Should a business respond to negative reviews?
Yes. Google's advice to business owners is: "As best practice, reply to reviews and share your perspective." It adds that "providing constructive replies and following up on concerns can show that you care and may even encourage the customer to update their review."
A reply is written for two readers: the customer who left the review and every future customer who reads it. Google also lists responding to reviews among its tips to improve local ranking, saying "positive reviews and helpful replies can help your business stand out."
What should you check before replying?
Check whether the review breaks Google's policies. Google says: "If you believe that a review violates Google's content policies, you can flag it." Fake reviews, reviews from competitors, and off-topic content can be reported. See how to remove a Google review.
If a wave of 1-star reviews is followed by a demand for money to remove them, treat it as extortion. Google says: "Do not engage with or pay the malicious individuals." Report it through Google's merchant extortion form instead of replying.
How do you write a reply to a negative review?
Google's tips for negative reviews give the structure:
- Reply promptly. Google says "a prompt response shows that you value your customers' feedback."
- Personalize it. "Address the reviewer by name and acknowledge their specific feedback." Google adds that a sign-off with a name or initials "shows that their experience matters to you."
- Apologize when appropriate. Google says "a genuine apology can go a long way in rebuilding trust."
- Be honest about what happened. "Acknowledge if any mistakes were made, but don't take responsibility for things outside your control. Explain what you can and cannot do in that situation."
- Move the details offline. "If a situation is complex, politely request that the reviewer contact you via phone or email to resolve the issue privately."
- Keep it short. Google says "if a reply is too long, people might stop reading before they get to the main point."
What does a reply look like?
An example for a review about a late crew:
Hi Dana, thank you for telling us about your move. You're right that our crew arrived two hours after the window we gave you, and we're sorry. Traffic on the interstate delayed the earlier job, but we should have called you as soon as we knew. We've changed how our dispatcher updates customers on moving day. Please call our office at the number on our profile and ask for me so we can talk about your move. – Sam, Operations Manager
The reply names the problem, apologizes for what the business controlled, explains what changed, and offers a private follow-up without sharing the customer's details.
What should a reply never include?
- Private information. Google says: "Never share a reviewer's private information or engage in personal attacks."
- Offers in exchange for changing the review. Google's policy doesn't allow incentives "in exchange for posting any review or revision or removal of a negative review."
- Promotions. Google says to "avoid using your response to offer deals or promotions."
- False accusations or threats. The FTC's review rule prohibits "making a false accusation about the reviewer if you know that the accusation is false or make it with reckless disregard as to its truth or falsity." It adds that a response "shouldn't use physical threats or intimidation to get the review (or a portion of it) removed or changed."
The FTC also says a business can't use an "unfounded or groundless legal threat" to get a review removed. Questions about defamation belong with a lawyer, not in a public reply.
What happens after you reply?
Google reviews each reply against its content policies. It says replies "usually take up to 10 minutes to review, but sometimes a review can take up to 30 days." Once approved, the reply appears under the review as the business, without the replier's personal name.
Google notifies the reviewer, who "can still change their review after reading your reply." If they do, the review's date changes to show the update.