Review Analytics
Review analytics give publishers a detailed view of their rating trends over time, how review scores distribute across star levels, and how review volume correlates with package activity events. Understanding review patterns helps publishers identify quality improvements that resonate with users.
Review Metrics
| Metric | Definition |
|---|---|
| Average rating (period) | Mean star rating across all reviews submitted in the selected date range |
| Average rating (all time) | Mean star rating across all reviews ever received — used in the search ranking formula |
| Review volume (period) | Total number of reviews submitted in the selected date range |
| 5-star review count (period) | Reputation point-generating reviews received in the period |
| Rating trend | Average rating plotted over time — shows whether quality perception is improving or declining |
| Score distribution | Bar chart showing count of 1-star, 2-star, 3-star, 4-star, and 5-star reviews |
Rating Trend Over Time
The rating trend chart plots average review score over the selected date range. This chart is most useful for:
- Detecting a sudden drop in average rating after a specific version release — indicating the release introduced issues
- Confirming that a quality improvement effort (documentation update, bug fix, performance patch) has started to generate more positive reviews
- Correlating rating changes with specific announcements or community activities
Individual review dates can cause erratic daily swings in the average if review volume is low. The chart applies a 7-day rolling average by default (adjustable to 30-day) to smooth the trend line and make underlying patterns clearer.
Score Distribution
The score distribution chart shows the proportion of reviews at each star level. Healthy packages typically show a "J-curve" distribution — a large concentration at 4–5 stars and a smaller number at 1–2 stars, with relatively few at 3 stars. Patterns to investigate:
| Pattern | Possible Interpretation |
|---|---|
| High 1-star and high 5-star, low middle | Polarizing package — some users love it, others find it doesn't meet expectations. The description or use-case targeting may need clarification. |
| Flat distribution across all ratings | Very mixed reception — investigate the critical reviews for common themes |
| Majority 3-star | Users find the package acceptable but not impressive — quality is meeting baseline expectations but not exceeding them |
| Spike in 1-star reviews (sudden) | Usually correlates with a specific version release that introduced a regression. Cross-reference with the Install Trends and version release dates. |
Review Text Analysis
Alongside numerical metrics, the review analytics page includes a Recent Reviews feed showing the last 10 reviews (with their star rating and text). Publishers can filter by star rating to read all 1-star or 2-star reviews to quickly identify common criticisms without reading through hundreds of positive reviews.
Review Rate
The review rate metric shows what percentage of installs within the selected period resulted in a review being submitted. Industry context: most marketplace packages see review rates of 2–8%. A significantly higher rate (positive or negative) often indicates that an event prompted users to leave reviews — a product announcement, a support experience, or a particularly good or bad version release.