5 Questions I’m Answering on Repeat About Google Reviews

Google Reviews are one of those things that seem pretty straightforward… until you actually have to manage them.

What do you say when someone leaves a negative review? Do you really need to respond to every positive one? Should you be using keywords in your responses? And how do you actually ASK for reviews without doing something Google doesn’t love?

These are questions I get asked all the time!

So, I’m breaking it down into 5 questions every business owner should know how to answer when it comes to Google Reviews.

Because reviews aren’t just about getting five stars. They’re part of your reputation, your customer experience, your visibility on Google and, most importantly, what a potential customer sees when they’re deciding whether or not to choose YOU.

QUESTION #1: How do I handle/respond to a negative review?

The first and most important thing I suggest BEFORE responding to the review is… 

TAKE SOME TIME!! Whatever that amount of time is for you, to get out of the raw emotional response to the negative review.

Don’t respond angry.
Don’t respond defensive.
And definitely don’t get into a public argument trying to prove you’re right.

Then, respond with these three things in mind:

1. Respond with grace, not ego.
2. Respond with facts, not opinion.
3. Respond with solutions, not blame.

And remember this:

Your response is 1% for the reviewer & 99% for future readers.

This does NOT mean we don’t care about the reviewer.

It means that Google is not the place to resolve a complicated customer situation.

Your response shows everyone else reading how your business handles something when it doesn’t go perfectly.

Acknowledge the concern. Provide helpful context when appropriate. Offer a solution or next step. Then, take the actual conversation offline through email, phone or another private communication channel.

Also, protect your customer’s privacy. Don’t publicly share personal information or details about their situation just because you’re trying to defend your side of the story.

QUESTION #2: Do I really need to respond to positive reviews too?

YES!

Someone took time out of their day to publicly advocate for your business. Acknowledge them!

But here’s where businesses tend to get lazy:

“Thank you for your review!”

“Thanks for the five stars!”

“We appreciate your business!”

Over. And over. And over.

You don’t need to write a novel, but your response should sound like an actual human being read their review.

If they mention something specific, respond to it. If they compliment a team member, acknowledge them. If they mention a service or product, talk about it naturally.

Make the response feel like a continuation of the customer’s experience with your business, not an automated task someone checked off a list.

QUESTION #3: Should I use keywords in my Google Review responses?

YES… but please don’t turn your review responses into SEO soup.

There is a big difference between using relevant language naturally and stuffing keywords into a response because you’re trying to manipulate Google.

Think context, not keywords.

If someone writes: “Sarah was amazing and made the entire process so easy!”

You could respond: “Thank you, Jessica! We’re so glad Sarah made your kitchen remodel such a great experience.”

You naturally reinforced Sarah & kitchen remodel because that’s actually what the customer experienced.

What I DON’T want to see is: “Thank you for choosing ABC Remodeling, the best kitchen remodeling company in Auburn, Washington serving Auburn, Kent, Covington, Maple Valley and the greater Seattle area!”

Please, NO. Just no. Nobody talks like that.

Your responses are written for HUMAN BEINGS first!

But what about geographical keywords?

Same rule. Use locations when they actually make sense in the conversation.

If someone mentions your Maple Valley office, responding with “We’re so glad you had a great experience with our Maple Valley team!” sounds completely natural. If the location has absolutely nothing to do with what they said, don’t force “Maple Valley orthodontist” into your response just because it’s a keyword you want to rank for.

Google already has an entire Business Profile telling it where your business is located and what areas you serve.

Your review response doesn’t need to carry the entire weight of your local SEO strategy.

Use location naturally when it’s relevant. Don’t manufacture it.

QUESTION #4: How do I get more Google Reviews?

If you want something done, you simply need to ASK. I know that isn’t the deepest strategy I’ve ever written, but trust me this is as simple as that.

This answer is for you if you’ve ever said, 

• “I know we need more Google Reviews.”
• “Our customers love us, but they don’t leave a Google Review!”
• “People tell us all the time how happy they are, I just wish it was on Google.”
• “I know, we really need to get better about getting more reviews.”

My first question is always simple: Are you asking them?

This is something I call the RSVP Theory.

Imagine you send a text to a group of friends that says, “Hey guys! I’m throwing a football party on Sunday! I’ll have pizza, beer (duh) and the game on the big screen. Can’t wait to see you all!”

As Sunday gets closer, you start trying to plan. How many pizzas should you order? How much beer do you need? Who is actually coming? And now you’re getting a little frustrated because no one has told you whether they’re coming or not.

But here’s the problem: You never asked them to RSVP.

You told them you were having a party. You told them what you were serving. You told them you couldn’t wait to see them. You assumed they’d read between the lines and let you know whether they were coming, but you never actually asked them to.

This is exactly what businesses do with Google Reviews. You provide a great experience, your customers tell you how happy they are, and maybe they’re even recommending you to other people. Meanwhile, you’re wondering why all of those happy customers aren’t leaving reviews on Google.

They may not know you want them to.

Don’t assume your customers will take the next step just because they’re happy. Ask them. And then make it ridiculously easy for them to follow through. Send them your direct Google Review link, use the QR code Google provides, include the ask in your follow-up communication and train your team to recognize natural opportunities to ask.

Better yet, make asking for reviews part of your customer experience instead of something you remember to do every once in a while.

The strategy can absolutely get more sophisticated from there, but start with the part so many businesses are skipping.

If you want more Google Reviews, ASK for them.

QUESTION #5: Should I only ask my happiest customers for Google Reviews?

I just spent an entire section telling you to ASK for Google Reviews, but there’s an important piece to that advice. You should be asking for honest reviews, not just five-star reviews.

Of course it’s tempting to ask the customers you KNOW are happy. Someone tells you they absolutely loved working with you and you think, “YES! Can you please go say that on Google?!” And you should absolutely ask them!

The problem is when that’s the ONLY time you ask.

If you’re intentionally sending your happiest customers to Google while directing anyone who might have something less-than-perfect to say somewhere else, that’s called review gating. Don’t do it. Not only does it create a skewed representation of your customer experience, it’s also against Google’s policies.

And while we’re talking about what NOT to do, don’t offer a discount, gift, free product or some other incentive in exchange for a Google Review. You don’t need to bribe people into saying nice things about you, and Google doesn’t want you doing it either.

What you CAN do is actually pretty simple: create an experience worth talking about, consistently give your customers the opportunity to share that experience and make it ridiculously easy for them to do it.

I also want you to pay attention to the language you’re using when you ask. You’re not saying, “Will you leave us a five-star review?” You’re saying something more along the lines of, “Would you be willing to share your experience with us on Google?”

Small difference. BIG distinction.

You’re not asking your customers to say something nice about you. You’re asking them to share their experience.

Your job isn’t to control what they say. Your job is to create an experience worth reviewing… and then ASK them to talk about it.

In Google Reviews are part of your strategy, not an afterthought.

And really, that’s the bigger takeaway from all five of these questions. Google Reviews aren’t something you should think about every six months when you suddenly realize, “Oh crap, we haven’t gotten a review in forever.” They should be part of how you consistently show up, communicate with your customers and manage your reputation online.

Because like most things in marketing, knowing what you should be doing and actually having a strategy to DO IT are two very different things.

Need help figuring out how this fits into your bigger marketing strategy?

This is exactly the kind of thing we work through in Viim’s Collaborative Brand & Marketing Oversight (CBMO) program. We look at the bigger picture of your brand and marketing, identify what needs your attention and help you create a strategy that actually makes sense for YOUR business.

Google Reviews might be one piece of that puzzle. Your website, email marketing, customer experience, content, lead generation or something completely different might be the next.

If you’re tired of wondering what you should be doing next with your marketing, let’s figure it out together.