How to reply to Google reviews as a business owner

Before you start: verify your profile

If you want to know how to reply to Google reviews as a business owner, the first requirement is verification. Google states that a business must be verified before it can reply to reviews. If you see reviews on your profile but no Reply option, check the profile's verification status first.

For a business with 10 or more locations, Google offers bulk verification through Business Profile Manager. Single locations verify individually.

How to reply, step by step

1. Go to your Business Profile, signed in with an account that manages it.
2. Select Read reviews.
3. Next to the review, select Reply.
4. Write your reply.
5. Select Reply to submit.

Google then checks the reply against its content policies. If it is approved, it is posted publicly under the customer's review. Your personal name is not shown; the reply appears as the business. If a reply is not approved, Google asks you to edit it.

How long until the reply appears

Google says replies usually take up to 10 minutes to appear, but some can take up to 30 days. If a reply has not appeared after a few hours, do not post it again; a duplicate reply looks careless once both appear. Check whether it was flagged and needs editing.

Editing or deleting a reply

• To edit: go to Read reviews, find your reply, select Edit, change the text and select Update.
• To delete: go to Read reviews, find your reply, select Delete and confirm.

Edit a reply when the situation changes, for example when you have resolved the complaint privately and want to say so. Keep it factual: "Update: we spoke with the customer and replaced the item." Do not imply the customer agreed to anything they did not.

What happens after you reply

Google notifies the reviewer when you reply. The reviewer can still change their review afterwards, and the review's date updates when they do. Some customers whose problem was resolved choose to update their review. Never ask for that in exchange for a refund or gift: Google's policy prohibits incentives for revising or removing a negative review.

Writing replies people trust

Google's own tips for replies are short and worth following.

• Reply to both positive and negative reviews.
• Make replies relevant: skip generic thank-yous and focus on reviews where you can give a useful update or answer.
• Keep it conversational, not promotional. Do not use replies to advertise deals.
• With negative reviews, apologise where appropriate, personalise the reply and respond promptly.
• Never share a reviewer's private information, and never make personal attacks.

Habits that make replying sustainable

• Set a time. Fifteen minutes at the same time each day or each week keeps replies prompt without taking over the day.
• Make one person responsible for checking new reviews every day, so none sit unseen.
• Keep a few approved opening and closing lines, and write the middle for each review.
• Write down the issues that come up repeatedly. After a month, that list tells you what to fix.
• If several people reply for you, agree who handles what and when a reply needs your approval.

Common questions

Replying to different kinds of review

• One or two stars with text: follow the five-step method. Thank, name the issue, explain without excuses, offer a direct contact, sign with your name.
• Three stars, mixed: thank them for the positives in one line, then address the criticism specifically. Mixed reviews are often the most useful ones.
• Four or five stars with text: mention one specific thing they praised. Keep it to two or three sentences.
• Rating only, no text: a short, warm line. For a low rating, invite them to tell you more privately.
• A review in another language: reply in that language if you can write it well; otherwise reply simply in English.
• A review you believe is fake: reply calmly that you cannot find the visit, then report it if it breaks policy.

Mistakes owners often make

• Replying in the heat of the moment. Write the reply, wait an hour, then read it as a stranger would.
• Correcting the customer in detail. Even when you are right, a long rebuttal reads as defensive.
• Using the reply to advertise. Google advises keeping replies conversational, not promotional.
• Revealing what you know about the customer. Never mention their order, spend or visit history.
• Offering something in exchange for an edited review. Google's policy prohibits incentives to revise or remove a negative review.
• Replying only to complaints. A profile where praise goes unanswered looks as though the owner only reads reviews when worried.

Doing this with Falcon

Falcon's CRM is where a team handles replies across stores. For each review it suggests an owner from your taxonomy, drafts a reply from the playbook for the review's theme and sentiment, and checks the draft before it is saved: is it long enough to sound personal, does it contain a phone number or email, does it promise compensation that needs a manager's approval, and does it fit the channel's length. Reviews can be assigned, escalated and tracked to done. The reply itself is posted in Google Business Profile.