A 1 star review is clearly negative, and a 5 star review is clearly positive — but what about a customer who rates your business 3 stars? Is that type of review considered good or bad, and how should your business reply?
This guide for small business owners will cover everything you need to know about 3 star reviews and how to deal with them effectively.
We go over tips and best practices for responding, provide real examples of responses from business owners, and feature review response templates your business can use to build its own responses. Lately, we answers FAQs about dealing with customer feedback.
Let's start by explaining what a 3 star review might indicate for your business.
Yelp, Google, and most other review sites enable users to rate businesses on a scale of 1 to 5 stars when leaving a review.
A 1 star rating or 2 star rating is considered a bad review. A 4 star rating is considered a positive review, and a 5 star rating is a great review.
On a scale of 1 to 5 stars, a 3 star review is average. However, most consumers expect businesses to be rated higher than that — and, as recent data reveals, most businesses meet that expectation.
For example, the average Google business rating is 4.11 stars as of mid-2022. That's about 10% higher than the 2015 average score of 3.74 stars, according to SOCi.
SOCi also found that “[A]n increase in one full star — for instance, a business that increases its average Google rating from 3.0 to 4.0 stars — corresponds with a 44% increase in conversions. Therefore, each tenth of a star increases conversion rate by 4.4%.”
Brightlocal data shows similar trends. For example, only 13% of consumers would be willing to choose a brand rated 3 stars, vs. 37% for a business rated 4 stars.
The takeaway is that, even if its overall tone is positive, a 3 star review can still hurt your brand’s reputation. Most consumers prefer to see ratings of at least 4 stars, and on Google — the largest, most influential review site — the average rating is actually above 4 stars.
On the bright side, a 3 star review is superior to a 1 star rating or 2 star rating. Usually, a reviewer who leaves a 3 star rating was satisfied with at least some aspects of their customer experience. For example, they might praise your customer service or product quality while complaining about wait times or pricing.
The tone of the 3-star review will determine what response strategy you should employ. Later in this guide, we’ll provide some examples of positive, negative, and mixed 3-star reviews, but first, let’s break down some basic “do’s” and “don’ts” of responding.
It's important to know best practices for replying to customer feedback. Following best practices will help you write on-brand, professional-sounding review responses, which has benefits like:
Here are five of our top tips for responding to 3 star online reviews.
It's important to always thank your customers for sharing their comments, regardless of whether they leave negative or positive reviews. Even if they rate your business without leaving a text review, you should still thank them for taking a moment to provide feedback.
It's crucial to respond to all of your online reviews, on all review sites where you're listed, as quickly as possible. When responding, be sure to:
Most consumers prefer personalized content, such as personalized advertisements or product recommendations. Give consumers what they want by personalizing your review responses, such as:
Some 3 star reviews are strongly negative. If a customer leaves a bad review, it's important to apologize and describe what actions you're taking to improve — for instance, sharing their feedback with your management team.
You should also emphasize your commitment to customer satisfaction and providing a positive experience going forward.
Encourage further engagement by inviting customers to contact your business directly. Depending on the nature of the customer's comments, be sure to provide contact information for the appropriate staff member or department, such as your reception desk rather than your corporate headquarters.
Emphasize that you want to learn more about their experience to improve your service going forward.
Our examples include 3 star reviews that are positive, negative, and neutral in tone, ensuring that you'll be prepared to deal with both happy and unhappy customers.
Along with the examples below, we've also included customizable response templates. Your business can use these templates to quickly reply to your customers on review sites like Yelp and Google.
While most contain mixed or negative feedback, some 3 star reviews are completely positive, like the example shown below.
When you receive a positive review accompanied by a 3 star rating, the best strategy is to thank the reviewer and invite them to provide additional feedback about improvements they’d like to see.
Review response template: “Hi [ Customer Name ], thank you for taking a moment to commend [ Staff Member ] for their great service. We appreciate your valuable feedback and will be sure to share your kind comments with [ Staff Member ]. While we’re pleased to hear that you had a positive experience, we always welcome additional feedback about how we could improve our service even more. We would love to hear more from you and encourage you to contact us at [ phone number or email address ] if you’d like to share any further details. Thanks again for reviewing and supporting our business!”
If a 3 star rating is accompanied by a customer complaint or describes a negative experience, it’s crucial to apologize to the reviewer and emphasize your commitment to customer satisfaction.
Depending on the nature of the customer’s issue and whether it’s still ongoing, you should also invite them to contact you for support.
Review response template: “Thank you for reaching out to us with your comments, [ Reviewer Name ]. We apologize for the inconvenience and are here to help get your matter resolved. Please reach out to our [ customer support ] team by calling [ phone number] during our office hours or sending a message to [ email address ]. We’re committed to improving your satisfaction with our service, and we look forward to assisting you further. Thanks again for your review!”
Review response template: “Hi [ Customer Name ], thank you for taking a moment to leave us a rating and review. We’re sorry to hear that our recent upgrades didn’t meet your expectations. At [ Business Name ], our goal is to make every experience a positive one. We take your feedback seriously, as it helps us to improve our service. We encourage you to contact us directly if there’s anything we can assist you with, and we hope we’ll have the opportunity to serve you again soon!”
Many 3 star reviews contain mixed or neutral sentiments. It's common for 3 star reviews to praise specific aspects of the customer's experience, such as friendly service, while complaining about other parts of the experience, such as high prices.
When your business receives a mixed or neutral review, it's important to acknowledge both the negative and positive aspects of the customer's experience. That means thanking and apologizing to the customer, inviting them to return to your business, and encouraging them to reach out for assistance if appropriate.
Here are a few examples of how to respond to neutral reviews in a positive way.
Review response template: “Hi [ Customer Name ], thank you for taking the time to share your review with us. Please accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience you experienced during your visit. At [ Business Name ], our goal is always to provide a positive experience to our guests. Your valuable feedback is being shared with our management team to improve our service in the future. We hope we’ll have an opportunity to serve you again soon and earn a high star rating on your next visit!”
Review response template: “Hi [ Customer Name ], thanks so much for taking the time to share your valuable insights with our team. Your review means a lot to our business and helps us provide a more satisfactory experience. We appreciate your comments and will definitely take your feedback into consideration. If there’s anything else we can assist you with, please don’t hesitate to contact us at [ phone number or email address ]. From everyone here at [ Business Name ], we hope to serve you again soon! ”
According to research by SOCi, "Overall, from 2015 to present, reviews with text have declined by 28%." This trend is especially pronounced on Google, with SOCi finding that "52.4% of all Google reviews in our data had no text at all" as of 2022.
With rating-only reviews on the rise, business owners need to know how to respond to reviews without comments. The best strategy is to thank the reviewer and encourage them to share more details over a phone call, email, or follow-up online review.
Review response template: “Hi [ Customer Name ], thanks for taking a moment to leave us a rating! If you’d like to share any comments about how we could improve your customer experience, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at [ phone number or email address ]. We value your honest feedback, [ Customer Name ], and we hope to hear more from you soon. Thanks again for rating [ Business Name ]!”
Review response template: “Hi [ Customer Name ], thanks for rating [ Business Name ]! We’re glad you were satisfied with your experience, but would love to learn how we could help make your future visits even better. Our team always welcomes honest feedback from our customers, which we use to grow and improve our service. We thank you again for your rating, [ Customer Name ], and hope to hear more from you soon!”
When you respond to a 3 star rating or review, you have a few objectives:
The review response examples above show how to write responses that are aligned with these goals.
In short: it depends. If the review violates Google’s policies, it may be possible to have it taken down. Otherwise, the rating or review is unlikely to be removed.
So what sort of reviews does Google prohibit? And what about other review sites, like Yelp or Trustpilot?
Let’s start with Google’s review removal policy.
Google explicitly bans all of the following types of content:
If a negative review contains prohibited content, such as hate speech or off-topic content, you can flag the review for removal.
You can also flag reviews that violate Google’s rules against fraud and review manipulation, including:
Flagging a review does not enable you to delete it — instead, it means that Google will investigate and potentially remove the review. Google will notify you of its decision via email, typically within a few days of receiving your report.
While each platform varies, most major review sites enforce similar rules and restrictions. Yelp, for instance, prohibits “threats, harassment, lewdness, [and] hate speech,” along with irrelevant content, promotional material, and reviews that are biased, fake, or compensated.
Here are Google's step-by-step instructions for reporting an online review in Google Maps, Google Search, or directly from your business page:
You can also flag an inappropriate review using Google’s review management tool:
You might also be interested in:
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