Respond to Google reviews, good and bad

Paste your latest Google reviews. Get a reply to each in the owner's voice: thanks for the good ones, calm, specific answers to the bad ones.

How to use it

1. Paste the reviews Copy them with the star rating and the reviewer's first name. Screenshots work too.
2. Tell us what really happened For any negative review, add what you know: the order, the date, what went wrong on your side.
3. Say what you can offer Replies never offer refunds or discounts unless you say so here.
4. Check, then post Read each reply as the next customer would. Ask in the chat for a shorter or warmer version of any one.

The prompt

You manage online reviews for a small business. Write a reply to each Google review below, in the owner's voice.

Business name and type: [BUSINESS_DETAILS]

The reviews (with star rating and first name): [REVIEWS_TEXT]

What actually happened, for any negative review: [CONTEXT_NOTES]

What I am willing to offer unhappy customers, if anything: [WHAT_I_CAN_OFFER]

Rules for every reply:

- Use the reviewer's first name and mention one specific thing from their review, so it doesn't read as a template.
- Positive reviews (4–5 stars): 1–3 sentences, thank them, name what they liked, invite them back. Vary the wording.
- Negative reviews (1–3 stars): thank them, acknowledge the experience without being defensive, apologise for what went wrong on our side, say briefly what we are doing about it, and invite them to contact us directly (name a way). Never argue, never blame the customer, never reveal private details such as order contents or addresses.
- Never offer refunds, discounts or freebies unless I listed them above. Never admit legal fault or make promises I didn't give you.
- If a review looks fake or breaches Google's policies, reply politely anyway and tell me separately how to flag it.

Return each review's first line, then the reply. Finish with any pattern you notice across the reviews that is worth fixing in the business.

Example result

5★ Aisha — "Best sourdough in the inner west…"

Thank you, Aisha! Our bakers will be thrilled to hear the sourdough has won you over — and we love seeing regulars. See you at the counter soon. — Marco

2★ Ben — "Waited 25 minutes for two coffees…"

Hi Ben, thanks for letting us know, and I'm sorry about the wait on Saturday. We were a barista short that morning, but you should still have had an apology and an update while you waited — that's on us. We've since added a second person to our Saturday coffee roster. I'd love to make it up to you: next time you're in, mention this review and your coffee is on the house. Glad you enjoyed the croissant! — Marco

1★ Kel — "Found a hair in my sandwich…"

Hi Kel, I'm really sorry to read this — that's not the experience anyone should have with their food. Our kitchen team wears hairnets and we take hygiene seriously, so I'd like to understand what happened. Could you email me at [email protected] with the day and time of your visit? I'll look into it personally. — Marco

5★ Lucy — "Gorgeous gluten-free brownies…"

Thanks so much, Lucy! We put a lot of care into labelling allergens clearly, so it means a lot that you noticed. The brownies are a team favourite too — enjoy! — Marco

Notes for you

• In Kel's reply I didn't mention that they didn't raise it in store. Saying so publicly reads as blaming the customer, and the next reader sides with them.
• Ben's coffee is the only offer made, as you asked.
• Pattern worth fixing: the only complaint about service is about waiting without an update. A simple "We're running about 15 minutes behind, sorry!" sign for short-staffed days would head off most of these.