Who publishes this: OfficeStaff.ai helps Australian local businesses get found on Google, trusted through reviews and booked through their website and past customers.
The short answer
Google does not say that replies move your ranking. It says more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking, and that replies show customers you value their feedback.
So reply to every review anyway. A reply may not move you up the map, but it helps the person reading decide to ring you.
Google's help page on local ranking says three things about reviews and replies:
Want to see how many of your reviews have no reply, next to your competitors? Get your Free 3R check.
The number of reviews and your rating are part of how Google decides who is well known. Google calls that prominence.
Replies are about the customer. Google says they show you value feedback and help you stand out. It does not say they lift your ranking.
Google also says there is no way to pay for a better local ranking.
You will read blog posts that say replies boost your ranking, or that you should stuff keywords into them. Google does not publish its full ranking formula, so nobody outside Google can prove that.
Write replies for people, not for Google. A reply full of "best plumber Southport" reads like a sales pitch to the customer you are trying to win.
Your reply sits under the review for everyone to see. A customer comparing you with the business down the road reads both.
A thank you under a good review shows someone is paying attention. A calm reply under a bad one shows how you treat people when something goes wrong. Silence says nobody is home.
Google ranks local results on how well you match the search, how close you are to the person searching, and how well known you are.
More real reviews feed that last one. So the best thing you can do for your ranking is ask every customer for a review. See How do I get more Google reviews for my business?
The rest of the ranking picture is on our Reach page, and the reviews side is on our Reputation page.
About the author
Greg Hamlyn started out on the tools. He and his late wife Wendy then built their first business, from just him to a team of seven mechanics. He has been working with business owners since 2003. He co-founded OfficeStaff with Nick Lock to help Australian service businesses get more reviews, answer every customer and show up on Google. He will tell you if you are not a fit. Based on the Gold Coast.
Read next
There is no magic number. What matters is having more reviews than the businesses you are compared to, some recent ones, and a reply under every one.
Your Google listing, your website and your customer list are yours, always.
Ask us before you start.