Review Response Rate
Definition
Review response rate is the percentage of customer reviews a business has publicly replied to, measured across all platforms or by individual platform, and is one of the strongest documented engagement signals affecting Local SEO.
Across third-party correlation studies from Whitespark, Moz, BrightLocal, and Sterling Sky, the relationship between response rate and Local Pack ranking follows a clear curve. Below 25% response rate produces no measurable SEO lift. The 25-50% band correlates with the largest single jump. Above 90% returns diminish.
The practical threshold most operators aim for is 50% — responding to half or more of reviews. This is achievable with a 15-minute weekly routine using a tool like ReplyWithCare to draft replies, even at high review volume.
Within that 50% budget, priority should go to: every 1-3 star review (damage control), every review naming a staff member (recognition opportunity), and every review longer than 100 words (high-effort customers notice when ignored).
Google's own Business Profile help documentation explicitly recommends "Interact with customers by responding to reviews" as one of three actions that influence local ranking, alongside relevance and distance. This is the only first-party confirmation Google has given that response activity affects ranking.
Primary source
Google: Improve your local rankingRelated terms
Review Velocity
Review velocity is the rate at which a business accumulates new reviews over time, measured in reviews per week or month, and is widely understood to be a Local Pack ranking signal independent of total review count.
HEARD Framework
The HEARD framework is a five-step approach to responding to negative customer feedback — Hear, Empathize, Apologize, Resolve, Diagnose — adapted from luxury hospitality (notably the Ritz-Carlton) and applied to written review responses.
Local Pack
The Local Pack is the cluster of three local business results that appears at the top of Google's search results page for queries with local intent, accompanied by a map and a "View all" link.