If you’re a business owner or marketing manager, you know that online reviews can make or break your reputation. And when it comes to reviews, Google is one of the most impactful sites there is. That’s why it’s so important to learn how to reply to Google reviews like a pro. Whether they’re good, bad, or average, you need to know how to handle them. But it’s not always easy to know what to write. To help you out, we’ve put together 20 great Google review response examples. So take a look, get inspired, and start using them to reply to your business reviews.
Table of Contents
- What makes a good Google review response?
- Positive Google Review Response Examples
- Negative Google Review Response Examples
- Average Google Review Response Examples
- How Customer Alliance can help you write thoughtful Google review responses
- Conclusion: 20 Google review response examples to steal
Note: Even with great examples to hand, replying to all your reviews can be time-consuming. To help you reply to reviews 3x faster, we launched AI Reply Assistant. See how you can generate personalised, unique review responses in just one click.
What makes a good Google review response?
Writing a good response to a Google review can be tricky – how do you make your customer feel heard and respected, while also showing that you took their feedback seriously? A good response strikes the perfect balance between authenticity, diplomacy, and respect. To do this, you should keep these five best practices in mind when replying to your customer reviews.
Timeliness
Responding to reviews in a timely manner is an important part of developing a strong relationship with your customers. In fact, 52% of customers expect a reply within 7 days of leaving an online review.
When customers take the time to leave feedback, they want to know that their opinion matters and that you care about what they have to say. By responding in a timely fashion, you show them that you respect their voice, their opinions, and value the time they took out of their day to provide feedback.
Plus, having quick reactions can remind potential customers that great customer service isn’t just something you talk about – it’s actionable and something your business stands by. Being proactive about reviews also helps you understand customer wants or needs so that your business can continue to improve. All in all, being timely when replying to Google reviews is essential for creating lasting relationships with your customers while building trust and credibility.
Personalisation
Personalising replies to your business’s Google reviews is a great way of demonstrating your commitment to customer satisfaction and building customer loyalty. With personalised responses, you can address every review in an individual manner, making sure customers receive tailored replies catered to their particular experience with your business.
Adding a personal touch doesn’t have to be time-consuming. It can be as simple as using the customer’s name and pinpointing specific things they mentioned in their review. It shows that you’re not just wheeling out a standard stock response, but have taken the time to really acknowledge their feedback and craft a thoughtful reply. This leaves a lasting impact on your customers, and also makes a great first impression for people encountering your business for the first time.
Authenticity
Being authentic in replies to customer reviews can make all the difference for your business. When customers leave reviews, it’s because they’re taking their time to interact with your business. So showing appreciation for that feedback and expressing genuine sincerity is paramount.
If a customer can tell that you’re truly listening to their opinion, then it can encourage them to keep interacting with your business and maybe become a repeat customer. Responding thoughtfully and honestly will also put you miles ahead of the competition. After all, customers appreciate feeling like more than just another purchase – so give them something truly valuable: authenticity.
Acknowledgment
Acknowledging customers’ opinions when replying to Google reviews is an essential part of providing good service. By acknowledging the customer’s opinion, you show them that their voice and experiences are valued. This encourages customers to leave more reviews, builds trust with potential customers, and may even help increase your ratings on Google.
Acknowledging what your customer says is even more important when it comes to negative reviews. No one wants to hear negative feedback about their business, but if you ignore the bad parts of a review you can give the impression you’re simply sweeping it under the rug. By showing you take notice of the not-so-great stuff (and proposing a solution, but more on that later), you’ll do wonders for your online reputation and maybe even win back some unhappy customers.
Courtesy
Courtesy is essential when responding to Google reviews, since it reflects the personality and culture of your business. Kindness can go a long way when managing customer relationships – especially online ones. Reviews often contain negative comments, but taking the time to show customers your appreciation for their feedback – even if that feedback has been critical – will make all the difference.
Demonstrating respect and courtesy in all interactions makes customers feel valued and cared for, which encourages them to spread good vibes about their experience at your business, creating more positive reviews in the future. Being polite and patient sets a professional tone that goes beyond just Google reviews; it has a subtle but powerful impact on how customers view you as a business.
Positive Google Review Response Examples
Now we’ve covered what makes a good review response, it’s time to dig into some specific examples that you can use for your own reviews. Let’s start off on a good note and see how you can reply to positive feedback.
Example 1: Thank the customer for their positive feedback
“Thank you so much for your positive feedback! We appreciate your kind words and are so glad that you had a great experience with us. We strive to provide the best customer service, and we’re glad to hear that we succeeded. Thanks again!”
This example is great for when a customer leaves a 5-star review, but doesn’t necessarily give you a lot of information to work with. Remember that even if it only took a couple of minutes, every review requires your customers to take time out of their busy day. Showing your gratitude for that (particularly if it’s a great review) is an essential ingredient of any review response.
Example 2: Highlight the specific aspects of the business that the customer enjoyed
“Thank you for the positive review! We are delighted to hear that you had such a great experience. We’re especially pleased that you enjoyed the friendly staff and the quality of our breakfast. We strive to provide excellent customer service and high-quality, regional ingredients, so we’re glad that we were able to exceed your expectations. We look forward to seeing you again soon!”
Repeating what specifically contributed to your customer’s good experience plays two roles here. First, you’re showing them that you took the time to fully read their review and didn’t just skim through it. Second, you’re reiterating these positive parts of your business to any potential customers who might be reading, reaffirming that your business is the one they should choose.
Example 3: Invite the customer to return
“Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review! We are so glad to hear that you enjoyed your experience with us and we would love to have you back soon!”
Of course, customers always know that they’re welcome to use your business again, but a reminder helps them to feel even more valued (and might increase the chance of them actually coming back).
Example 4: Use the customer’s name
“Hello Francesca. Thank you so much for your kind words! We really appreciate your positive review and it was great to have you as a customer. We look forward to serving you again soon.”
Simple, but effective. Using your customer’s name makes the online exchange feel that little bit more personal and helps build a human connection. Plus, it’s another indication that you’ve actually read their review and listened to what the customer has to say.
Example 5: Give an update on your product or service
“Thank you so much for your kind words about our hotel! We are thrilled that you enjoyed your stay with us and had such a great experience at our spa. We are always looking for ways to improve our services and we are excited to announce that we will soon be adding to our range of new spa treatments. Keep an eye out on our website for more details in the coming weeks! We look forward to seeing you again soon.”
Giving an update does two things. First, it shows the customer (and anyone else reading) that you are always working to improve your offering. Second, it gives the customer a great incentive to come back again. They obviously enjoyed the spa the first time around, and next time they can experience a new treatment that wasn’t available before. A win-win.
Example 6: Share your company values
“Thank you so much for your kind words! We are delighted that you and your dog Hugo enjoyed your stay with us. Here at [Hotel Name], we believe that dogs are part of the family and always do our best to make sure your pet feels comfortable, happy and safe. Thank you for your support!”
Including your company values in your review replies helps to build your brand reputation, while also providing key information to would-be customers checking you out online. Take the example above. If someone is looking for somewhere to stay with their dog, they no longer need to call or email and double-check. From this reply, it’s clear that dogs are not just tolerated at the hotel, but are welcomed with open arms.
Example 7: Add a personal touch
“Thank you very much for your kind review of our business. We passed your comments about your meal onto our chef and it made her day! We’re so glad you had an enjoyable time at [business name] and hope to welcome you again soon.”
Making reference to a real person impacted by the positive review serves as a good reminder that there are real people behind your business. Showing the impact a good comment can have on your staff might encourage others to leave their feedback too. It only takes your customer a couple of minutes, but can make someone’s entire day that little bit brighter.
Negative Google Review Response Examples
No one wants to get bad reviews for their business, but the reality is that not everyone will have a positive experience with you. When that happens, it’s important to know how to reply. Here’s some inspiration for how you can reply.
Example 8: Apologise for the customer’s negative experience
“Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We’re sorry to hear that you had a negative experience with us. We take customer feedback very seriously and are working hard to make sure that this doesn’t happen again in the future. Please accept our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused.”
A simple “sorry” can go a long way. Often, when people feel disappointed by a business, all they really want is for the company to recognise that it didn’t live up to their expectations. Whether you believe that’s the case or not, what’s important is how your customer feels about it.
Example 9: Offer a solution
“Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your feedback. We take the cleanliness of our hotel very seriously, and we’re sorry that we didn’t meet your expectations. We have raised the issue with the relevant cleaning staff and arranged for a refresher training session to make sure that, going forward, our high standards are always met. We hope you will give us another chance to make it up to you by offering you a discounted stay the next time you visit. Thank you for bringing this to our attention, and we hope to see you soon.”
There are actually two solutions offered in this response. The additional training to avoid having the same problem in the future, and a discount on a future stay to make up for the guest’s inconvenience. Offering a solution to your customer shows that you take their feedback seriously and aren’t just paying lip service to their concerns. This can have a great impact on customer retention, as it makes it more likely that even dissatisfied customers will give you another chance.
Example 10: Invite them to reach out personally
“Thank you for taking the time to leave your review. We apologise that you had a negative experience with [insert issue]. We would like to invite you to get in touch with us so we can discuss this further and ensure that your expectations are met. Please feel free to contact us via [insert contact information]. We look forward to hearing from you.”
Inviting a personal conversation with the customer is another way of showing that you really care about the issue at hand. It demonstrates to the customer that you care about their experience and are willing to take the time to listen to their concerns and try to fix the problem. This can go a long way in building loyal customers, and is a way of going above and beyond (so much so that the customer might even tell their family and friends).
Example 11: Ask for more information
“Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. We apologise that your stay was not what you expected. We would like to learn more about your experience, so we can work to improve. Could you please provide us with more details about what went wrong? We value your feedback and hope to make it right!”
This works well in instances where the customer has left a bad review but not given you much information. If they get back to you, it allows you to address the customer’s concerns in a more personalised manner, so you can provide a tailored response that meets their specific needs. It could also provide valuable feedback that may help you to improve your products and services.
Example 12: Give assurance the customer’s issue will be addressed
“Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We apologise for any inconvenience you experienced and want to assure you that we are taking your concerns seriously. We’re working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible by [insert action here] and will be in touch with you soon. Thank you for your patience.”
This response is a good option if the issue the customer raised isn’t an easy fix. It shows that you’re proactive in doing something about it, even if you’re not quite there yet. Including a specific action here is key, as it makes it clear that this is an ongoing process that will take some time to improve.
Example 13: Encourage the customer to give you another chance
“Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. We’re sorry we didn’t live up to your expectations on this occasion and would love to make it up to you! We’d like to invite you to give us another chance to demonstrate the quality of our service. Please get in touch with us directly on [contact details].”
This is a good approach as it shows future customers reading the review that this bad experience was a one-off. In fact, you’re so confident in your service that you want the customer to come back and see for themselves. It’s a great response for when something happened that was completely out of your control, for example, bad weather that meant you were extremely understaffed or emergency repairs to essential facilities.
Example 14: Remain professional at all times
“Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback on your experience with our company. We strive to provide the best service possible to all of our customers and we are sorry that we did not meet your expectations. We are always looking for ways to improve our services and your feedback is valuable to us. Thank you again for your time.”
Sometimes bad reviews can be scathing, but you should always keep your cool and remain professional. No matter how rude the review might be, a negative response from you will only hurt your reputation.
Example 15: Sign off with your name
“Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We are sorry that you had to wait for an extended period of time for your appointment. We value your feedback and take it very seriously. We are continuously working to improve our services and we strive to provide a great patient experience. We will take your feedback into account and work on improving our processes in order to make sure that our patients can get the care they need in a timely manner. Sincerely, Martin Hauck – Head of Reception”
Providing your name helps give a personal touch to review replies, and is especially important when responding to negative feedback. it demonstrates that you’re taking ownership of the situation, builds trust with the customer and allows them to feel more comfortable approaching you with future concerns.
Example 16: Explain how you’re going to address the issue
“Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We take all feedback seriously and apologize that your experience at the pool was not up to our standards. We are dedicated to providing our guests with the best experience possible, and are taking steps to ensure the pool is kept clean in the future. We will be increasing our pool maintenance staff, and implementing a stricter daily cleaning schedule. We apologize again for any inconvenience this may have caused, and we hope to have the opportunity to host you again in the future.”
Show customers you care by explaining how you’ll address their concerns and resolve the issue. Demonstrate your commitment to customer feedback and satisfaction, while showcasing that your business is open to making changes. This can help build a positive reputation and bring in new customers.
Average Google Review Response Examples
Average reviews can be the trickiest of all to respond to, since they often lack the specificity of positive or negative reviews. This can make it more difficult to identify and address any issues the customer may have had, or to provide a meaningful response. Here are some average Google review response examples to help you out.
Example 17: Show your appreciation
“Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us a review. We really appreciate your feedback about our service and facilities and hope to see you again soon.”
Even if the review isn’t the most complimentary, it’s still important to acknowledge the time the person took to leave it. It’s an easy way to offer a more detailed response than a simple “thanks”, while also showing that you appreciate your customers.
Example 18: Start with the positive
“Thank you for your review! We are so glad to hear that the front desk staff were friendly and helpful. We hope you had a pleasant experience with us and we look forward to seeing you again soon.”
Highlighting the more positive parts of an average review helps to emphasise them to any potential customers reading. As well as showing you actually read the review and didn’t just write a generic response, it can also help to divert attention away from the less impressive parts of their feedback.
Example 19: Acknowledge the not-so-positive
“Thank you for your feedback! We apologize for the length of time you had to wait in our restaurant. We understand that it can be frustrating and we are working hard to improve our wait times. We value your opinion and we appreciate you taking the time to share your experience with us.”
Even though it’s good to start with the positive parts of a review, if the customer includes some negative feedback it’s important to acknowledge it. It can help you build trust with customers by showing that you are open to feedback and that you empathise with their frustrations.
Example 20: Share your willingness to improve
“Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your feedback! We take all customer reviews seriously and strive to provide the best experience possible. We are committed to continuously improving our services and your feedback is invaluable to us. Thank you again for your review, and please feel free to contact us with any further comments or questions.”
Given the choice, most businesses would prefer a 5-star review over average feedback. Even when a review doesn’t quite match up to where you want to be, showing customers a willingness to provide an outstanding service goes a long way in growing your online reputation, attracting customers and getting the glowing feedback you deserve.
How Customer Alliance can help you write thoughtful Google review responses
Struggling to keep up with replying to your reviews? You’re not alone. That’s why we created AI Reply Assistant – so you can quickly generate unique, personalised and meaningful responses in a fraction of the time it takes to write them from scratch. Rather than pump out generic replies, this smart AI-powered tool picks out specific topics and sentiments from each review to create thorough, human-like responses that your customers will love.
Allowing you to generate a reply in just one click, AI Reply Assistant takes the stress out of managing lots of customer reviews in one go, giving you time to focus on the important stuff. And don’t worry: you have complete control over every response before it’s sent, so you can make sure it perfectly matches your brand’s unique voice and tone.
Conclusion: 20 Google review response examples to steal
The online reviews your business receives are a valuable asset, as they can help boost your reputation, help you get found online, and build trust with potential customers. It’s important to respond thoughtfully to both positive and negative feedback so that you maintain a good relationship with existing customers while also attracting new ones.
With the right response strategies in place, Google review responses can be an effective tool for improving customer experience and building brand loyalty. We hope that these Google review response examples have given you a solid starting point for creating great review responses of your own.
Next up, learn how to reply as efficiently as possible, so you can get back to doing what you do best. Head on over to our article, ‘5 time-saving strategies for responding to online reviews’ to find out how!
