How to respond to positive reviews (and why it's important)

Hooray! Your business has received a positive review online.  

Time to pop some champagne and pat yourself on the back, right? 

Absolutely. A positive review on Facebook or Google means you’ve gone above and beyond to deliver a customer experience that has motivated someone to rave about your business.

You now have clients spreading positive digital “word of mouth” about your business, which will help you attract new customers.

Before you start celebrating, however, there’s something important you should do...

Why it's important to respond to positive customer reviews

Why is this so important? Well, three reasons, actually. 

• It shows the customer you care about them, which will keep them coming back for more.
• It shows the public you care about your customers, which will help you attract more business.
• It shows Google you're professionals! This will help you rank higher in Google Search and generate more traffic to your Google Business Profile. 

In short, if you're not responding to your positive reviews, you're missing out on a huge (not to mention free) opportunity to build brand trust, customer loyalty and more business. 

So, to help you do it effectively, here are some tips and tricks you can use to respond like a seasoned professional.

Tips and tricks for responding to customer reviews

First, open with an appropriate greeting

Begin with a greeting that matches the formality or informality of your business and audience. Then, address the customer by name to make it a personal response straight off the bat. 

Example: "Kia Ora/Hello/Hi/Hey [customer name]", or even "Wow [customer name], thanks!" 

Then, thank them for their review 

Your customer has done you a solid by relaying their awesome experience and feedback. This behaviour is less common than you might think, so make sure you encourage it with some positive reinforcement of your own. 

Example: "Thanks a bunch for taking the time to leave feedback!"

Invite your happy customers to come back!

Invite the reviewer to return to your business in the future. This, when armed with your personalization in prompt #1, will make each reviewer feel personally appreciated. This can be as short and subtle as saying...

Example: “Hope to keep you just as happy next time!” 

Ask them to spread the word 

Now that you know your customer's happy with the product or service you provide, encourage them to share their experience with others.

The fact that the reviewer has taken the time to leave a positive review means they’d be more receptive to further investment. Compared to going out of their way to leave a review, sharing that same recommendation with their peers is a small ask! 

Example: "I hope you’ll let your friends know next time they need a [service you provide]."

Reward reviews that are detailed and in-depth 

If you’re particularly impressed with the quality and depth of the review, offer them a sort of deal or coupon to reward them for their time. This is used best on positive reviews that stand out far more than average. Think lengthy reviews, include pictures or tell a compelling story. 

Example: "Wow, thanks a lot for the kind words. We’d love to set you up with a coupon for 10% off your next purchase for being such a great customer!"

It's important to keep in mind that you can't incentivise your customers to leave reviews, as it is against Google's review policy. But you can reward them for being loyal customers. 

Let them know about future offers (or more reasons why you're great) 

If you have any future offers you can talk about, now’s a great time to do so. Upsell your customer on future services or products that might be relevant to them (or, might be relevant to whoever happens to be reading the review). 

Example: "Glad you liked our "X" package; starting next month, we'll be offering "Y" as well!"

You can also take this time to mention that the highlights the reviewer mentioned are what you pride yourself on and are why your business is better than average – which is a way of proving that you’re doing something better than your competitors and can be a nice little SEO boost to boot. 

Example: "This is one of the things that sets us apart in [our niche]; we like to make sure that all of our customers have "X".

Make positive reviews work for you

Taking the time to respond to online reviews, including the glowing ones, is a powerful way to boost your business, show customers that you appreciate their feedback, and (perhaps most important of all) show Google and its algorithm that you’re worthy of ranking high on search results pages. 

While we’re on the topic, did you know that there are some simple strategies you can use to get more positive reviews?

Gain instant access to these tips and tricks by downloading our free guide on how to ethically explode your Google reviews. It's worth the read!