The short answer
To reply to a Google review, sign in to the account that manages your verified Business Profile, open it at business.google.com (or by searching your business name on Google or Maps), select Read reviews, choose Reply under the review, type your response and select Reply again. The reviewer is notified. Google checks replies against its content policies, which usually takes minutes but can occasionally take much longer.
- Only owners and managers of a verified Business Profile can reply.
- Replies appear publicly as your business, not under your personal name.
- You can edit or delete a reply at any time from the same Read reviews screen.
- Most customers expect an answer within about a week, so a regular reply routine matters more than perfect wording.
Before you can reply
Google only lets you reply once your Business Profile is verified, and only from a Google account that is an owner or manager of that profile. If you can see reviews but not the reply option, one of those two is usually missing. Check under the profile's settings who has access, and ask the primary owner to add you as a manager if needed.
Your reply is published as the business, with the business name and logo, never your personal name. That is useful for teams: several managers can answer reviews and customers see one consistent voice. It also means anything you write represents the whole company, so agree a tone before several people start replying.
Three places to reply, one result
| Where | How to get there | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Business Profile manager on a computer | business.google.com → choose location → Read reviews | Working through a backlog; managing several locations |
| Google Search | Search your business name while signed in → the management panel above results → Read reviews | Quick replies without opening another site |
| Google Maps app | Open Maps signed in as a manager → your business's management view → Reviews | Replying on the go, right after a notification |
The reply is the same wherever you write it; it shows on Search and Maps alike. Pick the place that fits your routine and stick to it, so nobody on the team wonders whether a review was already answered somewhere else.
Step-by-step: posting a reply
Open your reviews
Sign in, open your Business Profile and select Read reviews. Use the sort or filter options to show unanswered or newest reviews first.
Read the whole review
Read the text, the star rating and any photos. Check your own records for the visit, order or job before you write a word, especially for complaints.
Select Reply
Next to or under the review, select the reply icon. A text box opens.
Write your response
Thank the customer, respond to the specific point they made, and for problems, offer a next step. Keep it short enough to read on a phone.
Post and check
Select Reply. Refresh the review a little later to confirm the reply is showing publicly.
Editing or deleting a reply
Typos, a changed situation or a reply that came out sharper than intended can all be fixed. Open Read reviews, find the review, and under your reply select the edit icon to change the text, then Update. To remove it entirely, select the delete icon and confirm.
- Edit when the customer follows up, for example after you resolved their problem, so new readers see the outcome.
- Delete and rewrite if the original reply included anything you should not have shared, such as a customer's details.
- Leave it when the reviewer edits their review after your reply. Google's help page notes reviewers can still change their review, and the review date updates. Check your reply still makes sense against the new text.
Why a reply does not appear right away
Google reviews each reply against its content policies before it goes live. According to Google's Manage customer reviews help page, this usually takes up to 10 minutes but can sometimes take up to 30 days. If a reply is not approved, Google asks you to edit it.
Do
- Keep replies about the customer's experience.
- Invite people to contact you through your normal phone or email.
- Stay polite even when the review is not.
- Be brief: a few sentences is plenty.
Don't
- Include links, promo codes or sales pitches.
- Share personal details about the reviewer, a patient or a client.
- Use profanity, insults or threats, including legal threats.
- Paste the identical text under dozens of reviews.
Replies that break those rules are the ones most likely to be held or rejected. The full policy is Google's Maps user-generated content policy, which applies to owner replies as well as reviews.
How fast to reply
Speed is part of the message. In BrightLocal's Local Consumer Review Survey 2025, 63% of consumers said they expect a response somewhere between two or three days and a week, and only 7% said they do not expect a response at all.
A workable routine for most single-location businesses is a fixed slot twice a week, plus same-day attention to any 1 or 2-star review. Multi-location teams usually need a daily check with clear ownership per branch. Old reviews you never answered are still worth replying to, newest first; see our old review responses for wording that acknowledges the delay.
What to say, and how to keep up
This guide covers the mechanics. For the words themselves, start with our review response examples, or jump to 1-star and 5-star replies. The review response templates give you 30+ starting points to adapt.
If replying has become a weekly chore, Responsly connects to your Business Profile through Google's official API and drafts a reply to every new review in your brand voice. Approve each draft, or turn on auto-reply for the ratings you choose and keep 1 and 2-star reviews for your personal reply. Every location sits in one inbox. Plans start at $10 per location per month; see pricing.
Sources
- Google Business Profile Help: Manage customer reviews — Reply, edit and delete steps; verification; notifications; moderation timing.
- Maps User Generated Content Policy: Prohibited & restricted content
- BrightLocal: Local Consumer Review Survey 2025 — Consumer expectations for response time.
- Google Business Profile Help: Tips to improve your local ranking on Google