What Are Google Reviews?

Much like Yelp! or Angie's List, Google provides a way for users to leave reviews. Anyone with a Google account can leave reviews on a business’s Google Business Profile without any other kind of verification. As such, Google reviews are common and desirable – Google values businesses with great customer reviews.

Like most major review sites, Google also allows verified business owners to respond to reviews, creating a dialogue between consumers and companies that opens the door to future interactions.

The ability to respond to reviews is highly beneficial, allowing businesses to thank customers for kind words or apologize for a poor experience.

The Reality of Reviews

Customers leave reviews for many reasons, but in general, they come in one of two forms: excellent or awful. Customers who have an average experience are rarely inclined to leave a review, explaining the extremity. Both kinds of reviews are important tools, highlighting the best and worst of customer experiences with your company.

While some negative reviews reflect experiences out of your control, most provide valuable insight into the trends, products, or service options that are resonating (or not) with your customers.

Why Should I Respond to Reviews?

If customers leave reviews on your Google profile, positive or negative, responding the right way is beneficial. Some benefits include:

• Marketing yourself in a positive light
• Apologizing to customers in an effort to soften poor experiences
• Thanking customers and building loyalty
• Demonstrating that your business is active and engaged with the customer experience

How to Respond to Negative Reviews

1. Acknowledge the Situation

If you made a mistake, the best thing you can do is acknowledge it and apologize as necessary.



Let the customer know that you hear their complaints, and you are sorry they had a negative experience. If there is a way to make things right, like offering a discount code or replacing a defective product, do your best to make this happen. Provide a number or email address that a reviewer can use to follow up with your business. 

If a customer doesn't have a good case – for example, if a customer stopped by your shop on Sunday, only to find your store closed despite posted hours of operation on your storefront and online stating that you’re closed on Sunday – you needn’t apologize. However, following up is still a good idea. A simple response that acknowledges the customer’s dissatisfaction and emphasizes where customers can find your hours of operation demonstrates excellent customer service – and helps prevent the issue from happening again.

2. Keep it Short

Responses are best when they are short and sweet. Often, there is no need to justify your actions, explain your rationale, defend yourself, or accuse the reviewer of being wrong. Instead, keep your message brief and to the point. Say what you need to say and move on. Getting too wordy can make your response seem disingenuous.

3. Be Polite

Even when responding to an irrational and unnecessarily angry review, be polite. Never insult customers, call them names, or belittle them. Rather, correct or clarify the information conveyed in a review respectively.

4. Use Criticism as a Growth Opportunity

Reading anything bad about your business is upsetting, particularly when the criticism seems unwarranted. However, before taking to the keyboard, consider the review. Do you remember the customer interaction? Does the customer's side of the story paint an accurate picture of the interaction? Can you see how whatever transpired could affect a customer's perception of your business?



Customer service sometimes means adjusting your practices if something you're doing isn't resulting in a great response. One idle complaint may not be adequate to make major business decisions, but if your reviews start to sound like broken records, it may be time for adjustments. 

5. Don't Lash Out

When you read a negative review, it's tempting to last out and let your anger get the best of you. If you get defensive or angry in response to a review, you risk hurting your brand’s reputation. Take some time to stew if necessary and wait until the fog clears to respond. It may feel good in the moment to give a customer a piece of your mind, but doing so will not benefit you in the long run. 

6. Don't Shift Blame

Some customers legitimately had a bad experience due to their own actions, like visiting outside of your hours of operation, expecting to find a product you do not sell, or misinterpreting your sales or specials. However, as a business owner, it's not your place to point fingers. Doing so makes you look petty, even if your stance is ostensibly correct.

It's okay to provide additional information – explaining where to find your store hours or telling customers that they are welcome to call prior to visiting your storefront to learn more about products in stock – but do so politely instead of blatantly blaming customers for their own actions. These people may not choose to shop with you again as a result of their original experience, but the last thing you want to do is turn away people willing to give you a second chance by acting improperly.

Let RivalMind Help

Replying to customer reviews is equal parts a science and an art. Knowing what to say and how to say it – as well as knowing what not to say – influences your reputation in your industry and among your customers. A kind and considerate response can go a long way to calm an angry customer, and an angry or judgmental response can do the opposite. By following these tips, you can be sure you're doing what's right for you and your business. 

Responding to reviews can be challenging, especially when you're eager to get your business off the ground. With help from RivalMind, you can get it right every time. Contact us today to learn more!

Meet the Author

Matt McGinnis

Director of Operations

Matt McGinnis is the Director of Operations at RivalMind. He oversees the development and deployment of strategic initiatives, pouring his passion into helping organizations see measurable growth. His primary objective? Delivering concrete results to businesses that understand the importance of digital visibility in today’s market, building long-term partnerships along the way.

Specialties: Breaking through barriers