How to make a QR code for Google reviews

To make a QR code for Google reviews, open your Google Business Profile, find the option to ask for reviews and copy the review link it gives you. Paste that link into a URL QR code generator, download the code and print it where customers finish their visit, such as receipts, the counter or table tents. Scanning it opens your review form on Google, ready for the customer to rate and write.

Where do you find your Google review link?

You find it in your Google Business Profile, which gives each verified profile a short link that opens the review form directly. You need to be an owner or manager of the profile to see it.

1. Sign in to the Google account that manages your business.
2. Search for your business name on Google, or open it in Google Maps, to bring up your profile and its management tools.
3. Look for an option called something like Ask for reviews, Get more reviews or Share review form. Google changes this wording from time to time, but it usually sits near the reviews section.
4. Copy the link it shows. It is a short web address made for sharing.
5. Open the link on your phone to check it brings up the review form for the right business.

If you cannot find the option, check that the profile is verified and that you are signed in with the right account. Google's Business Profile help pages describe the current steps.

Customers must be signed in to a Google account to post a review. Many Android users already are. Others will be asked to sign in first, which is normal and not a fault in your code.

Turn the review link into a QR code

A review link is an ordinary web address, so it needs a URL code.

1. Open the URL QR code generator and paste your review link.
2. Add a frame with a clear label, such as "Review us on Google" or "How did we do?".
3. Add your logo and colours if you like, keeping the modules dark on a light background.
4. Download SVG or PDF for a print shop, or a high resolution PNG for printing in house.
5. Print one copy and scan it with an iPhone and an Android phone before printing more.

A static code is fine for this. Your review link should not change, and a static code never expires and has no scan limit. A dynamic code is worth considering if you want to count scans from each placement, or keep the option to point the code somewhere else later. Our guide on how to track QR code scans explains the options.

Test it the way a customer would

Before you print in volume, test the whole journey, not just the scan.

1. Scan the printed code with a phone that is not signed in to your business account, so you see what a customer sees.
2. Check the review form opens for the right business, especially if you manage more than one location.
3. Try it on mobile data as well as on your own WiFi.
4. Check that the label, the code and the page it opens all describe the same thing.

If you run several branches, give each one its own code made from that branch's review link. A single shared code sends every review to one profile. Recheck your codes every few months, too. Receipt layouts change, stickers fade, and it is worth confirming the link still opens the right form.

Where should you put a Google review QR code?

Put it where customers finish their visit, while the experience is fresh and they have a spare minute. That is usually at the end of the visit or soon after it.

Thermal receipt printers give lower contrast than office printers, and the paper fades over time. Print the code as large as the receipt layout allows, and test it on a real receipt, not on screen. The print size guide explains how scanning distance sets the minimum size.

On invoices sent by email, a clickable link works better than a code, because the customer is already on a device. Keep the code for the printed version. Cafés and restaurants can find more placement ideas on our page about QR codes for restaurants.

What are Google's rules for asking for reviews?

Google does not allow incentives for reviews or review gating, and breaking its review policies can cost you more than a few reviews. Those two rules matter most for any QR code campaign.

Do not offer incentives

Google's policies prohibit offering anything in return for a review. That includes discounts, free items, prize draw entries, loyalty points and payment. It applies even if you ask for an honest review rather than a good one. A sign that says "Leave a review, get 10% off" breaks the rules.

Do not gate or filter reviews

Review gating means sorting customers before you ask. A common example is a page that asks "Did you enjoy your visit?", sends happy customers to Google and sends unhappy ones to a private form. Google's policies prohibit selectively asking only satisfied customers for reviews. Give everyone the same link, the same way.

If you want private feedback as well, offer it alongside the Google link, to everyone, not as a filter in front of it. A few other things are also off limits:

• Writing reviews of your own business, or asking staff, friends or family to.
• Posting a review on a customer's behalf, even if they ask you to.
• Buying reviews, or using a service that sells them.

Google can remove reviews and take action against a profile that breaks these rules. Consumer protection law in many countries also treats fake and misleading reviews seriously, as the US Federal Trade Commission's rule on fake reviews shows. The safe approach is simple: ask every customer, in the same way, for an honest review.

Getting more reviews the honest way

• Ask in person. A short spoken request at the till, pointing to the code, works better than a sign on its own.
• Ask everyone. Train staff to ask every customer, not only regulars or people who seem pleased.
• Keep it quick. Tell people it takes a minute. Do not suggest a star rating or wording.
• Reply to reviews. Thank people for good reviews and answer criticism calmly and specifically. Future customers read the replies.
• Keep codes in good shape. Replace faded, torn or stained codes. A code that will not scan wastes the moment.

You can make the code in a minute with the free QR code generator, with no sign-up and no watermark.