How do I respond to a bad Google review?
TL;DR
Respond within 24 hours, publicly, with empathy. Apologize, address the specific issue, and move detailed resolution offline. Never argue or blame the customer in the reply. A good response can turn a 1-star into a 4-star.
Detailed answer
- 1.Acknowledge the customer's feelings in the first sentence.
- 2.Mention a specific detail from their review so it does not sound canned.
- 3.Apologize without admitting legal liability ('I am sorry your visit fell short').
- 4.Offer a direct contact (manager email or phone) to resolve offline.
- 5.End with an invitation to come back.
Common mistakes
- 1. Responding emotionally or defensively in the same hour you read it.
- 2. Copy-pasting the same template across every negative review.
- 3. Ignoring the review entirely (Google factors response rate into local ranking).
What to do instead
Draft a response, wait two hours, then re-read it before posting. If it sounds defensive, soften the tone.
Build a response framework: empathy line, specific detail, apology, offline offer, invitation. Every reply hits all five beats but the words change.
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