How to reply to Google reviews to rank better

The digital transformation allows the user's shopping experience to be 100% online. For this reason, multiple alternatives have appeared to find relevant information about a business, for example, online reviews. Also, don't forget that answering reviews affects a company's position in the Google ranking.

Answering Google reviews to rank your business

Answering Google reviews is essential for any business, as it shows that you value your customers and their feedback, increases the likelihood of shoppers coming to your establishment and the possibility of selling more and generating new customers, and mainly improves the online reputation of your company or business.

how to respond to positive reviews?

1. always personalise your response- don't copy and paste a generic response to every single comment. Customers reading your reviews will easily notice this and you will come across as a slacker.
2. always thank the customer. You should always start with a short thank you message to show your appreciation for the review. And don't forget to say goodbye with a second thank you note, as well as stressing to the customer how important their review was to you.
3. respond to specific points in their review - if a customer has made a reference to a specific product, don't hesitate to refer to it in your response .
4. don't put too many keywords in your response. Be careful about putting too many keywords in your response or mentioning your business too many times as it will not seem natural.
5. try to offer something of value in your response. Remember that you are not just responding to those individual customers when you respond to reviews, but to every other customer and potential customer who is reading that review. If along with your thank you you offer something of value, they will be more likely to take note and try your product or service.

In short, responding to positive reviews simply means appreciating the comment and thanking the user for their support. After all, a company is what it is because of its customers. Similarly, it is important to keep the response as simple as possible. Remember that users don't have time to read large blocks of text and prefer short responses.

Also, keep in mind that responding to positive reviews brings us free advertising and testimonials:

1. Free publicity and testimonials. For every positive review you respond to or share on your social networks, you increase the exposure and reach of that review. For example, a customer might share their positive review of you on Twitter to around 100 of their followers, but your response can extend that reach to your own followers across various platforms as well as your website, expanding their reach to potentially thousands of people.
2. Make the customer feel appreciated. A customer has taken time out of their day to say something nice about you, so responding to them, or at least thanking them for their time, is an elementary demonstration of courtesy .
3. Retain customers. We all know that trying to win a new customer is much more difficult than retaining a current customer. By simply making a small effort and responding to positive comments, you will greatly increase the chances of customer retention and make those people feel loved and valued.
4. It can increase your visibility on search engines. By responding to your customers, you are telling search engines that you are an organisation that likes to be close to its customers, and those that do, tend to offer better customer service first and foremost.

how to respond to negative reviews?

To respond to negative reviews you should take into account the following recommendations:

• Consider it as an opportunity for improvement.
• Take it calmly. It is very important to remember that what we respond will be visible to any user.
• of course, what the customer who leaves a negative review expects is an apology. It is essential to assume that, in some way, as a business, we are responsible for the customer's bad experience.
• Do it quickly - the more agile the brand's response, the more likely you are to reverse that negative feedback.
• Meet with the professionals involved. Complaints are often addressed to company departments (e.g. sales, after-sales...) or even to specific individuals. Whenever you can, sit down with the affected professionals and get their version of events. In any case, never offload the responsibility of writing the final response on the professional involved. This person may be very good at their job but not be prepared to answer a Google review.
  
• Offer solutions: In addition to apologising, it is necessary to offer solutions. This can be done by asking follow-up questions or directing the customer to other channels of communication. The goal is to provide a well-personalised response to solve the problem and reverse the customer's negative experience with the company.

Finally, remember that whether responding to negative or positive reviews, you must make your responses to that individual customer personal and treat them with respect.