A good response is brief, specific, and professional. Thank people for positive feedback. For a negative review, acknowledge the concern, avoid arguing in public, and offer a private way to follow up. Law firms and medical practices should protect confidentiality: do not disclose client or patient information, and medical practices should never confirm that a reviewer is a patient.
Aaptly's city reports show that not all leading local businesses reply to most reviews. In New York, Aaptly checked Google results from 49 mobile search spots on September 29, 2026. Among the eight leading plumbers measured, five replied to most of their reviews; among the eight leading law firms, five did; and among the eight leading dentists, three did. These are measurements of the businesses checked, not response targets. See Aaptly's local market reports for trade-wide measurements and the city reports for plumbers in New York, law firms in New York, and dentists in New York.
Before you reply
Read the review carefully and check the facts with the staff involved. Decide what can be answered publicly and what belongs in a private conversation. Do not guess at the reviewer’s identity or share information from a service visit, legal matter, or medical record.
Use a calm, human voice. A copied response that ignores the details can sound dismissive. You do not need to explain every disagreement or write a long statement. The public reply is for the reviewer and for people deciding whether to contact your business.
Responding to a positive review
Thank the reviewer and refer to a detail they chose to share, if appropriate. Keep the response natural rather than turning it into an advertisement. Avoid adding personal details that were not included in the review.
Example: “Thank you for taking the time to share this. We’re glad you had a good experience with our team.”
For a home service business, you might thank someone for mentioning the technician’s communication or the cleanup. Do not add details about their address, equipment, or appointment. A law firm can express appreciation without confirming that the reviewer was a client or describing a case. A medical practice can thank someone for their kind words without confirming they received care.
Responding to a negative review
Acknowledge the person’s frustration without accepting facts you have not checked. Apologize for the experience when appropriate, but do not make promises you cannot keep. Offer a direct contact route so the concern can be reviewed privately.
Example: “We’re sorry to hear this was frustrating. We’d like to understand what happened and see how we can help. Please contact our office directly at the number on our website.”
For home services, avoid debating job details in public. You can say you want to look into the concern, then move the conversation to a phone call or email. For a law firm, do not confirm or deny an attorney-client relationship, discuss a case, or reveal communications. Keep the public response general and direct the reviewer to the firm’s usual contact channel.
For medical practices, do not confirm that the reviewer is a patient, even if they say they are. Do not mention appointments, treatment, diagnosis, billing, or records. A neutral response can say that the practice takes concerns seriously and invite the person to contact the office through an appropriate private channel. Have the practice’s privacy lead or legal adviser review your reply process if you are unsure what can be shared.
What to avoid in any reply
- Don’t insult the reviewer, accuse them of lying, or trade public arguments.
- Don’t post private information, even if you believe the reviewer has already shared it.
- Don’t offer a discount, refund, or other benefit in exchange for changing or removing a review.
- Don’t use the same canned message for every review. Adapt it to the issue without revealing sensitive details.
- Don’t promise a specific outcome before you have looked into the concern.
If a review appears fake, abusive, or otherwise inappropriate, use Google’s reporting process rather than trying to settle the issue in a public exchange. You can still post a measured reply if it helps readers understand that you are willing to address concerns, but do not make accusations you cannot support.
Make replies part of your routine
Choose someone responsible for checking new reviews and keeping replies consistent with your privacy and customer-service policies. Give that person a clear route to ask a manager, attorney, or privacy lead about sensitive cases. When a complaint points to a real service problem, follow up internally as well as publicly; a reply alone does not resolve the customer’s concern.
Learn more about Aaptly’s Google Review Management.