You create your Google review link right in your Business Profile: under "Read reviews" and then "Get more reviews". There you copy the link, and on a computer you can download the matching QR code from the same place. Both are free and take customers straight to the review form. This guide walks through every step, the Place ID route for anyone without access to the profile, the print rules for QR codes and what to check with NFC cards. It also covers the rules Google sets for asking for reviews.
Quick answer: how to get your Google review link
There are three ways to get a link that lets customers review your business on Google. For most businesses, the first one is right, because Google issues both the link and the QR code there itself:
| Route | Who it is for | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Business Profile: "Read reviews", then "Get more reviews" | Owners and managers of the profile | Short link in the form g.page/r/…/review, plus the QR code (computer only) |
| Build a Place ID link yourself | Anyone, including agencies and web developers without profile access | Direct link into the review form |
| Share the business in Google Maps | Anyone | Link to the business page, where customers tap "Write a review" themselves |
One thing applies to all three: according to Google, anyone who wants to write a review must be signed in to a Google Account. Such an account can also be created with an email address that is not a Gmail address. If a customer is not signed in, the link therefore shows the sign-in page first.
Why is a direct review link worth it?
A direct review link saves customers the search. Instead of looking up your business in Google Maps, finding the right listing and opening the reviews section, they land in the form with one click or scan. Every step you remove lowers the barrier between intending to leave a review and actually posting one.
Current figures show that asking pays off. In BrightLocal's Local Consumer Review Survey 2026, a survey of 1,002 adults in the US, 78 percent said they had been asked to leave a review in the past twelve months. Of those, 83 percent went on to write one. The same study shows how much volume and recency count: 47 percent of respondents won't use a business with fewer than 20 reviews, and 74 percent only care about reviews from the last three months.
Google also links reviews to visibility. In its tips for improving local ranking, Google writes: "More reviews and positive ratings can help your business's local ranking." A link that sits permanently on receipts, invoices and thank-you emails creates exactly this steady inflow. The local SEO guide shows which other factors count in Google Maps. How much a single bad review weighs when you only have a few reviews is calculated in the article How many 5-star reviews offset a 1-star review?
Step by step: create your review link and QR code in your Business Profile
Creating the official link takes a few minutes. Google describes the process in its help article "Create a Google link or QR code to request reviews". Here is how:
- Sign in on a computer. Sign in with the Google Account that manages your Business Profile. Google currently generates the QR code only in a computer browser, not on a smartphone.
- Open your Business Profile. Open your profile, for example by searching Google for your business name and city or for "my business". If you manage several locations, pick the right one.
- Open the sharing option. Select "Read reviews" and then "Get more reviews".
- Copy the link. "Copy" puts the review link on your clipboard. It looks like g.page/r/…/review.
- Save the QR code. Right-click the QR code and select "Save image as...".
- Test it. Open the link in a private browser window and scan a test print with an iPhone and an Android device. Check that the right profile and the right location appear.
When the short link is opened, Google redirects it to your profile's review form, an address of the form search.google.com/local/writereview?placeid=… with the Place ID of your location. You should still share the short link: it is shorter, and Google provides it for exactly this purpose.
Google lists receipts, thank-you emails, the end of a chat conversation and a printed QR code in your store as places to use it. You can also send the link itself by email, WhatsApp message or Facebook post.
Without profile access: build a review link from the Place ID
The Place ID is the identifier Google uses to uniquely identify a place on Google Maps. With it, you can build a review link even without access to the Business Profile, for example as an agency that runs the website, or for an online shop that inserts the link into order emails automatically.
- Open the Place ID Finder in the Google Maps Platform documentation. You can find it by searching for "Place ID Finder".
- Enter the business name and location and select the matching entry from the suggestions.
- Copy the Place ID shown.
- Add the ID to the end of this address:
https://search.google.com/local/writereview?placeid= - Test the finished link before you use it.
Two limitations apply. First, this link also opens the form only after signing in to Google. Second, Google's developer documentation notes that Place IDs can change over time and recommends refreshing stored IDs that are more than twelve months old. Test a self-built link regularly, especially once it is printed.
Developers have two shortcuts. The Places API returns the link to a place's review form directly in the googleMapsLinks.writeAReviewUri field. And if the form link gets stuck at sign-in in a browser, the official Maps link with a Place ID helps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=NAME&query_place_id=PLACE-ID. It opens the business page in Google Maps, in the Maps app on a smartphone, where customers tap "Write a review".
Google reviews via QR code: making the code print-ready
A QR code for Google reviews is your review link in machine-readable form: anyone who scans it with their phone camera lands in the review form. The code from your Business Profile comes straight from Google and needs no other provider. If you need a code with a logo or in a different file format, generate it yourself from the copied link.
Static or dynamic: the key difference
A static QR code contains the link itself and works for as long as the link works. A dynamic code contains only a redirect through the provider's server, which lets the provider count scans and change the destination later. If a trial or subscription ends with the provider, every printed code leads nowhere or to a provider page instead of your review form. Some online generators create dynamic codes with a trial period by default.
For a review link, a static code is the right choice. You don't need to count scans, because what matters is how many reviews arrive, and you can see that directly in your profile. Data protection is another reason: with a dynamic code, every scan passes through a third party's server, which at the very least receives the smartphone's IP address.
Print rules for QR codes
Printing decides whether a code works in everyday use. These rules have proven themselves:
| Point | Recommendation | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Size | At least about 2 × 2 centimeters (0.8 × 0.8 inches); as a rule of thumb, one tenth of the scanning distance | From one meter away, you need an edge length of about 10 centimeters |
| Quiet zone | Leave at least four modules clear all around | Denso Wave, the inventor of the QR code, requires this margin; without it, cameras recognize the code less reliably |
| Contrast | Dark code on a light, matte background | Not every camera reliably reads light codes on dark backgrounds or codes on glossy film |
| Error correction | Level M (15 percent) as standard; Q or H (25 or 30 percent) with a logo in the center | The logo covers part of the pattern, and error correction compensates for it |
| File format | Vector graphic (SVG or PDF) or high resolution | The code stays sharp when enlarged |
| Text next to it | A short request that states the effort, such as "Your honest opinion on Google, takes a minute" | A code without explanation rarely gets scanned |
A module is one of the small squares the code is made of. According to Denso Wave, level M is the most frequently chosen error correction level. The most important test is still a practical one: print the code at its actual size and scan it from the distance your customers will see it from.
NFC cards and NFC stands: what they do and what to check
An NFC review card is a card, sticker or stand with a small radio chip that stores your review link. When customers hold their smartphone against it, the link opens without using the camera. The chip needs no battery, because the smartphone powers it through its radio field when it is held close.
Whether this works depends on the device. According to Apple, iPhone XS and later models read NFC chips without a dedicated app; the link appears as a notification to tap. On Android smartphones, NFC must be switched on in the settings. Older devices and those without NFC can only be reached via the QR code.
Before you buy, take a close look, because details decide how long NFC cards last:
- Which address is stored on the chip? Some providers don't store your Google link but a redirect through their own domain. If the subscription ends or the provider shuts down, none of the cards work anymore. Check the chip with a free NFC app such as "NFC Tools"; ideally, your own review link is stored on it.
- Is the chip locked? An unlocked chip can be rewritten with any smartphone, including by strangers who then send your customers to a different page. So lock it against overwriting once your link is written. Locking is permanent, so test the link first.
- Is there a QR code next to it? Every NFC card should also carry a QR code so that customers without NFC can leave a review too.
- Is the location right? If you have several branches, each chip needs the link of its own location.
Technically, a simple chip is enough. According to the manufacturer NXP, the widely used NTAG213 offers 144 bytes of memory, enough for any Google review link, and it can be permanently locked against overwriting.
What does Google allow when you ask for reviews?
Google explicitly allows businesses to ask customers for reviews that reflect a genuine experience. What is prohibited are incentives, selectively asking only satisfied customers and pressure on the premises. The rules are part of Google's Maps user-generated content policy and apply equally to links, QR codes and NFC cards:
| Allowed | Not allowed |
|---|---|
| Asking every customer for an honest review | Selectively asking only satisfied customers for positive reviews |
| Displaying the QR code in your store or printing it on receipts | Requiring or pressuring customers to leave a review while on the premises |
| Sharing the link in thank-you emails, chats or invoices | Offering discounts, free services or money in exchange for a review |
| Replying to reviews | Setting staff a number of reviews to collect or asking for reviews that name specific employees |
Google treats incentives as fake engagement and can restrict Business Profiles for policy violations. A satisfaction check placed in front of the link that only forwards happy customers to the Google form is also a way of selectively soliciting positive reviews. So ask everyone, with the same link.
Requests by email, SMS or WhatsApp are also subject to data protection and marketing law; in the EU that means the GDPR, and in Germany also the Unfair Competition Act (UWG). The article on GDPR-compliant review requests explains what to watch out for. A QR code on a receipt or at the counter, by contrast, needs no customer data at all.
Where the link pays off most: channels and timing
The review link works best when it follows the experience closely in time. This overview sorts the common channels:
| Channel | Timing | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Thank-you email after a purchase or job | 1 to 3 days after delivery, the same day for appointments | Link as a button |
| Receipt, invoice, delivery note, parcel insert | At handover | QR code with a short text |
| Checkout, counter, waiting area | Permanently visible | QR code or NFC stand |
| Chat or WhatsApp (with consent only) | At the end of the conversation | Link |
| Email signature and website | Permanently | Link |
A code on the receipt has one advantage over a stand at the checkout: customers can scan it later at their leisure instead of feeling watched.
You will find wording for emails, WhatsApp and service conversations in the guide to review requests customers actually answer. Trusted Shops, ProvenExpert and other platforms have their own review links. How to manage several platforms together is described in the article on multichannel reputation.
Six mistakes that make your review link worthless
- Profile instead of form. A shared Maps link only leads to the business page. Customers have to find "Write a review" there themselves, and some give up before they do.
- Wrong location. If the receipts of all branches carry the same code, reviews end up on the wrong profile. Every location has its own profile and therefore its own link.
- Untested print. Too small, without a quiet zone or on glossy film: a code that only works on screen fails at the counter.
- A code with an expiry date. Dynamic codes from a trial period expire and then lead to someone else's pages.
- An open NFC chip. An unlocked chip can be overwritten, and a chip with a redirect depends on its provider.
- Asking only the happy ones. Handing the link only to delighted customers breaks Google's policies. Google itself notes that a mix of positive and negative feedback often comes across as more trustworthy.
Measuring success: does the QR code really bring more reviews?
Google doesn't show which route a review came through. So measure the result: how many new reviews arrive per month and location, before and after you introduce the link, QR code or NFC card? Introduce new channels one at a time, for example the code on receipts in the first month and the stand at the checkout in the second. Then any increase can be attributed to the right channel.
Replying is part of the routine as well. A study of TripAdvisor hotel reviews (Davide Proserpio and Georgios Zervas, Marketing Science, 2017) found that hotels that started replying to reviews went on to receive around 12 percent more reviews. You will find suitable wording in the templates for positive and negative reviews.
In RateGate, the Analytics page shows the new reviews in the selected period, from the last seven days to the last year, along with the trend over time and the figures for each location. That way you can see whether the new code on your receipts actually increases the inflow. New reviews from Google, Trusted Shops and ProvenExpert arrive in one shared inbox. From the Silver plan, the Automatic replies feature answers new reviews according to your rules, for example only from a minimum number of stars; reviews below that stay in the inbox for a personal reply.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find my Google review link?
You will find it in your Google Business Profile under "Read reviews" and then "Get more reviews", where you copy it with "Copy". To do so, you must be signed in with the Google Account that manages the profile.
Can I create a Google review link without access to the Business Profile?
Yes, using the Place ID. Look up the ID with Google's Place ID Finder and add it to the end of the address search.google.com/local/writereview?placeid=. Test the link before using it, because according to Google, Place IDs can change over time.
Is a QR code for Google reviews free?
Yes. Google provides it free of charge in the Business Profile, although currently only in a computer browser. Be careful with online generators that create dynamic codes: if a trial or subscription ends there, the printed code stops working.
How big does a QR code for Google reviews need to be?
About 2 × 2 centimeters (0.8 × 0.8 inches) is considered the minimum, plus a clear quiet zone of four modules all around. For greater distances, the rule of thumb is an edge length of one tenth of the scanning distance, so about 10 centimeters from one meter away.
Do NFC review cards work with every smartphone?
No. iPhone XS and later models read NFC chips without an app, and on Android devices NFC must be switched on. Older devices and those without NFC can only be reached with a QR code, so every NFC card should carry a code as well.
Do customers need a Google Account to leave a review?
Yes. According to Google, customers must be signed in to a Google Account to write a review. An account can also be created with an email address that is not a Gmail address.
May I display the QR code in my store?
Yes. Google itself names a printed QR code in the store as a way to ask for reviews. What Google does not allow is requiring or pressuring customers to leave a review while they are on the premises. The most relaxed option is a code on the receipt that customers can scan later at their leisure.
Does every location have its own review link?
Yes. Every location has its own Business Profile and therefore its own link and QR code. If you have branches, make sure that receipts, stands and NFC chips each carry the link of the right location.
Conclusion
You can get your Google review link from your Business Profile in a few minutes, together with a QR code for print. If you don't have access to the profile, build it from the Place ID. What matters after that is execution: a static, tested code at a sufficient size, NFC chips with your own link and a lock, and a request to every customer, without incentives and without pressure. That is how your profile grows steadily with genuine reviews.
When the new reviews come in, RateGate helps with the rest: with one inbox for Google, Trusted Shops and ProvenExpert, automatic replies from the Silver plan and analytics for each location. The features page gives an overview.
Sources
- BrightLocal: Local Consumer Review Survey 2026, published on 11 February 2026, survey of a representative panel of 1,002 adults in the US.
- Davide Proserpio and Georgios Zervas: Online Reputation Management: Estimating the Impact of Management Responses on Consumer Reviews, Marketing Science, 2017.
