Why Does Responding to Reviews Matter? Google Business Profile

Why Does Responding to Business Reviews Matter?

Reviews are a great way for the general public to see how trustworthy your business is and get an idea of the quality of your product(s) or service(s). Responding to your reviews, both good and bad, indicate to Google and potential customers that you care about your image and reputation.

📝 Google Business Profile (GBP) is formerly known as Google My Business

Navigate this article

• How do I respond to reviews?
• How to respond to positive reviews
• How to respond to bad reviews
• Reply to reviews to add additional keywords & boost rank
• Conclusion

In a study done on 15,904 adults, Google found that customers thought of businesses who responded to reviews 1.7x more trustworthy than those who didn’t. Quickly build loyalty with customers and ease any complaints by responding to reviews.

Prior to online reviews, customers would either rant or rave to the business themselves or friends/family about their experience. Since online reviews hold so much weight in a company’s image, it’s important to remember that you’re tailoring your reply to two different types of people:

• The reviewer
• The general public that reads the review

With that being said, you’re not only trying to appease the reviewer by valuing their service or responding to negative reviews, but also using your response as a way to represent your brand and set the tone for how you interact with customers.

How do I respond to reviews?

Google Business Profile (GBP) owners can look at reviews within the GBP Manager. Click on the “Manage Reviews” section to view and respond. Google Business Profile is getting rid of its Google My Business app in July of 2022, so those who need to manage their GBP can do so on Google Search and Google Maps.

How to respond to positive reviews

Although businesses are often very quick to want to respond to negative reviews, responding to positive ones is just as important. After all, these are the cheerleaders for your company- people who are vouching for your product or service. This is free advertising, so it’s a good thing to make the most of it.

Respond to good reviews quickly

Google keeps tabs on how quickly you reply, which in return will boost your local ranking. On the flip side, it shows loyalty to customers when you give them their well-deserved “thank you”, especially publicly.

Tips & Responding to Positive Reviews Examples

• Keep your reply short & simple

  • Example. Sara, thank you for the review! We’re so happy to hear that you had a good experience at *insert company name*. We pride ourselves on quick and reliable, quality service. You’re a wonderful customer!

• Request a more in-depth review

  • In many cases, reviewers will leave a review without adding any comments. For positive reviews, it’s always helpful to ask the customer to elaborate on why their experience was positive.

• Make it personal

  • Example. Tom, thank you for such a wonderful review! We’re so happy to hear that you’re loving your *insert product name*. If you should have any questions or need any follow-up assistance, feel free to reach out to the shop and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Best, *insert your name*
  • By using your name, you put a face and identity to the business as well as a point of contact should the customer need anything. This shows a sense of loyalty and makes you more personable.

• Share your review on social media

  • If someone writes you an awesome review, it’s valuable to share it with your customer base and followers on social media platforms. If you have a section on your website, this might be a good place to highlight the review for the public to see.

• Encourage your reviewers to recommend your business

  • Example. Mike, thank you for taking the time to share how much you loved your experience at *insert company name*! We look forward to seeing you again. In the meantime, we hope you share our business with any friends or family who might be in need of *product or service*. Let us know if you have any questions!
    Although reviews are free ads for your company, take it even one step further by requesting the reviewer to recommend your product or service to those who may need it. People are more likely to visit a business if it’s recommended personally by someone they know and trust.

How to respond to bad reviews

It’s easy to want to quickly respond to negative reviews, defend your company name, and wanting to correct any mistakes. However, it’s equally necessary to respond nicely and professionally.

TIPS:

• Don’t get defensive

• Stay professional

• Be empathetic

• Try and respond in an understanding manner

  • Example. Bill, we’re so sorry to see that you had a poor experience at *insert company name*. We pride ourselves on providing quick and quality products, and we’re saddened to see that your experience didn’t live up to these expectations. We understand how *rephrase the problem* can be disappointing and upsetting. Feel free to call our store- we hope to hear from you soon so we can fix this problem.

• Invite the reviewer to have a conversation offline

  • Example. Theresa, thank you for taking the time to provide your experience and we’re incredibly sorry that this occurred. We’d appreciate getting the chance to have a more in-depth conversation with you regarding this so we can properly compensate and get more information so it doesn’t happen again in the future. If you’d like to reach out to the store, we’d be more than happy to speak with you. Feel free to ask for me, *name*, as I am the general manager.

• Offer a solution on the spot (if applicable)

  • By offering a solution right within your response, the public can see how you handle the situation at hand, which adds value and trust to your business.
  • Example. Stephanie, thank you for taking the time to leave a review. We’re sorry to hear about your experience at *insert company name*. We’d be more than happy to correct this problem by offering you a free replacement of *insert product*. If you’re interested, feel free to call the shop at *phone number* and ask for me, *name*, the owner. We hope to hear from you soon so we can correct this issue.

Reply to reviews to add additional keywords & boost rank

Since Google tells us that reviews affect the local algorithm, it’s easy to see how you can utilize reviews to help boost your visibility on the SERP. By adding additional keywords that might not be in the original review, you can start ranking for these search terms.

You’ll also notice when viewing your Google Business Profile on the SERP that certain words in reviews may be bolded. This is because Google recognizes these keywords and wants to highlight them. Examples would include words such as “quick service”, “best pizza in Scranton”, and “friendly staff”- the list goes on.

To read more about how to add keywords to your review replies, check out RiZen Metric’s article on How to Use Keywords to Make Your Business More Visible on GBP.

Conclusion

After reading this article, we hope that you see the necessity of responding to both good and bad reviews quickly, respectfully, and professionally. If you’re looking for more information on ways to improve your Google Business Profile or increase your visibility on the search engine results page, check out our series of blogs on Google Business Profile.

RiZen Metrics is a full-service digital marketing agency that can help you manage your Google Business Profile from setup to SEO optimization. Contact us today!