Online reviews play a key role in helping your business grow, but simply collecting them and showcasing them on your website or social media platforms isn’t enough. How you respond to feedback can make the difference between gaining a new customer or losing a returning one. This guide will walk you through the art of responding to all types of reviews, positive, negative, neutral, and even fake ones, with professionalism and care. Reviews are another chance to connect with your customers, so let us help you do it with confidence!
Should you respond to online reviews?
The short answer is yes; you should respond to your online reviews. It’s an excellent way to gauge how customers feel about your business, and it helps you build trust, both with search engines and with the folks who will be hiring you. Customer review responses are also considered the fourth most important factor for local consumers when deciding who to work with, so by not responding to your reviews, you’re leaving valuable opportunities to connect with future customers on the table.
How quickly should you respond to customer reviews?
Responding to reviews as they come in is generally best practice, but you are a human and can’t always stay 100% on top of review management. A quick response can show a customer that you care about them and appreciate the time they dedicated to leaving a review. Even if you are able to respond to something immediately, take the time to read through and understand your reviews to create the best response. Your responses will vary depending on whether the feedback is positive, negative, neutral, or fake, and we’ll cover all of these scenarios down below.
Responding to positive online reviews
A positive review is generally a four or five-star rating talking about all the great things you are doing as a business. These kinds of reviews are awesome, but you’ll still want to take time to respond to them.
Your response should include:
- Directly addressing the customer by their name
- Thank them for taking the time to leave their review
- Call out specific parts of their review
- Remind them that you are available to help with anything else they may need
A detailed response with these elements shows you actually heard what the customer had to say, compared to an empty response.
Responding to neutral online reviews
While you want to strive for those four and five-star ratings, threes and fours can make their way through when a customer isn't completely dissatisfied but still not thrilled. Neutral reviews have inherent value because they reflect a realistic variety in the customer experience instead of a suspicious and heavily curated list of all 5-star reviews. In addition to making your business look more legitimate, neutral reviews give you a chance to show off your customer service.
Responses to neutral reviews should include:
- Gratitude for the feedback
- An update on the specific issue the client mentioned in their review; this could be letting them know your team is looking into it, it has been fixed, or acknowledging it as an area that is continuously being improved
- A link to your service, product, or solution that could meet the customer’s needs
Ideally, you'll be able to highlight a solution the customer wasn’t aware of, giving you a great opportunity to build even more loyalty. Just be sure to keep your tone helpful and upbeat instead of condescending or corrective.
The Cakery - A family-owned bakery in Fort Collins
Responding to negative reviews
The first thing you should do when you receive a negative review is to remain calm. Negative reviews are not the end of the world and in many cases, customers are even more hesitant to work with businesses who only have good reviews, because it is more realistic if there is at least one or two bad ones. We are only human—nobody and no business is perfect.
While they may seem like an unearned black spot on your business, most readers can spot when a negative reviewer is being unfair or unreasonable. In fact, negative customer reviews are a great opportunity for you to impress both current and potential customers with your response. By responding with respect and calm professionalism, you come across as the more trustworthy and composed party. Again, nobody expects perfection from your business, but they do expect accountability and at least a willingness to acknowledge negative experiences.
Welcome the feedback
Constructive criticism from real customers can reveal gaps in your process you might have overlooked. If you notice multiple reviews touching on the same issue, it’s a clear sign to connect with your team and start brainstorming solutions. Letting the customer know you're addressing the issue shows your commitment to growth and improvement.
The Exchange - A large central plaza in the heart of Fort Collins
Gently correct any confusion
Sometimes, the issue isn’t with your business and the reviewer might be misinformed, have unrealistic expectations, or simply be in a bad mood. That’s not your fault, and most readers can tell when a complaint is unreasonable. The best approach is to stay calm and offer a helpful next step. Avoid saying “no” outright or making false promises. Acknowledge their concern, offer a solution, and keep things moving. Remember, you’re representing your brand; staying cool and professional always reflects well on your business.
Konstruct Brewing - A brewery local to Fort Collins
Compensate for any bad experiences
If a negative review is justified, own it. Apologize sincerely, stay composed, and offer a solution that makes sense for your business. One of the best ways to make it right is by showing you're actively addressing the issue and doing so publicly. This signals accountability to future customers. Sometimes, a genuine effort like this can even lead the reviewer to update their feedback, assuming, of course, the review is legitimate.
Pringel’s Fine Wine & Spirits - A liquor store on the west side of Fort Collins
Respond to fake online reviews
More often than not, businesses get fake reviews because of bots and people making mistakes. Fake reviews are often not done out of malice, but confusion. That said, fake reviews can be a hassle, and it's important to address them and report their removal to whichever review platform you are on.
Fake reviews can include:
- Spelling and grammar errors
- Usernames that are very uncommon or weird
- Factual inconsistencies about your business
- Details that have nothing to do with your business or the industry you are in
- Sometimes there is no response at all and only a 1-star rating
With fake reviews, you’ll want to ensure it is truly a person you haven't worked with before by confirming their name in your records. Pointing out any inconsistencies will show other potential customers that the review isn’t a real one.
How to Monitor Your Online Reviews
Depending on the platform you are receiving reviews on, there are a few ways you can monitor your online reviews.
- With a Google Business Profile (GPB), you’ll be notified by email anytime you receive a review, positive or negative. You can read and respond to reviews for GBP within the GBP dashboard.
- Facebook reviews are activated when you create a page on the platform. In order to get an email notification from Facebook when someone leaves a review of your business page, you’ll need to ensure email notification settings are configured to receive them.
- Yelp will also send an email notification whenever your business has been reviewed by someone on the platform.
While these are all manual methods of monitoring reviews that require you to keep an eye on your email, reputation management tools, such as Google Alerts, BirdEye, and Reputation, can also be used.
Win your customers over with Beyond Blue Media
As a full-service marketing agency serving Colorado and clients across the U.S., we offer Google Business Profile (GBP) management services for businesses of all sizes. Whether you're just starting out or managing a multi-location brand, we're here to support your online visibility and growth.
Customer reviews can be scary, but as with other scary stuff, it’s better to face this fear than ignore it or hope bad reviews go away. At Beyond Blue Media, we give you all the tools you need to respond to your reviews with professionalism and empathy.
