Google Told Us How To Handle Bad Reviews

We get it—negative reviews can feel like a punch to the gut. But here’s the thing: not all negative feedback reflects poor business practices. Sometimes, customers have mismatched expectations or encounter an issue beyond your control. The good news? Google told us how to address these reviews the right way in a recent email to help your reputation and show future customers that you truly care.

Jun 30, 2025

Google Told Us How To Handle Bad Reviews

We get it—negative reviews can feel like a punch to the gut. But here’s the thing: not all negative feedback reflects poor business practices. Sometimes, customers have mismatched expectations or encounter an issue beyond your control. The good news? Google told us how to address these reviews the right way in a recent email to help your reputation and show future customers that you truly care.

Let’s dive into some of Google’s suggestions!

1. Acknowledge Quickly

Time is of the essence. Responding quickly shows that you’re attentive and value feedback—whether it’s glowing or grumpy. We’ve seen firsthand how helpful it can be to reply immediately to a negative review. In many cases, the customer will feel heard and change their rating to be more positive if you do the next suggestion well…

2. Respond Politely

Keep your response professional and steer clear of defensive or emotional reactions. Think of it like a friendly conversation, not a debate, where you want to show your upset customer that you had all the right intentions, but something went wrong, and you will work on improving it.

3. Show Empathy

The magic words: “I understand how you feel.” Showing empathy goes a long way in diffusing negative emotions. Customers want to know that they’ve been heard and understood. So, acknowledge the issue and express regret that they had a less-than-ideal experience. You want to sound like a genuine human being, not just a corporate spokesperson.

4. Offer a Solution

Whenever possible, offer a solution to fix the issue or invite the reviewer to contact you directly to make things right. Even if the review stays negative, other potential customers will see that you’re proactive and committed to making things better.

Need help managing your reviews? Our automated Google Business Profile assistant Paige can handle all of your reviews for you and on top of that, make it easier for you to get reviews with our tools!

P.S. our Founder is co-hosting a webinar tomorrow with a founder of Adaptify - an AI website SEO company. You can and should register here if you want to learn the latest in fully automating your company's SEO.

About Author

Justin Silverman

Justin Silverman is the Founder and CEO of Merchynt, a local SEO technology company on a mission to make local SEO services not suck—one agency and small business at a time. Since launching Merchynt in 2019, Justin has helped over 20,000 businesses grow through data-driven Google Business Profile optimization and AI-powered local marketing tools like Paige. With more than a decade of experience in digital marketing and business growth, Justin previously held executive roles at Vista Group, where he served as VP of Global Partnerships and President of MovieXchange. He also led strategy and operations at Veezi, helping to scale tech products across international markets. Justin's career has spanned roles in marketing, partnerships, and operations, working with companies from early-stage startups to global enterprises. His deep knowledge of local search, combined with real-world leadership, positions him as a trusted voice in the local SEO and SaaS space. Under his leadership, Merchynt has become a go-to provider for agencies and small businesses seeking to dominate local search rankings through white-label solutions, AI automation, and performance-focused strategy. Justin continues to speak, write, and build tools with one mission in mind: to help 298 million businesses get found online by their perfect customer.