Your reviews are on Google for everyone to read. Finding them as the owner, where you can actually reply, is less obvious. Here are Google's steps, then the part Google can't do for you: what to say.
How to find your Google reviews
First, sign in. Google says you must be signed in to the Google Account linked to your Business Profile. If you search while signed in to your personal account, you'll see your business like any other customer does, with no reply buttons.
Then find your profile. According to Google's help page:
- On Google Search: search your business name and city, or type my business.
- On Google Maps in a browser: search your business name and city.
- In the Google Maps app: tap Business at the bottom right. If you manage more than one business, tap the down arrow at the top and pick the one you want.
Want to see your reviews the way customers see them? Google's getting started page suggests browsing privately in Google Chrome or Google Maps. It's a useful reality check: no owner tools, just your star rating, your reviews and your replies, exactly as a stranger finds them.
Still can't find it? Check you're signed in to the right account first. If there's no profile at all, that's a setup job, and setting up and verifying your profile is part of our local SEO work.
How to see your Google reviews
Once you're in your Business Profile, Google's help page keeps it short:
- Go to your Business Profile.
- Select Read reviews.
That's where every review lives, along with the buttons to reply, report and get your review link. If you haven't got that link yet, our guide to getting more Google reviews shows how.
How to reply to a Google review
Google's steps for replying:
- Go to your Business Profile.
- Select Read reviews.
- Next to the review, select the Reply icon.
- Enter your reply in the dialog box.
- Select Reply.
One requirement: Google says you must verify your business before you can reply to reviews. If the Reply option isn't there, check your verification first.
How to edit or delete a reply
Wrote it in a hurry? You can change it. Google's steps:
- Go to your Business Profile.
- Select Read reviews.
- Under the reply, select the Edit icon. To delete it instead, select the Delete icon, then Delete.
- Edit your reply in the dialog box.
- Select Update.
Editing is fine. Editing a reply eleven times during an argument is not a strategy.
What happens after you reply?
Your reply doesn't always go live straight away. Google checks replies against its content policies, and if one isn't approved, you'll be asked to edit it.
Google says that check usually takes up to 10 minutes, but can sometimes take up to 30 days. Once approved, the reply appears publicly under the review, from your business rather than from you personally.
Google also notifies the customer when you reply. They can still change their review afterwards, and if they do, the review's date updates to show the latest change.
A good reply gives them a reason to update it. So does a bad one, just not in the direction you'd like.
What to write in a reply
Google's own tips boil down to this: keep it polite, professional and short, and don't use replies to push deals or promotions. Here's how we'd put it.
Write for the next customer
The reviewer has already made up their mind. The person reading your reply next week hasn't. Write for them.
Be specific
"Thanks for your review!" on every review looks like nobody's home. Mention the actual job, the person who did it, or the thing they liked.
Keep it short
Two or three sentences is plenty for a good review. Nobody wants a thank-you speech.
Don't sell
Google says not to offer deals or promotions in replies. "Thanks! Book again this month for a discount" is out.
A reply to a good review might look like this (an example, not a template to paste everywhere):
Thanks Priya, glad the new hot water system is sorted before winter. We'll pass your kind words on to Sam.
How to reply to a bad Google review
This is the one that matters most, and the one most owners write while still annoyed. Google's tips for negative reviews:
- Never share the reviewer's private information or attack them personally.
- Be honest about any mistakes, and explain what was outside your control.
- Apologise where it's appropriate, sign off with your name or initials, and respond promptly.
- Invite them to contact you directly to sort it out.
Our addition: write it, then wait an hour before you post it. Here's an example of the tone to aim for:
Sorry we let you down on the timing, that's not how we like to run things. I'd like to make it right, so please give me a call on the office number. Mark, owner.
Never argue in public, even when you're right. Especially when you're right.
If the review is fake, abusive or breaks Google's rules in another way, don't just reply. Report it. Our guide on how to remove Google reviews covers what qualifies and how.
Should you reply to every Google review?
We think so. Google's help page says helpful and positive replies can show that you're responsive to your customers
, and a profile full of unanswered reviews says the opposite.
That includes the star-only reviews with no text. A one-line thank you is enough. It takes seconds and shows the next reader someone's paying attention.
The ones that need the most care are the middling three-star reviews. They're usually fair, often specific, and read by exactly the customers still making up their mind. Thank them, take the point on board, and say what you're doing about it.
And if a review looks fake rather than just unkind, see our guide to fake Google reviews before you reply.
How to keep up with every review
Replying to every review is easy with five reviews. It's a lot less easy with five hundred, a full diary and a backlog nobody's touched in years.
That's part of our reputation management service. Lumo Reply, the AI agent in Lumero, our review software, replies to your Google reviews in your voice and by your rules, and works through your old unanswered reviews too. You see how it replies before it goes live, and you can step in on any review you'd rather answer yourself.
FAQ
Why can't I see the Reply button on my Google reviews?
Make sure you're signed in to the Google Account that manages your Business Profile. Google also says you must verify your business before you can reply to reviews.
How do I find my Google reviews on my phone?
In the Google Maps app, tap Business at the bottom right, then Reviews. You can also search "my business" on Google while signed in.
Does the customer know when I reply to their review?
Yes. Google says the customer is notified when you reply, and they can still change their review afterwards.
Why isn't my reply showing yet?
Google checks replies against its content policies first. It says this usually takes up to 10 minutes, but can sometimes take up to 30 days.
Should I reply to every Google review?
We think so. A short, specific reply shows the next customer you care, and Google's help page says helpful and positive replies can show that you're responsive to your customers.
Sources
- Google Business Profile Help: Find your business on Google
- Google Business Profile Help: Get started with Google Business Profile
- Google Business Profile Help: Manage customer reviews
- Google Business Profile Help: Tips to get more reviews
- Google Business Profile Help: Report inappropriate reviews on your Business Profile