Review Response Time

Review response time describes how quickly a business responds to customer feedback on a public review platform. Teams can measure it as a median or percentage answered within a chosen interval, but should state exactly which reviews, channels and time periods are included. Replies may be subject to platform review before appearing publicly.

A quicker reply can show customers that someone is listening, especially when a review describes a service problem. Speed alone does not make a reply helpful: a copied response that ignores the issue can be worse than a thoughtful answer delivered slightly later. Sensitive details should move to private channels, and businesses should avoid promising a refund or remedy before checking the facts.

Google encourages helpful, relevant responses but does not publish a guaranteed local-ranking increase for replying within a particular number of hours. Set response expectations according to staffing and urgency rather than turning an arbitrary speed target into a ranking claim.