What you need

To reply to reviews on Google Maps as the business, the reviews must be on a Business Profile you manage, and the business must be verified. Google states that you must verify your business before you can reply to reviews.

Source

Google's help page on managing and replying to reviews.

Manage customer reviews (Google Business Profile Help)

The steps

  1. Sign in with the account that manages the Business Profile.
  2. Go to your Business Profile and select Read reviews.
  3. Next to the review, select Reply.
  4. Write your reply and select Reply.

If approved, the reply appears publicly under the review as the business. Google says replies usually take up to 10 minutes and occasionally up to 30 days.

Editing and deleting

  • To edit, go to Read reviews, select Edit under your reply, change it and select Update.
  • To delete, select Delete under your reply and confirm.

After you reply

Google notifies the reviewer. They can still edit their review afterwards, and the review date updates if they do.

Writing a good reply

  • Be specific to the review.
  • Keep it short and conversational, not promotional.
  • Apologise where appropriate and offer a next step for complaints.
  • Never share the reviewer's private information.

Free review snapshot

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An example

Review: "Coffee was great but the place was too crowded to sit." Reply: "Thank you! We're glad you enjoyed the coffee. Weekday mornings are much quieter if you'd like a seat next time. – The [café] team"

Common mistakes

  • Posting the same reply twice because it has not appeared yet.
  • Replying from a personal account instead of the profile.
  • Leaving replies unedited after a complaint is resolved.

Common questions

Why can't I see the Reply button?

Check that the profile is verified and that you are signed in with an account that manages it.

Can I reply from my phone?

Use your Business Profile on Google while signed in to the managing account.

Can I reply to old reviews?

Yes.

Can several people reply for one store?

Anyone with management access can reply; agree who handles what.

In short

Verify the profile, reply from Read reviews, keep replies short and specific, and edit them when things change. Google checks replies before they appear and notifies the reviewer once they do.

Replying for many locations

For brands with many stores, put every profile in a business group, give store managers access to their own profiles, and agree who replies to what and how fast. Use the same structure everywhere, approve sensitive replies centrally, and track reply coverage and time by store each month.

Profiles at scale

Managing Google Business Profiles for hundreds of stores.

Managing google business profiles for hundreds of stores
Playbooks

Review reply playbooks: approvals and escalation.

Review reply playbooks approvals and escalation

Checklist

  • Profile verified and in the brand's business group.
  • Right people have management access.
  • Replies specific, short and signed.
  • No private details or promotions.
  • Old replies updated when issues are resolved.

When to reply

Aim to reply to negative reviews within a day and to positive reviews with text within a few days. If a reply has not appeared after posting, wait rather than posting again; Google checks replies before they go live, and duplicate replies look careless once both appear.

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.