How to make a QR code for Google reviews

Get your Google review link

Google Business Profile gives every business a short link that opens the review form directly, with the star rating ready to tap. That is the link you want in the code, not the address of your Maps listing, which makes customers hunt for the review button.

1. Sign in to the Google account that manages your Business Profile.
2. Search Google for your business name, or open Business Profile Manager. Your profile's management panel appears at the top of the results.
3. Click Ask for reviews. On some profiles the button is labelled Get more reviews, or sits under Read reviews.
4. Copy the link. It is a short address, often starting g.page/r/, that ends in /review.

How to make the Google review QR code

The finished code is static, so it holds the review link directly. It will not expire, and there is no monthly fee attached to it.

1. Open a QR code generator and choose the Link type.
2. Paste your review link.
3. Add a frame with a clear label, for example "Enjoyed your visit? Review us on Google".
4. Choose colours that match your brand but keep the code dark on a light background, and add your logo if you like.
5. Download PNG for screens and emails, or SVG or PDF for print.
6. Scan it with a phone that is not signed in to your manager account and check the review form opens.

Where to put a Google review QR code

Put the code where customers have just had a good experience and have a spare minute. The best spots are at the end of the visit, not the start.

• Receipts and invoices, printed at the bottom.
• Table cards and bill folders in restaurants and cafés.
• The counter, next to the card machine.
• Inside delivery boxes or on a thank-you card with orders.
• Appointment cards for salons, clinics and trades.
• The final slide of a class or workshop.
• A small sticker on equipment you have serviced or installed.

Size and design for a review code

A review QR code on a receipt or appointment card should be at least 2 cm wide. On a table card or counter stand, 3 to 5 cm is more comfortable, and on a window or wall poster make it larger still, roughly a tenth of the distance people will scan from.

Keep a white margin around the code, and do not print it on glossy laminate that catches the light. The label matters as much as the code. "Scan me" tells people nothing; "Leave us a Google review, it takes 30 seconds" tells them what happens and how long it takes.

Stay within Google's review rules

Google's policies for reviews are strict, and breaking them can get reviews removed or your profile restricted. Keep your QR code campaign simple and honest.

• Do not offer discounts, free items or entry into a prize draw in return for a review.
• Do not ask only happy customers. Selectively asking for positive reviews is against the rules; put the code where everyone sees it.
• Do not write reviews for your own business, or ask staff to.
• Do reply to reviews, good and bad. People reading them notice.

What customers see when they scan

Customers scan the code with their phone camera; no app is needed. On most phones the link opens Google Maps or the browser with your review form. To post, they need to be signed in to a Google account, which most Android users already are. iPhone users who are not signed in are asked to sign in first, which is one reason some people start a review and never finish it.

If you want to see how the code behaves from a customer's side, scan it with a friend's phone. For a Google review QR code scanner check without a second phone, upload a picture of the code to an online QR scanner to confirm it holds the right link.

Codes for several locations

Each location has its own Business Profile and its own review link. If you run several branches, copy each link, put them in a spreadsheet with a file name for each (branch-leeds, branch-york) and use the bulk generator to get one code per branch in a single ZIP, in the same design. That way a review left in York never lands on the Leeds profile.

Keep the spreadsheet afterwards. When you open a new branch, add a row and run it again, and the new code matches the rest of your print.