How to Create a Google Review Link and QR Code for Your Business

The fastest way to get your Google review link is from your Business Profile on a computer: open Read reviews, choose Get more reviews, and copy the link or save the QR code Google shows you. Before you print anything, test the link from a phone that is not signed in to your business account.

This guide covers the official link, a Place ID fallback, QR codes that keep working once printed, where to put them, and Google’s rules on how you ask.

What a Google review link does

A review link sends the customer straight to the review form for your Business Profile, so they do not have to search for your name and pick the right listing.

The customer still has to be signed in to a Google Account to post the review, though Google notes they can create one with an existing non-Gmail email address (see Google’s tips for getting reviews).

If a customer says they used your link and you cannot see the review, that is a separate problem; our Google reviews not showing checklist walks through it.

Get the official link from your Business Profile

Start with Google’s own route. The steps from Google’s help page on sharing your review link are:

1. Go to your Business Profile while signed in to the account that manages it.
2. Select Read reviews, then Get more reviews.
3. To copy the link, select the Copy icon.
4. To download the QR code, right-click the code and choose Save image as.

The same panel lets you share the request by email, WhatsApp, or a Facebook post. Google says review QR codes can only be generated in a computer browser, not on mobile devices, so do this step at a desk.

Google’s menu labels change from time to time, so if these names are missing, look for a share or ask-for-reviews option in the reviews area. With several locations, repeat the steps from each location’s own profile. If your profile is not verified yet, start with our Google Business Profile setup guide.

Fallback: build the link from your Place ID

If you cannot reach the share option, for example because someone else manages the profile, you can build a link from the profile’s Place ID.

Google’s Place ID documentation includes a Place ID Finder that looks up one place at a time. Search for your business, confirm the name and address match, and copy the ID.

Many review tools and guides then use this URL pattern:

https://search.google.com/local/writereview?placeid=YOUR_PLACE_ID

This pattern does not appear on the Google help or Place ID pages we reviewed, so prefer the official Get more reviews link and test the fallback before you depend on it.

Two cautions before you rely on it:

• Service-area businesses that hide their address may not show up cleanly in the Place ID Finder. Whitespark’s Place ID guide describes a manual method that pulls the ID from the profile’s Write a review button using your browser’s inspect tool.
• Place IDs can change when Google updates its Maps data. An old ID can stop resolving, and Google recommends refreshing stored IDs that are more than 12 months old. If you print a Place ID link, retest it whenever you reorder printed materials.

Does Google make the QR code for you?

Yes. The Get more reviews panel shows a QR code you can save from a computer browser, and for a counter card printed in-house that may be all you need. If the saved image looks soft at your print size, or your designer needs a vector file, encode the same link in a QR generator. Paste it exactly as Google gave it to you.

Make a QR code that will not break

The main choice is static or dynamic (QRStuff explains the difference).

A static code stores your review link directly in the pattern. Nothing sits between the scan and Google, and there is no account to maintain. But you cannot change where it points; if the link changes, you need a new code and new prints.

A dynamic code points to a short address the generator controls, which redirects to your link. You can change the destination later and see scan counts. If that redirect depends on a paid plan, check what happens to your printed codes when the plan ends. Codes already printed on invoices and signs are hard to recall.

For most small businesses a static code is the simpler choice. Either way, print a short text version of the link next to the code for anyone whose camera will not scan it.

Print guidance from QR vendors is general, so test rather than rely on a size rule:

• Keep plenty of plain white space around the code.
• Use dark modules on a white or very light background. Avoid reversed colors and busy photos behind it.
• Size it for the distance someone will scan from. A code on a counter card can be smaller than one on a van door or window sign.
• Do not stretch, crop, or round off the corners of the image when you place it in a design.

Test it like a customer

Your own phone is usually signed in to the account that owns the profile, so it is a poor test device. Before the print order goes in:

• Open the link in a private browsing window, or on a phone signed in to an ordinary personal account.
• Scan with the built-in camera on an iPhone and on an Android phone.
• Try a phone with the Google Maps app installed and one without; they can behave differently.
• Scan the printed proof, not the screen file, from the distance a customer would stand.
• Confirm the form shows your business name and address.

Where to put the link and code

Google suggests receipts, thank-you emails, the end of a chat conversation, and a printed code in your store. A few more spots to consider:

• The invoice footer, where the customer is already reading the job details.
• A follow-up text once the job is done, not while a problem is still open.
• Your email signature, which reaches repeat customers without a separate ask.
• A counter card they can scan now or photograph for later.
• A packaging insert, so the request arrives after they have used the product.

Use a code on paper and a tappable link on screens. Nobody can scan a code shown on the phone they are reading it on.

A follow-up text can be short:

Hi [first name], thanks for choosing [business] for [service]. If you would like to share your experience, you can leave a Google review here: [review link]

Add any opt-out wording your texting setup requires. For longer email versions, use our review request email templates.

Rules for asking for reviews

Google’s policy does not mention review kiosks or tablets by name. A counter card someone can scan later is different from a staff member handing over a tablet and waiting while the customer types; the second is close to the on-premises pressure Google prohibits. Some review software vendors also warn that many reviews from one location in a short window can look suspicious. That is vendor advice, not a Google rule.

Keep the process simple. Send the same request to every customer who meets the same rule, such as every completed job, and let them decide what to say.

Troubleshooting

The link opens the wrong business. Copy it again from the correct location’s profile. If you built a Place ID link, check the name and address in the Place ID Finder, and look up the ID again in case it changed.

The link opens the Maps app but not the review form. Test on another phone and in a browser to see whether it is device-specific. Google’s missing or delayed reviews guidance notes that an outdated Maps app can affect review submission, so asking the customer to update the app is a reasonable first step. If it keeps happening, the short text link printed beside your code gives customers another route.

You have more than one location. Give each location its own link and code, copied from its own profile, and label printed material by branch.

A customer reviewed you but you cannot see it. Work through the Google reviews not showing checklist before you ask them to post again.

Track requests and reply to reviews

Keep a monthly count of requests sent and new reviews received. A dynamic code’s scan count shows who opened the link, not who finished a review.

Reply to new reviews, including critical ones. Our review response templates give you starting points, and the guide to responding to negative reviews covers the harder cases. For the wider picture, see our online reputation management guide.

FAQ

Does a Google review link expire?

Google does not publish an expiry for the link it gives you. Place IDs can change, though, so retest any printed link or code each time you reorder materials.

Can customers leave a review without a Google Account?

No. They need to sign in, but they can create an account with an email address they already use.

Before you print: a quick checklist

• The link was copied from the correct location’s Business Profile.
• You tested it signed out, on an iPhone and an Android phone, from the printed proof.
• A short text version of the link sits beside the code.
• The code is dark on a light background with white space around it.
• If it is a dynamic code, you know what happens to it if you stop paying for the generator.
• Every eligible customer gets the same request, with no incentive attached.
• You have a date to retest the link, such as the next time you reorder invoices or cards.