Google My Business Pro Tips: Responding to Customer Reviews on Google

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Ever do a search on Google for a business and check reviews? Your potential customers undoubtedly have.  It is wise to encourage your customers to leave reviews on Google and ensure you are responding to those reviews.

Google takes reviews, responses and ratings into consideration when determining search rankings.  How you respond is just as important as getting a review. Your response is an opportunity to boast about your facility, your staff and your location.

If you are simply replying to reviews with “thank you for your review,” you are missing an opportunity to add meaningful content to help future customers see how great your facility is.  You are also missing an opportunity to help your search rankings as Google uses reviews and responses to get to know your business.

If you are not sure how to respond to your Google reviews, the following are pointers to consider:

1. Responding to positive reviews Use responses to positive reviews to get your business name out there and boast about what sets you apart from other storage facilities. Make sure your response appears natural and directed to the reviewer as well as everyone else reading it without being “salesy.” Some examples of ways you can respond to positive reviews:

  • Thank you for your review, [reviewer/customer]! The team here at [Business Name] is happy to receive such good feedback and to know that your [Keyword] self storage needs in [city] were met.
  • Thank you for your feedback, [reviewer/customer]! [Business Name] is proud to be the most affordable [keyword] self storage facility in [city]. We also pride ourselves in being the only [unique identifier/or amenity] in the metro area!

2. Responding to negative reviews Negative reviews are bound to happen, but do not let them get you down. Use the negative review as an opportunity to show everyone that your customers are important to you and that you are willing to work with them to turn their negative experience around. Keep your response simple as to not accidentally say something that would cause that person to become more upset or make them think that the response is an attempt to place blame on them rather than trying to make it better.

An example of a response to a negative review is:

  • [reviewer/customer], I’m sorry to hear about your bad experience. At [Business Name] we pride ourselves in making sure our customers’ [keyword] self storage needs are taken care of from the moment you reserve a unit to the moment you no longer need [keyword] storage. I am the [owner/manager] here at [Business Name] and I would like to get in contact with you to find out more about your experience and how we can make it better for you. Please contact me at [email and or phone].

Your future customers read reviews and responses and Google wants to see the interaction between businesses and customers. How you handle a negative review can demonstrate that you care enough to try and correct a negative experience.  By taking this extra step to turn a negative experience into a positive one. Many customers will be willing to amend their negative review to include the story of how you worked with them to make it right. How to respond to your reviews on Google?

Responding to reviews on Google is easy. Follow these steps:

  • Log into your Google My Business account
  • Select your Business Listing in your account
  • Select Reviews from the menu on the left-hand side of the page
  • Select Reply under the review

Learn more

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