3 Keywords to Include in Your Review Replies (Without Sounding Like a Robot)

You’ve just typed your reply: “Thank you so much for your review!” Done, right?

Well, that is a perfectly nice reply! But with a few extra words, it could also tell the next potential customer what you do and where to find you.

Here are the three simple keywords you can slip in, plus how to do it naturally without sounding like a pushy ad!

What do we mean by “keywords”?

I know “keywords” can sound like marketing jargon, but they are really just the words people type when they are searching for something, like “massage near Ari” or “cake shop Sukhumvit”.

In a review reply, they are simply the words that share what you do and where you are. It really is nothing more technical than that!

The 3 keywords to include

What they came in for: Name the dish, service or product they mentioned, using their own words. So if they loved “the pandan cake”, say “the pandan cake” rather than something generic like “our products”. These are often the same words that keep coming up across your reviews, which Nook’s guide to sentiment analysis shows you how to spot.
Where you are: Mention your neighborhood or the specific branch they visited, like “here on Soi 31” or “our Thonglor branch”. This is extra handy if you have more than one location, since it tells anyone reading exactly which branch the review is about!
A reason to come back: Add one small, useful detail, like “we bake it fresh every morning” or “we’re open until 10pm on Fridays now”. It feels friendly and helpful rather than sounding salesy!

Two of these come straight from Google, by the way! Google’s own tips for replying say to acknowledge the customer’s specific feedback, and to share a detail that reinforces their experience and encourages a return visit. The “where” is our own addition, because it helps the next reader find you.

What does that look like in a real reply?

Say Baan Suay Cafe & Bakery gets this review:
“Best pandan cake I’ve had in ages, and the staff were so sweet!”

The usual reply would be something like:
“Thank you for your review! Hope to see you again soon.”

Here’s the same reply with all three keywords:
“Thank you, Fon! So happy you loved the pandan cake. We bake it fresh every morning here on Soi 31, and there’s a coconut version on weekends now too. See you again soon! Ploy”

See how all three fit in? You have the pandan cake (what they came in for), Soi 31 (where you are), and the weekend coconut version (a reason to come back). It is still brief and friendly, and it definitely does not read like a cheesy ad!

And as for adding “Ploy” at the end? Google suggests signing off with your personal name or initials, so it adds a lovely personal touch as well!

How much is too much?

It’s easy to go a bit overboard here! So here is a quick example of what NOT to do:

“Thank you for visiting Baan Suay, the best bakery on Sukhumvit Soi 31! Our Sukhumvit bakery has the best pandan cake on Sukhumvit, so come back to our Sukhumvit bakery soon!”

Yikes! That sounds like an ad and let's face it, nobody enjoys reading those. Google’s advice is the opposite: keep your replies short and simple, and conversational rather than promotional.

So use each keyword once at most, and if one doesn’t fit a particular reply, just leave it out! It is a bit like the business name advice in our piece on the 3 map details to standardize: piling in extra keywords might feel like it should help, but mostly it just looks forced.

And keep that third keyword to useful information rather than deals, since Google specifically says not to use review replies to offer deals or promotions.

A few questions people always ask

Will this help my Google ranking?

Honestly, nobody outside of Google can say for sure! Google does include replying to reviews in its tips for improving your local ranking, and says that helpful replies “can help your business stand out.” What it doesn’t mention is the words inside your replies.

So I find it best to think of the people reading your profile as the main win. If adding these words happens to help your ranking too, that is just a nice little bonus!

Should I add these to replies to bad reviews?

Keep those ones nice and simple! For any complaint, stick to our formula for replying: acknowledge, apologize, and move it offline. Naming the specific problem is still keyword one doing its job, but leave out the reason to come back, as that might look like you are trying to change the subject.

What if I have dozens of reviews to reply to?

That happens to almost everybody once business gets busy! That’s where review management tools can help, by drafting replies for you that already mention your services and location, so you just check them over and post.

So try it out on the next review that comes in and see if you can fit in all three! I promise after a few replies, you will be doing it without even thinking about it.