How to get Google reviews with your Google review link and QR code

How to create a Google review link

Your Google review link opens the review form for your Business Profile, so a customer can rate you without searching for your business first. Google lets a business create and share a link or QR code to request reviews. You need to be signed in to the Google Account that manages the profile.

1. Open your Business Profile

   Sign in to the Google Account that manages your Business Profile and open the profile. Google's help page starts from the profile itself, so the review tools are only there for the account that manages it.

2. Open the reviews menu

   Select Read Reviews, then select Get more reviews. This opens the panel where Google lets you create and share a link or QR code to request reviews.

3. Copy the link

   Google's instruction is: To copy the review link, select Copy. Paste the link somewhere you keep business details, such as a notes file or your email signature, so you do not have to look it up again.

4. Test the link

   Open the link in a private browser window and check that it shows your business. Customers must be signed into a Google Account to post, so a customer who is signed out will need to sign in first.

How to get a Google review QR code

The QR code sits in the same panel as the link and opens the same review form. Google notes that reviews QR codes can only be generated on a computer browser, not on mobile devices, so do this step on a laptop or desktop.

To save it, follow Google's steps: Right-click the QR code. Select Save image as.... The saved image can go on a counter sign, a packing slip, a table card or the back of a business card. Print it large enough to scan from where the customer stands, and test the printed copy with a phone camera before you print many.

Put one short line of text next to the code, such as "Scan to review us on Google", so people know what the code opens.

Where to share your Google review link

Google's own help page suggests where to put the link or code. You can also email, WhatsApp message, or Facebook post, according to the same page. The table shows each option and when it fits.

For an online store, the best moment is a few days after delivery, once the buyer has used the item. Asking at checkout means the customer has nothing to review yet.

How to get more Google reviews for your business

Reviews show next to your Business Profile in Maps and Search, so new customers see them before they buy. The way to get more of them is to ask more customers, at a better moment, with less effort on their side. Google allows a business to Solicit or encourage the posting of content that does represent a genuine experience, as long as there is no reward and no attempt to steer the rating.

• Ask every customer the same way. A step that sends the link to all buyers, such as an email after delivery, is easier to run and stays within Google's rules.
• Send the link itself. Each extra search or click loses people, and the link drops them straight on the review form.
• Keep the message short: one line of thanks, one line asking for a review, and the link.
• Tell customers they need a Google Account. Customers must be signed into a Google Account, and they can set one up with a non-Gmail email address.
• Reply to the reviews you get, good and bad. Google notes that Your replies are public, so new customers read them too.
• Do not worry about every low rating. Google's own help page says that A mix of positive and negative feedback often feels more trustworthy.

What Google's policy and the FTC rule forbid

Two sets of rules apply when you ask for Google reviews. Google's Maps content policy controls what stays on your profile: incentivized or biased reviews are not allowed and will be removed from Maps. The FTC's Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials, 16 CFR Part 465, took effect on October 21, 2024 and lets courts impose civil penalties for knowing violations.

Google is stricter than the FTC on rewards. Under Google's policy, any reward for a review is considered fake engagement and is strictly prohibited, even if you do not ask for a good rating. The FTC rule does not prohibit giving incentives for reviews unless the reward depends on the review having to express a particular sentiment. A Google review has to meet both, so on Google the answer is no reward at all.

Google's ban on rewards also covers posting reviews, changing reviews, or removing negative reviews, so a discount for deleting a bad review breaks the policy too. State consumer protection laws can add their own rules. This page is general information, not legal advice; read the FTC's questions and answers page or ask a lawyer about your own case.

Example: a review request that follows the rules

Example: an online candle shop sends this email to every buyer a few days after delivery, whatever the order size and whether or not the buyer has complained. It offers nothing in return and does not ask for a rating.

• Subject: How did your order arrive?
• Body: Thanks for your order. If you have a minute, we would like to hear what you think in a Google review. [your review link]
• Sign-off: your name and the shop name.

This works because it goes to all buyers. The FTC's questions and answers page describes routine emails like this as generalized solicitations to purchasers. Two changes would break Google's policy: sending it only to buyers who rated you highly in a survey, or offering a discount for a five-star review.

Where Nation fits

Questions about Google review links and reviews