Reputation Management Tips

Best Ways to Respond to Bad Small Businesses Reviews

Receiving a bad review can be very scary for a small business, as most people tend to look at a company’s reviews when deciding whether or not to do business with them. However, if the situation is handled correctly, these negative online reviews can end up helping your business. So how exactly should a small business respond to a bad review? How do you turn a negative review into a positive for your business? Let’s start with the basics.

Learn How to Respond to Bad Reviews

While small businesses tend to heavily rely on word-of-mouth advertising and reputation, it is important to understand that this situation is inevitable. Unfortunately, your business most likely will receive some negative reviews. No business is perfect. However, you can use these negative reviews to your advantage. Let’s talk about the steps you can take in order to minimize the damage.

Take Precautions

While a bad online review does not feel great, one bad business review surrounded by a ton of good reviews does help minimize the damage. The best defense is a good offense. Consider developing a business strategy where you continually ask customers to review your business online in order to ensure you are constantly outweighing the bad reviews with positive reviews. Additionally, having several Google reviews on your business will help increase your website’s ranking on the Google algorithm, therefore giving your business more credibility overall. 

Monitor Review Sites

Another important step is to become consistently present on popular review sites in order to ensure you notice the bad online reviews and are able to address them in a timely manner. According to the Local Marketing Institute, Yelp, Google, and Facebook are the three most important local business review sites, but it is equally important to monitor other regional or industry-specific sites. When you notice a bad review, do not ignore it. This concept will undeniably not make a bad review go away, and will hurt your reputation and your relationship with the upset customer.

Cool Down First

It can be tempting to run with your emotions and jump at the chance to defend your business. However, it is crucial to take the time to cool down before developing and positing a direct response to a customer. Attempt to look at the issue and situation from the customer’s perspective. While you should not respond to the review immediately, you should still act relatively quickly. Ideally, you should respond within a couple of days.

bad business reviews

Develop a Response

After setting your personal emotions aside, it is now time to draft a reply to the bad review. Make sure to keep your reply both short and professional. While it is important to address the concerns of your customer, you also want to consider how your response will look to others. Try to impress any potential future customers who are reading your business reviews while they decide whether or not to do business with your company. Simple tips for drafting a response to a bad online review include:

  • Pay attention to the tone of your response. Remain polite. Empathize with the customer.
  • Focus on making your response useful and practical.
  • Thank your customer for taking the time to bring the problems of your business to your attention.
  • Use your customer’s name in order to make the response feel more personal and to build a connection with your customer.
  • If applicable, show that you have taken the necessary steps to resolve the issue. In proving a negative online review to be inaccurate, consider adding photos or some other form of evidence to back up your rebuttal instead of simply stating your argument.
  • Ask the customer to contact you so you can help make things right. Encourage them to contact you directly.
  • Consider asking for a second chance. Invite them to come back to your business. This will help establish your confidence in your ability to make things right.

Tips for Responding to Bad Online Reviews

While these tips will help you develop a solid response to a negative online review, there are also several things to keep in the back of your mind in order to ensure professionalism and a positive outcome. For starters, do not respond to the same bad review multiple times. Getting in a back-and-forth argument would make your team appear unprofessional. You should also focus on diffusing the situation, not drawing it out or making it worse. You need to be careful in your word choice, tone, and message in order to ensure that your response will not make the customer more upset, as that will directly and immediately make the situation much worse.

Another important factor to focus on is how you handle defending your business if the customer’s review is simply inaccurate. As mentioned earlier, adding some form of evidence to the review will make your business appear to be more credible. However, do not forget the common mentality that “the customer is always right.” Instead of simply proving their inaccuracy, try to word your response more as a learning opportunity than as an insult to their intelligence. 

negative online reviews

Example of How to Respond to Bad Online Reviews

Now that you know how to respond to bad reviews, there is a good template from Review Trackers that mimics a polite and professional tone:

Dear [NAME OF REVIEWER], thank you for sharing your feedback. We are sorry your experience did not match your expectations. It was an uncommon instance and we will do better in the future.

Please feel free to reach out to [INSERT CONTACT INFORMATION] with any further comments, concerns, or suggestions you wish to share. We would love to make things right if you give us the chance.

While this template is a great reference, it is essential to keep in mind that each situation will vary and to adjust accordingly.

Are There Any Benefits to Receiving Negative Online Reviews?

Surprisingly enough, there are several positive outcomes that can rise from a negative review. Customer feedback is an essential part of improving business performance and should be taken very seriously. Use your bad online reviews to your benefit. Learn from their complaints by improving your company and finding other attributes that may have contributed to the issue. Stopping the problem at the source is a great preventative tactic as it will stop potential problems that may arise down the road.

bad online reviews

Strategies to Reply to Bad Online Reviews

Additionally, the way you respond to the bad online reviews has the potential to earn you more business. Following the steps mentioned prior while writing your response will earn you respect from not only the negative review author, but also from whoever views your response to the negative reviewer.

If you appear polite, knowledgeable, and helpful, the viewer of your response will respect and trust your business, according to a new research study in the Journal of Consumer Research. As mentioned in this study, reviewers who use phrases to soften bad news or negative information, such as “I’ll be honest…,” commonly causes the negative review to not harm sales. Ensuring that your reviewers maintain a polite tone can greatly help minimize damage. Some strategies to encourage polite reviews include:

  • Do not be afraid of negative online reviews. Do not delete reviews because they are negative. However, it is important to flag the fake reviews. If you can prove the bad business review is inaccurate or fake, be sure to get it removed and publicly address the incident, all without shaming the reviewer. 
  • Respond to the negative reviews in a proactive and polite manner. Try to resolve issues whenever you can. Respond publicly when possible to show your commitment to keeping your customers happy.
  • Humanize your brand. Post pictures of your office staff or behind-the-scenes insight to remind people that you are human beings. Posting more quality content overall can aid your business in contradicting negative reviews.

What to Do After Handling Bad Business Reviews

Now that you know the important steps on how to respond to bad reviews and how to use them to your business’s advantage, your business is ready to handle these negative reviews. It is important to keep in mind that bad reviews do not mean your business is bad. Most likely, the reviewer’s lack of satisfaction stems from a simple misunderstanding of expectations.

The best way to handle bad online reviews is to get more good ones! Surrounding your bad reviews with a sea of good ones will make your business look that much better. Additionally, the bad reviews will make your good reviews appear more authentic. It can seem suspicious if your business’s page only has positive statements, and consumers typically trust review sites that have a variety of feedback.

When it comes to how to respond to bad reviews, there is a lot a small business should keep in mind. SEO Design Chicago offers reputation management services to help you if you require it! 

Best ways for small businesses to respond to bad reviews

Frequently Asked Questions About Responding to Bad Business Reviews

1. How quickly should I respond to a negative review?

Respond to negative reviews within 24-48 hours when possible, but never immediately while emotions are high. Quick responses show you care about customer feedback and are actively monitoring your online reputation. However, take time to cool down and craft a thoughtful, professional response rather than reacting emotionally. If the review requires investigation or coordination with team members, acknowledge the review quickly with a brief message saying you’re looking into the matter and will follow up with more details soon. Weekend reviews can be addressed on the next business day, but don’t let them sit for more than a few days as this appears neglectful to both the reviewer and potential customers.

2. Should I respond to every negative review, even the really harsh ones?

Yes, you should respond to every legitimate negative review, regardless of how harsh it may seem. Even unfair or exaggerated reviews deserve professional responses because potential customers will judge your business based on how you handle criticism. Your response isn’t just for the angry reviewer—it’s for everyone else reading those reviews. A calm, professional response to an unreasonable review often makes the reviewer look bad while making your business appear mature and customer-focused. However, don’t respond to obviously fake reviews; instead, report them to the platform for removal. For extremely abusive reviews, you can respond briefly and professionally while flagging the content as inappropriate.

3. What should I do if a review contains false information about my business?

Address false information professionally while providing factual corrections. Don’t simply say “that’s not true”—provide specific details or context that clarifies the situation. If possible, include evidence such as photos, receipts, or documentation to support your position. Frame your response as providing additional information rather than attacking the reviewer’s credibility. For example: “We appreciate your feedback. To clarify, our policy states X, and our records show Y occurred. We’d love to discuss this further offline to ensure we understand your concerns.” If the review is completely fabricated, report it to the platform for removal while also responding publicly to maintain transparency.

4. Can responding to negative reviews actually help my business?

Absolutely! Thoughtful responses to negative reviews can significantly benefit your business. Studies show that businesses responding professionally to criticism earn more trust from potential customers than those with only positive reviews. Your responses demonstrate transparency, accountability, and commitment to customer service. They also provide opportunities to showcase your business values and problem-solving approach. Additionally, search engines view review responses as fresh content, which can improve your local SEO rankings. Many customers specifically look for how businesses handle complaints before making purchasing decisions, so professional responses can actually convert negative situations into positive business outcomes.

5. What tone should I use when responding to an angry or rude reviewer?

Always maintain a calm, professional, and empathetic tone regardless of the reviewer’s attitude. Use phrases like “We understand your frustration,” “We appreciate you bringing this to our attention,” and “We’d like to make this right.” Avoid matching their emotional level or being defensive. Think of your response as being written for all potential customers reading it, not just the angry reviewer. Use their name if possible to personalize the response, and focus on solutions rather than blame. If the review is particularly hostile, keep your response brief but professional: acknowledge their concerns, offer to discuss privately, and demonstrate your commitment to customer satisfaction.

6. Should I offer compensation or refunds in my public response?

Generally, avoid discussing specific compensation in public responses. Instead, invite the customer to contact you privately to resolve the matter. This approach protects both parties’ interests and prevents other customers from expecting similar offers for minor complaints. You can say something like: “We’d like to make this right. Please contact us at [email/phone] so we can discuss how to resolve this situation.” This shows potential customers that you take complaints seriously while keeping the resolution details private. Only mention compensation publicly if it’s a standard policy you want to advertise, such as a satisfaction guarantee that applies to all customers.

7. How do I handle fake reviews from competitors or disgruntled employees?

First, report fake reviews to the platform immediately with any evidence you have. Most platforms have policies against fake reviews and will investigate. While waiting for removal, respond professionally without accusing anyone of fakeness—other customers can’t verify your claims. Focus on your actual business practices: “We’re surprised by this feedback as it doesn’t reflect our standard procedures. We’d welcome the opportunity to discuss this further.” For competitor attacks, document patterns and report them. For disgruntled employees, respond professionally while briefly clarifying any misrepresentations about your business practices. Never engage in public arguments or name specific individuals.

8. How many negative reviews will seriously hurt my business?

The impact depends more on your overall review profile and response strategy than raw numbers. A few negative reviews among many positive ones actually increase credibility—100% positive reviews often appear fake. Research shows that businesses with 4.2-4.5 star averages often convert better than those with perfect 5-star ratings. However, if negative reviews consistently mention the same issues (poor service, cleanliness, etc.), this pattern will hurt your business. Focus on your review ratio: aim for at least 80% positive reviews. One negative review among 10 total reviews is more damaging than 10 negative reviews among 100 total reviews. Consistently excellent service and proactive review management are more important than achieving perfection.

Nick Antonopoulos

Nick Antonopoulos is the Chief Marketing officer of SEO Design Chicago. Nick has over a decade of experience in Content Creation, SEO and Digital Marketing working with small businesses all the way up to Enterprise level clients.

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