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N
Glossary Term

Net Promoter Score.

Learn what Net Promoter Score means in modern search and SEO.

Part of speechnounOriginAbbreviation: NPS. Latin: retis (net) + Latin: promovere (to move forward) + Latin: scorus (score)

A customer loyalty metric based on one question: how likely are you to recommend this product to a friend? Scored on a 0–10 scale.

Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a customer experience metric developed by Fred Reichheld in 2003 and published in Harvard Business Review. Respondents rate on a 0–10 scale how likely they are to recommend a company to a friend or colleague. Promoters (9–10) are loyal advocates; Passives (7–8) are satisfied but unenthusiastic; Detractors (0–6) are dissatisfied customers who can damage brand reputation. NPS = % Promoters − % Detractors.

Interpreting NPS

NPS scores range from −100 (all detractors) to +100 (all promoters). Industry benchmarks vary significantly: SaaS companies average around 30–40; best-in-class companies score 70+. More important than the absolute score is the trend over time and the qualitative feedback that accompanies NPS surveys—the 'why' behind ratings reveals the specific drivers of satisfaction and dissatisfaction that can be actioned.

NPS and Growth

NPS predicts organic growth: promoters refer new customers, reducing CAC; detractors generate negative word-of-mouth, increasing churn and acquisition costs. Companies with high NPS grow faster than competitors because word-of-mouth is the highest-trust, lowest-cost acquisition channel. Improving NPS should be a shared goal between product, customer success, and marketing teams.

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