A glowing review sits unanswered for three months. A harsh one gets an angry midnight reply. A fake one from a competitor is ignored until it poisons the rating. Replies are public marketing – future customers read them before your services page. Here are copy-paste templates for good, bad and fake reviews, plus the response discipline behind them.
Series: getting reviews within the rules and Business Profile playbook.
How fast should I reply to Google reviews?
Reply to every review within 48 hours – positives with thanks plus a detail, negatives with calm ownership plus an offline path, fakes with one professional statement plus a policy-violation flag. Speed matters because reviewers watch for acknowledgement and prospects read recency: a business answering last week’s reviews looks alive; one silent since March looks closed.
What should I say to a good review?
Thank by name, mirror their specific praise, mention your area or service naturally, invite them back. Template: “Thank you, [Name]! Glad our [service] at [area] made your day – the team will be chuffed to hear this. See you next visit!” Vary it every time; ten identical “thanks for review” replies look automated and waste keyword-free goodwill.
How do I reply to a bad but genuine review?
Apologise without grovelling, show you heard the specific complaint, move it offline with a named contact and number, and never argue facts publicly. Template: “We are sorry about [specific issue], [Name] – that is not the experience we want at [business]. Please call [person] on [number] so we can make this right; we have noted [fix] with the team.” Then actually fix it and, where appropriate, post a brief follow-up. Future readers judge the reply, not just the complaint – calm ownership converts skimmers.
How do I handle fake or competitor reviews?
Post one calm public reply stating you have no record of their visit and inviting verification (“We cannot find your visit in our records – please share your bill number on [number] so we can check”), then flag the review in your profile under the relevant policy (conflict of interest, fake content) and document with records. Do not accuse publicly, do not offer bribes to remove, do not flood with counter-reviews. One professional reply plus steady genuine reviews buries fakes faster than disputes – Google acts on clear policy violations but slowly.
FAQs
Should I reply to every single review? Yes – 100 percent response rate is itself a trust signal, and each reply is free, keyword-relevant content on your profile.
Can I delete a bad review? No – only Google removes reviews, and only for policy violations. Owners can only reply and flag.
Can DeskBees draft replies? Yes – reply drafting is part of our listing management. Contact us.
Last updated: 20 September 2026.