Google’s tips for replying to reviews
- Be professional and polite, and keep it short: people stop reading long replies.
- Be specific rather than sending the same thank-you to everyone.
- Don’t promote: reviewers are already customers, so skip deals and offers.
- Never share private information, and take complex issues offline by phone or email.
Source: Google Business Profile Help: manage customer reviews.
Clinics and professional services: protect privacy
Replying "we’re sorry your filling hurt" confirms that person is your patient. The US Department of Health and Human Services has settled with dental practices over review replies that disclosed patient information (HHS: Elite Dental Associates, HHS: New Vision Dental). Tick privacy mode and the replies stay general.
More: get more reviews with a free Google review QR code, turn the good ones into posts with the review post maker, and see how many you need with the review calculator.
Quick answers
Should I reply to every Google review?
Reply to as many as you can, especially negative ones and reviews that ask a question. Google’s tips say to keep replies short, polite and specific, rather than the same "thank you" every time.
How do I respond to a bad review?
Thank them, apologise where it’s fair, don’t argue the details in public, and invite them to contact you directly by phone or email. If you’ve fixed the problem, say what you changed. Future customers read your reply as much as the review.
What if the customer is wrong?
Stay calm and polite: say you see it differently and offer to talk it through privately. If the review breaks Google’s policies (for example, it’s fake or from someone who was never a customer), you can report it in your Business Profile.
Why is there a privacy mode?
Health and other professional services must not confirm someone is a client or discuss their care. In the US, several dental practices have paid penalties to the Department of Health and Human Services after review replies disclosed patient information. Privacy mode keeps replies general.
Can I offer a discount in my reply?
Leave it out. Google says not to use review replies for deals or promotions, and offering something in exchange for changing a review breaks its policies.