Steps
You reply from your Business Profile, and you must have verified the business first. These are the steps from Google's own Manage customer reviews page, read on 2 November 2026.
On a computer
- Go to your Business Profile.
- Select Read reviews.
- Next to the review you want to reply to, select Reply.
- In the dialogue box, enter your reply.
- Select Reply.
On a phone
Google's page gives one set of steps for every device and none that are specific to a phone. Its pages on finding your business and reporting reviews give the route to the list. Open the Google Maps app, signed in to the Google Account that manages your profile, then tap Business at the bottom right, then Reviews. If you have more than one business, tap the down arrow at the top and pick the right one. From there, the reply button is the one Google's page names: Reply. We could not find Google's own wording for the phone screen, so if yours looks different, trust the screen.
What happens next
- Google reads your reply first, to check it follows its content policies. If it does not pass, you are asked to edit it. Google says this usually takes up to 10 minutes, and sometimes up to 30 days.
- The reply shows publicly under the review, as from your business. Your personal name is not shown.
- The reviewer is told when you reply. They can still change their review afterwards, and if they do, the date on it changes.
Edit or delete a reply
You can change or remove your own reply. From the same Google page:
- Go to your Business Profile.
- Select Read reviews.
- Under the reply you want to change, select Edit.
- In the dialogue box, edit your reply.
- Select Update.
To delete the reply instead, select Delete under it, then Delete again.
Deleting your reply does not delete the review. For a review that breaks the rules, see our guide to removing a Google review.
Speed and Length
Google asks for a reply in "a timely manner" and for replies that are "short and simple". It gives no number of hours or words, and we found no official one. The figures below are our advice, not a rule.
| Review | Reply within | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 5 stars | A few days | 1 to 2 sentences |
| 3 to 4 stars | 2 working days | 2 to 3 sentences |
| 1 to 2 stars | 1 working day | 3 to 4 sentences |
Reply to a hard review quickly, but not in a temper. Write it, leave it for an hour, read it again, then post it.
Google also says you do not need to thank every reviewer in public. Its tips say to reply when you have something relevant to add, because each reply can reach many readers. We would still reply to the low ratings and to anything with a detail in it, and thank the rest when you have time.
A free 30 minute call. We look at where your admin time goes.
Templates
Copy the one that fits and change the details in square brackets. Keep your own words where you can. A reply that sounds like every other reply helps nobody, and Google's tips suggest signing with your name or initials.
Five Stars
Thank you, [Name]. We are glad the [job] went smoothly, and it was good to work with you. If anything needs a look later, you know where we are. [Your first name]
Four Stars With a Small Complaint
Thank you for the review, [Name], and for being straight about the [small issue]. We are sorry it was not quite right. We have [passed it on / changed how we do it], so it should be better next time. [Your first name]
Three Stars, Mixed
Thank you for the detail, [Name]. We are pleased the [good part] worked well, and we take the point about the [weaker part]. We would like to put it right. Please ring us on [number] or email [address] and we will sort it out. [Your first name]
One Star, a Real Problem
We are sorry the job did not go as you expected, [Name]. We would like to understand what went wrong and fix it if we can. Please ring us on [number] or email [address] and ask for [first name], and we will give it our full attention. [Your first name]
Google's tips say to admit mistakes that were made, but not to take responsibility for things outside your control. Check your own records first. If you did make an error, say so in one line. If you did not, do not agree to it just to end the argument.
One Star From a Non-Customer
Thank you for the review. We cannot match it to a job or visit, so we think it may have been left on the wrong business. If we have missed something, please contact us on [number] and we will look into it. [Your first name]
Then report it. Google says reviews should reflect a genuine experience, and only reviews that break its rules can be removed. Our guide to removing a Google review covers what to report and what to expect. Do not say "you were never a customer". You may be wrong, and it reads as an accusation.
A Review Naming a Member of Staff
For praise:
Thank you, [Name]. We have passed your kind words to the team and they will be pleased. It is good to know the visit went well. [Your first name]
For a complaint:
We are sorry about your experience, [Name]. We take this seriously and want to hear more. Please ring us on [number] or email [address]. [Your first name]
Do not repeat the name of the person in a complaint, and do not discuss them in public. It is a matter for you and them, not the comments.
Things to Avoid
- Anything that identifies the customer or their job. Google's content policy says not to post personal information without consent, and gives full names, financial information and medical information as examples. It is written for reviews, but the same care is sensible in a reply. Google's tips say "never share the reviewer's private info."
- What you did for them, or who they are. The ICO says personal data is information that relates to or identifies an individual, and that data protection law covers businesses of every size, sole traders included. The ICO has no page on replying to reviews that we could find, so this is our reading. A public reply saying "we fitted your boiler on 3 March at your address" tells every reader who they are and what they bought. Move the detail to a call or email.
- Health details, money owed, or anything about their account. The ICO says sensitive information, such as health, needs extra care. Money owed is not in that group, but it is private to them, so keep it out of public view.
- An argument. Google's tips say to avoid personal attacks. Readers are judging you, not the reviewer.
- A deal or a bribe. Google says there is no need to offer deals to a reviewer. It also says offering something in exchange for a review, a changed review or the removal of a negative one is fake engagement and "strictly prohibited."
- A sales pitch or a pile of links. Keep it to the point.
This is general information and not legal advice. If a dispute is serious, or someone says you have broken data protection law, speak to a solicitor or the ICO.
AI Drafts
AI can write a first draft faster than most owners can type one, and it is a fair use for a tired Friday evening. Two rules apply.
- A person reads it before it goes live. An AI draft is often warm and empty, and sometimes states things that are not true, such as a refund you never offered. It is your name on the business. Check every fact, put in one real detail from the job, and sign it yourself.
- Paste in as little as you can. Give the tool the review text and the rating, not the customer's phone number, address, invoice or job notes. Remove the reviewer's name if you can, and add it back at the end.
A prompt to start from:
Write a reply to this Google review for [business type] in the UK. Plain English, 2 to 3 sentences, polite, no apology unless a mistake was clearly ours, no discounts, no personal details. Review: [paste review text only]
Then change it until it sounds like you. If you are still happy with it in the morning, post it.
Tunewell
The free way above works without us: open the profile, use a template, read it twice, post it. Our job is the part before it. The More Reviews item on our Menu sends a review request after every job. It is one of three Quick Win choices: our £495 Check-Up includes one, set up and working by the time your report arrives. Our guide to the Google review link shows how to do the same by hand.
If you want to talk it through, the free 30 minute Intro Call is the place to start. See Pricing for what we charge. We take no commission from any tool we suggest.
You will be talking to Theo.