the truth. Our goal is to empathize with the client'due south frustration, which is undeniably true, and then request the conversation motility offline.

The response begins by acknowledging the customer's frustration and acknowledge that this treatment is non adequate by the standards of the business organization. Information technology'due south important to place the negative scenario as an isolated consequence so that future readers volition understand the state of affairs described in the review is not the business'south normal operating procedure.

Use of the phrase "apropos details" demonstrates that the business concern is taking the review seriously, only at the same time, is purposefully vague. It'due south all-time to avoid repeating details from the review, as this provides Google with content that is detrimental to your reputation. The review ends by offering the customer an opportunity to share more about their situation along with providing contact information.

Widewail Tip: If the business organisation has Reviewer B's phone number, a more proactive approach would be to say "I'yard going to give you a call" in place of "please consider giving me a call."

Why information technology works

The dreaded 1-star no comment. On one hand, hereafter customers won't have much data to assess the business and they may even question the validity of the review. On the other manus, they may speculate why this client is upset.

Offset, we recommend whomever handles review responses expect upwardly the client's proper name in their database and check in with their team. They may glean enough information to attain out to the client directly or provide a specific response. If after researching they are still left in the dark, the all-time option is to investigate.

The response starts by recognizing that a 1-star experience is unacceptable. What follows is an offer to accost the reviewer's concerns. The business provides contact information for their General Sales Managing director in hopes that Reviewer C will requite them another take a chance.

Widewail Tip: "Make this right" is a proactive phrase that will come in handy when responding to negative reviews.

Why it works

Although this is a 4-star review, it contains a good for you corporeality of negative information. This is a great opportunity for the business to engage with Reviewer D in a positive mode. If they tin do that, they might encourage Reviewer D to give them another shot.

Right away, the response acknowledges Reviewer D'due south feelings and apologizes for their less-than-perfect visit. The business organization doesn't make a hope to improve their facilities, but they do recognize the feedback. As e'er, a adept move is to open a communication channel in the issue that the reviewer would like to share more than details. Shifting the perspective, the terminal sentence expresses that the business concern hopes to work with this customer again and provide a ameliorate feel in the future.

Widewail Tip: While one complaint about facilities shouldn't cause concern, a pattern of like feedback could prompt upgrades.

Why it works

Online requests for refunds tin be tricky. While businesses may exist eager to demonstrate that they practice correct by their customers, each situation needs to be considered on a case-past-instance basis.

The response to Reviewer Eastward acknowledges the customer'south frustration and and then offers to review the situation in more detail. Although it may not be possible for the Service Director to detect a solution that satisfies Reviewer Due east, at the very to the lowest degree she may provide information that could assistance them arroyo a similar state of affairs differently in the future.

From the lens of reputation management, the response demonstrates that the business monitors their feedback and communicates with their customers.

Why information technology works

Reviewer F's situation certainly sounds frustrating. At the same time, it's understandable that staff turnover could lead to mistakes and miscommunications. This response benefits from a gracious perspective - "appreciate you sharing" - and an apology.

Widewail Tip: The phrase "training opportunity" demonstrates that your concern takes feedback seriously and proactively addresses client concerns.

Why information technology works

Always exist polite when speaking for your business online, but don't be afraid to concur your basis if the data presented does not align with your experience. In this example, a business firm and straightforward response conspicuously communicates parts of this situation are non explained in the review.

Why it works

When a client leaves a negative no-annotate review, Widewail recommends that businesses request boosted information. The offset line in the response higher up is one approach, while something similar "I'thou sorry you were non completely satisfied with your visit" is also appropriate.

This response is a great template to take readily available as a reference for negative no-comment reviews.

How do y'all know if your review management strategy is working?

At Widewail we offer a detailed performance written report every bit a component of our services. Using our reporting your team is able to analyze performance by location, review site, turn a profit center, and time catamenia.

Is your sales department underperforming your service section? When responding to reviews our team tags each review with the relevant turn a profit center. As a result, we can compile a report that shares insights into specific turn a profit center functioning.

For example, we meet below that Location 1 has a combined rating of 4.5, but profit eye one is scoring a 4.8 and turn a profit center 3 is scoring a 3.9. This segmentation helps you to place specific customer service issues.

While Google's star rating is a lifetime amass, Widewail's reporting enables customizable, date-specific, trending performance analysis.

Service ratings trending sharply downwardly? Our reporting gives y'all the specific data needed to solve problems early on.

Widewail client reduces negative reviews by 64% in 9 months.

Bonus: Example of a "Widewail Save"

When all the techniques are properly implemented sometimes an unhappy customer tin can turn into a happy customer. This is what we want!

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Source: https://www.widewail.com/guide-review-response

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