Should I answer every Google review, even the good ones?

Who actually reads your reply?

More people than the reviewer. A reply is public: it sits under the review and shows as your business, not as you personally. The customer who wrote the review is notified when it goes up, and can still change the review after reading it (Google Business Profile Help).

So every reply has two audiences. The customer learns whether anyone was paying attention. Everyone after them is a stranger choosing between you and a few other names nearby, reading your replies to see how you treat people.

Before you can reply at all, your Google Business Profile has to be verified (Google Business Profile Help).

Does replying help you show up on Google?

Google does not call replies a ranking factor. Its page of tips for improving your local ranking does list replying to reviews, and this is all the tip says: replying shows customers you value their feedback, and positive reviews and helpful replies can help your business stand out (Google Business Profile Help).

The same page then sets out the factors behind local results, the map pack included: relevance, distance and prominence. Reviews count toward prominence, and more reviews and positive ratings can help (Google Business Profile Help). Replies are not among the factors.

It also says there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. Anyone selling review replies as a ranking trick is selling something Google has not said. Reply because the next customer reads it.

What should a reply to a good review say?

Whatever the review gave you to work with. A customer who names the technician, describes the job or asks a question has handed you the reply. Google's tips add two limits: keep replies short and simple, and do not use them for deals or promotions (Google Business Profile Help).

Say a review thanks Dan by name for a new water heater that keeps up with a family of six. "Thanks for the review!" tells the next reader nothing. "Glad the new heater is keeping up with all six of you. I will pass your note on to Dan." tells them a person read it.

• Two or three sentences, so a stranger reads to the end.
• Nothing private they did not write in the review first, such as their street or what they paid.
• In a health practice, less still: a reply never confirms that the reviewer is a patient or mentions their care, even when the review does. A dental practice paid $10,000 to settle potential HIPAA violations after its replies to Yelp reviews disclosed patient information (HHS announcement). This is general information, not legal advice.

How do you answer a bad review?

Reply once in public, then move to the phone. Say what happened from your side, own any mistake, explain what you can and cannot do, and give a way to reach you. Google's tips agree: ask the reviewer to call or email when a situation is complex, and never share their private information or attack them (Google Business Profile Help). Then stop, and keep the rest of the conversation off the page.

The Federal Trade Commission's questions and answers on its reviews rule say you may respond publicly and should watch what you say: the rule bars a false accusation about the reviewer made knowing it is false or with reckless disregard for the truth, and physical threats or intimidation to get a review removed or changed (FTC questions and answers). This is general information, not legal advice.

Never offer anything to have a review changed or taken down. Google's Maps policy bars incentives for revising or removing a negative review, and the same policy bars review gating, where only the customers you expect to be happy get asked (Google Maps content policy). If a review breaks Google's content policies, flag it and let Google decide instead of arguing in your reply.

How often do you need to check for new reviews?

For good reviews, once a week is enough; a happy customer is not waiting on you. Whenever you reply, Google checks it against its content policies before it posts, usually within 10 minutes and sometimes up to 30 days (Google Business Profile Help).

Keep one slot a week and answer everything since the last one. A bad review is the exception: answer it within a day or two, once you have looked up the job and cooled off, because until you do, the reviewer's account is the only one on the page.

If you hand the replies to someone else

Keep the profile in your name. Whoever drafts your replies should work from access you grant them as a Manager, never from your password; the access guide shows how. Ask to approve any reply that states facts about a complaint before it posts, since the facts of the job are yours to state.

Our review management works from that Manager access. Review Engine covers review requests after every job, drafted replies to every review within one business day, and monitoring. Replies to negative reviews that mention facts wait for your approval before they post.

Questions

What do I say to a review with stars and no words?

A short thanks. There is nothing in the review to answer, so more would be padding, and details of the job they chose not to write belong off the page.

Can I delete a bad review from my profile?

No. The review is the customer's, and Google decides whether one comes down. Reply once, calmly, or flag it if it breaks Google's content policies. Never offer a refund, a discount or free work to get it removed; Google's policy bars that (Google Maps content policy).

Is it all right to paste the same thank-you under every good review?

It is allowed, but it wastes the reply. Google suggests spending the effort where you can share an update or answer a question (Google Business Profile Help). Someone scrolling your profile sees the same line ten times.

How soon after a review should I reply?

Within the week for a good review, and within a day or two for a bad one, once you have the job in front of you. If someone drafts replies for you, leave yourself a day to approve the ones that state facts about a complaint.