Now What? How to Respond to Reviews of Your Business, Both Good and Bad
Last Updated on 6 August, 2025
You log into your WellnessLiving account and see your business got a new review! Maybe they were thrilled with your studio, or maybe they had a few complaints. Either way, you’re going to want to respond. Your response can not only improve your SEO by generating more original content about your business, but many consumers expect a response.
So, how do you respond to reviews of your business? There’s no right or wrong answer, but there are some important do’s and don’ts. Review responses are a prime opportunity to turn a fan into a lifelong client, or give what was initially a bad experience a positive outcome. Whether good or bad, follow our step-by-step guide on how to respond to reviews.
Positive Reviews:
#1: Say thank you!
If someone gives you a compliment, don’t you usually say thank you? The same should go for online reviews! When someone takes the time to leave public praise about your business, start your reply with a hearty thanks. It can go a long way.
#2: Keep it simple
If someone is raving about your business, there really isn’t a need to go into a lengthy explanation about why they love it or why your business is so great. Stay humble, gracious, and show them you’re listening to what they love about your studio, office, gym, etc.
#3: Throw in some keywords
Try to include the name of your business or relevant keywords in your reply where it makes sense. Just like the review itself, your reply counts as original content that can improve your business’s SEO.
If you’re Joe’s Gym, for example, you could try to incorporate keywords in an organic way like this: “We take a lot of pride in our personal trainers here at Joe’s Gym, and it means a lot to get such hearty support from our Nashville community.”
See what we did there? While thanking the reviewer for their support, we’ve also increased the likelihood this glowing review will appear on search engines for people looking for Joe’s Gym or personal trainers in Nashville.
#4: Invite them to take action
Businesses spend a large percentage of their marketing budget pursuing new leads, but nearly half of a business’s revenue may come from repeat customers. On average, 25% – 40% of total revenue for a business comes from repeat customers.
If someone is singing your praises online, chances are high they’ll become a repeat customer. Use your reply as an opportunity to show them easy ways they can continue to patronize your business. Invite them to check out your rewards program (run easily and automatically through your WellnessLiving software!) to rack up points and win freebies, or mention your latest discount code they can use to get discounted merchandise from your online store.
Bonus Tip: Offer incentives before they write the review
With WellnessLiving, you can incentivize members to sing your praises with online reviews. Clients can earn points via your rewards program for writing reviews through our WellnessLiving systems. And, those reviews can be automatically floated to google, our wellness business directory and other top review sites .
Alright, can we all agree interacting with your business’s biggest fans is fun? But, how do you respond to a reviewer who isn’t as happy with your studio? While just as important, responding to negative reviews can be trickier because let’s face it: You’re passionate about your business, and your first reaction may be to respond emotionally. Don’t. Follow these steps to flip the script on negative reviews and defend your business while working to win back that customer.
Negative Reviews:
#1: Empathize
Whether your client is in the right or in the wrong, they left your business upset, underwhelmed or disappointed. Understand why they feel that way and empathize. It’ll open them up to hearing what you have to say and show them that you care about more than just their business — you care about them as a person.
#2: Explain
It’s true what they say: There are two sides to every story. And there’s probably a reason something went wrong or why your business does things the way they do.
For example: You’re a yoga studio, and you’ve recently created a new member promotion of 3 classes for $30. That leads to a boost in sales and fuller classes. But, one of your regulars leaves a negative review saying she wasn’t able to get a spot in her favorite Wednesday class because there were so many people. When you respond to her, explain that the new special has led to an exciting bump in members, but that you’re looking into expanding class options so they don’t overbook.
If there’s a logical reason something went wrong or left someone disappointed, calmly explain the why in your response to give the reviewer some context. Plus, other people who may see this negative review will also see your response, so remember you’re speaking to those potential members as well.
#3: Avoid keywords
Just like with positive reviews, including your business’s name and relevant keywords will increase the likelihood that review and your response will pop up in online searches. With negative reviews, though, it’s safe to assume you don’t want those popping up in searches. By avoiding too many keywords where it makes sense and not repeating your business’s name, you may be able to decrease the likelihood this review will appear high on search engines.
#4: Drive the conversation offline
Thankfully, with WellnessLiving’s review collecting capabilities, all reviews submitted through our system will go to you – the business owner – for approval before being pushed to our directory and other review sites. If negative reviews come through our system or even if people write them directly onto review websites, try to steer the conversation offline. Direct the reviewer to give you a call or come into the business to resolve the issue. You don’t want to get into a complicated back-and-forth conversation on such a public forum, so try to continue the conversation offline.
Now you’re a review response pro! But, you can’t respond to reviews you don’t know you’re getting. Monitor your online presence easier than ever, respond directly in our software, and incentivize your members to write more positive reviews with WellnessLiving. Schedule your free demo today, and we’ll show you how easy it is to start more positive conversations about your business.
