How Do I Make a QR Code for My Google Review Link?
Open your Business Profile on a computer, choose Read Reviews, then Get more reviews, and copy the link or save the QR code Google makes for you.
Open your Google Business Profile on a computer, choose Read Reviews, then Get more reviews, and Google shows you a review link and a ready-made QR code. Copy the link or right-click the QR code and save the image. That’s the whole job if you only need one sign.
If you want to count scans, or you print the code on hundreds of receipts and table cards, make your own dynamic code from the same link instead.
What you need
- Owner or manager access to the Business Profile. The review link lives inside the profile tools, so sign in with an account that manages the business.
- A computer. Google’s help page says so outright: “Currently, reviews QR codes can only be generated on a computer browser, not on mobile devices.”
- Where the code will go. People scan a receipt, a thank-you email and a table card at different moments, and that changes how you word the ask.
Option 1: Use Google’s own QR code
- Sign in and go to your Business Profile.
- Select Read Reviews, then Get more reviews. A share screen opens.
- To grab the link, select Copy.
- To grab the QR code, right-click it and choose Save image as…
Google’s same page suggests where to put it: on receipts, in thank-you emails, at the end of a chat, or printed and displayed in your store. You can also send the request by email, WhatsApp or a Facebook post from that screen.
The image you save is a plain static code. The link is baked into the pattern, so nothing in between counts scans, and you can’t change where it points once it’s printed.
Option 2: Make your own code from the review link
- Do steps 1 to 3 above and copy the review link.
- Paste the link into a browser on your phone. It should open the review form for your business, with the star rating ready. If it opens the wrong place, stop here and fix the link before printing anything.
- Paste the link into a QR generator as the destination. If you want scan counts or the option to edit later, pick a dynamic code. Dynamic vs static QR codes explains the difference.
- Add a short, neutral call to action next to it: “Had a good visit? Tell us on Google.”
- Download a vector file (SVG) for print, and print one test copy at the real size.
- Scan the test copy with an iPhone and an Android phone, from the distance people will actually stand.
You can do steps 3 to 5 in the dynamic QR code generator. If the code won’t scan at the test stage, QR code not scanning? covers the usual print and contrast causes.
Why I’d make it dynamic
For one sign by the till, Google’s code is all you need. For anything you print in volume, put a dynamic code in front of the review link.
The first reason is a line in Google’s Maps developer docs: “Place IDs may change over time,” and Google recommends refreshing them if they are more than 12 months old. Google identifies your business in Maps by an ID like this. If the review link you copied stops matching your listing after you’ve printed a box of receipt rolls, a static code keeps sending people to the old link. With a dynamic code you edit the destination and the printed codes follow, the same way you’d change a QR code’s destination after printing.
The second is counting. A dynamic code tells you how many times the table card was scanned; Google’s review count tells you how many people finished a review. Lots of scans and few reviews usually means the form is too much effort at that moment. Try the receipt or a follow-up email.
Restaurants can print one code per table or per area. Restaurant QR code tracking shows how that works for menus, and the same setup works for review cards.
Stay inside Google’s review rules
Google’s Maps content policy lists two kinds of problems. Under fake engagement, you can’t offer incentives “such as payment, discounts, free goods and/or services” in exchange for a review, or for changing or removing a negative one. So “Scan, review us, get a free coffee” is out.
Under rating manipulation, the same policy says you can’t “selectively solicit positive reviews” and that merchants “should not require or pressure users to leave ratings or write reviews while on the premises.” Two things follow:
- Don’t filter. Some setups ask “Were you happy today?” first, and only send the “yes” people to Google. That is selective soliciting.
- Don’t stand over people. A card on the table is fine; Google suggests displaying the code in your store. A staff member holding a tablet and waiting for the five stars is not.
Google’s tips page puts the other half plainly: “Honest and balanced reviews can help potential customers decide.” Reply to the reviews you get, including the bad ones.
How to check it worked
Scan the printed code and confirm it opens the review form for your business, not a search results page. After a few days, compare scans (if you used a dynamic code) with new reviews on your profile. Near-zero scans mean the code is in the wrong spot or too small.
What goes wrong
- Wrong business. Multi-location businesses copy one branch’s link and print it for every branch. Each location needs its own link.
- A raw Maps or search URL. A link to your Maps listing makes people find the review button themselves. Use the link from Get more reviews, which goes straight to the form.
- The limitation of a dynamic code. It adds a redirect in front of Google. With QRAnalytica, that redirect runs on QRAnalytica’s servers, so the code depends on that service staying up. The codes keep working if your subscription or trial ends, but it is one more thing that can break than Google’s own static image.
- Tiny codes on receipts. Thermal receipt printers blur fine detail. Test a real printed receipt, not the PDF.
For more on reading the numbers once the code is out, see how to track QR code scans.
FAQ
Can I get the Google review QR code on my phone?
Not from Google directly. Its help page says review QR codes can only be generated on a computer browser, not on mobile devices. You can still copy the review link on a computer and make the code with any QR generator.
Is it against Google’s rules to put a review QR code in my shop?
No. Google itself suggests printing and displaying the code in your store. What the policy forbids is pressuring people to leave a review while they are on the premises, offering rewards for reviews, and only asking happy customers.
Can I give a discount to people who scan the code and leave a review?
No. Google’s Maps policy lists discounts, payment and free goods or services in exchange for a review as fake engagement.
Will my review link ever stop working?
It can. Google’s own developer docs say place IDs may change over time. If the code on your counter holds the link directly, you would have to reprint it. A dynamic code lets you swap the link instead.
Should I use Google’s QR code or make my own?
Google’s is fine for a receipt or a single sign. Make your own dynamic code if you print in volume, want to count scans, or want to be able to change the link later.