Google Reviews - How a 1-star turned into a 5-star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was working on a project for a client. In this case, I was managing their Google Business Profile and newsletter service, sending out review request messages on behalf of my client to boost their Google Business Profile.

(If someone does not know, reviews are the most effective marketing strategy to boost one's business locally. The lowest hanging fruit with the most significant marketing return.)

We emailed ~340 customers, and only about 4% actually left a review. Shockingly low.

One of those, however, was a 1-star. No comment, no reason - just a single star.

Here's what I did:

First, I replied publicly on their Google Business Profile in a kind, polite way. I simply asked them to share why they weren't happy so we could improve.
No response for a week.
Then I checked their details in the webshop, found their email, and reached out privately - same polite, curious tone.

The next day… the review had changed to a 5-star. Still no explanation.

👉 The lesson:

We never know why people leave bad reviews. Sometimes it's a mistake, sometimes it's frustration, sometimes it's something we can fix. But it's always worth following up.

That single act turned a public 1-star into a glowing 5-star.

Let's always reply to ALL reviews. Even 1-star ones.

Let's always reply to negative reviews with curiosity, understanding or explanation in a way that a third person would find helpful.

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