How to Reply to Google My Business Reviews
Whether you get a positive or negative review on Google, your best course of action is always to reply. Every bit you lot'll soon come to observe in this post, your responses to Google reviews have only every bit much of an impact as the reviews themselves.
Just the tricky thing almost responding to Google reviews is non and so much the technical aspects of it (although I'll show yous how to do that, likewise); information technology's coming upwards with the correct words. After all, your responses are on public display in a far-from-judgment-free-zone. But don't let this trip you up. By the time you finish reading this guide, y'all'll experience well-equipped to respond to any Google review that comes your way – good or bad.
Nosotros're going to encompass:
- The importance of responding to reviews.
- Positive review response ideas and examples.
- Negative review response guidelines, best practices, and examples.
- The bodily steps for responding to reviews via your Google My Business account.
PS: Are you looking to get more than reviews to begin with? Check out this post from WordStream on how to ask for reviews — as well with examples!
Why Practise I Demand to Respond to My Google Business concern Reviews?
To answer this question, let's become over some online review stats:
- 97% of consumers who read business reviews also read the business's responses to those reviews.
- 40% of consumers expect a review response within 24 hours or less.
- Businesses that respond to reviews are perceived as 1.7X more trustworthy than businesses that don't.
As said above, client reviews can seriously impact your business's reputation and your customers' decisions. And with Google holding 92% of the market share, you can residual assured that Google reviews carry a lot of clout.
The skilful news is, while you can't control what other people say about your business on Google, yous can command the bear upon these reviews have on your business — but past responding to them.
So, read on and learn how to respond to both positive and negative reviews on Google to assist you keep your business organisation genuinely painted in the all-time possible calorie-free — with plenty of examples to aid guide y'all.
How to Respond to Positive Google Business Reviews: six Tips
Responding to positive reviews on Google reinforces your reputation, enables you to develop loyal customer relationships, and even affords you the opportunity to show your make personality. Here are tips on responding to positive Google business reviews:
1. Express Appreciation
Expressing gratitude reaffirms that your business is gracious and welcoming. It also lets readers know that you value and invite customer feedback.
ii. Exist Specific
Avoid using generic statements. Tailor your response to the specific things called out in each Google review. For example:
iii. Reinforce the Positive
Confirming a customer's positive experience in your response is a great way to reinforce the aspect of your business organisation that your customer is highlighting. For case, if a client mentions the speed of service in their review, you might respond with:
"We are so glad to hear that you had a great experience with us. We railroad train hard to brand sure our team operates efficiently — glad to know it's working!"
4. Be Timely
Consumers desire to feel heard, so respond quickly to the feedback. Information technology shows you're paying attending. And if you fall behind, it'southward okay! Y'all can ever briefly explain, as with this example:
5. Share Updates
Take a new product coming out? Planning to add a new service to your offerings? If it'south relevant, requite the customer something to await forward to. For instance:
"Nosotros're glad you lot were happy with our product! We've got an even better version coming out in March…stay tuned!"
6. Keep it Short
It'due south best not to respond to every positive review with a long message because that can become repetitive for review readers. Keep it brusk or reply to some reviews privately every once in a while, every bit a overnice and personable gesture to your customers.
How to Reply to Negative Google Concern Reviews: vi Tips
Every customer has their own preferences, expectations, desires, and wishes. In a perfect world, you lot would satisfy every client; but in the existent world, you tin can't; and in the digital world, anyone can publish an online review of your business.
The adept news is, if you go about responding to a negative review the right fashion, you tin can mitigate the damage, preserve your business organization reputation, and potentially fifty-fifty turn it into a positive review. Here'due south how to respond to a negative Google review:
1. Pace Back
While prompt response fourth dimension to reviews is of import, it'due south okay (and highly recommended) to have a breather to process the data and your emotions get-go. Loftier emotions can sometimes atomic number 82 to missed details, and you want to be responding, not reacting. Call up:
- Breathe! Your business organization means a lot to you lot and so it's hard to not take information technology personally, only this is not about y'all, it's about the client.
- There's ever a solution.
- Be the customer. If yous were in their situation, how would yous feel? What would resolve the problem? This will help your response to strengthen the integrity of your brand and values.
Related: Why a Bad Review Isn't the Terminate of the World
two. Find the Root of the Trouble
This does non mean finding out who to blame but rather finding out where the breakdown occurred. Beingness able to explain the breakdown shows the customer that you cared plenty to wait into the issue — and may even go them to meet the situation differently. It will too help you to come up with the virtually effective solution, also as preclude it from happening again with other customers.
Note: Your initial response to the negative review should be focused on the customer and should non contain this information (more than on this shortly).
3. Apologize Promptly & Publicly
Regardless of what went wrong and why, always apologize — concisely (long explanations can come up off every bit defensive) and promptly (to show that yous care). Fact: 96% of consumers expect a response to a complaint within 48 hours.
This initial response should take place right on Google (run across the side by side department on how to exercise so). This will show both your customers and prospects that you're proactive with your customer service; and likewise gives your concern transparency.
4. Take information technology Offline
In some cases, y'all can resolve the issue right in your response, such as with the example below:
"Information technology sounds like nosotros missed the marker on delivering a peachy client service experience to you, and we're sorry virtually that. We have had a lot of confusion well-nigh our shop hours irresolute, and nosotros recently updated our Google My Business listing to our new hours of operation. We hope that helps for your next visit, but please feel gratis to phone call us at 555-1234 and we'd be happy to aid you in placing a curbside order that nosotros'll bring right to your car so you lot don't have to rush to make information technology in after work."
In other (and nearly) cases, you should provide the opportunity for the client to reach you direct, off of Google. It'southward in this conversation that you can offering your caption and your solution. Information technology's as well perfectly fine to reach out to them direct, but be sure to include some sort of mention of this in your public response.
five. Offer a Solution
Compensatory action in your response to negative client reviews could mean the difference between merely appeasing your client and actually retaining them. If possible, offering a refund, the same service discounted or complimentary of charge, a souvenir document, or to add an additional service at no cost.
6. Go More than Positive Reviews
While you tin can't delete reviews made on other platforms, you can reduce the review'southward prominence by garnering more than positive reviews.
How to Respond to Google Reviews through Google My Business
Now that you know both how and why to answer to Google reviews, it'due south fourth dimension to, well, start responding. And then how exactly practise you do that? Through Google My Business. Your business concern can actually be listed on Google and collecting reviews without your even knowing it. This is because a Business Contour (your Google listing) is essentially merely a identify on Google Maps—which anyone can create. It'south just once you claim your Google listing by verifying ownership of your business that you can reply to reviews and control the information displayed on your listing.
That beingness said, provided you have a Google My Business concern account, log in to your account and y'all'll run into a reviews tab in your dashboard where you can respond to your Google reviews.
How to Respond to Reviews via Google My Business on Desktop
- Go to your Google My Business organization Dashboard (https://business.google.com).
- Click on the correct location (if y'all have multiple locations).
- Click on the menu and select "Reviews."
- Click "Reply."
- One time you've written your response, click "Post reply."
How to Respond to Reviews via Google My Business concern on Mobile
- Open the Google My Business organization app (App Store).
- Tap "Customers."
- Tap "Reviews."
- Tap the review to which you lot'd similar to respond.
- In one case you've written your response, tap "Send."
How to Respond to Reviews via Google Maps Desktop
You can as well answer to your Google reviews right from Google Maps.
- Get to Google Maps (https://world wide web.google.com/maps).
- Search for your business.
- Click on your Concern's Maps listing.
- Click on "Reviews."
- Find the review yous'd similar to reply to and click "Reply" next to the review.
Make it a Priority to Respond to Your Google Business Reviews
Nosotros covered a lot in this guide, and so let'southward exercise a quick recap:
- Your responses to Google reviews are just equally powerful every bit the reviews themselves. They requite prospective customers a experience for what y'all're like, they encourage more customers to leave reviews, and they tin even turn negative situations into positive ones.
- Responding to Google customer reviews helps you to stay on top of your online reputation, brand improvements where necessary, and identify strengths to harness.
- Y'all need a Google My Business organisation Business relationship in order to reply to your Google reviews.
- Accept special care when responding to negative reviews. Respond publicly only then offer to accept the discussion offline.
Final note: make sure to prepare the proper alerts and notifications so y'all tin can stay on top of your reviews.
Want help with this? Reach out to ane of our marketing experts to learn how nosotros can assistance you manage your Google My Business concern list and online reviews – nosotros'll fifty-fifty take care of the responses for you!
More than Similar This
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Source: https://localiq.com/blog/how-to-respond-to-google-reviews-with-examples/