A Google review link is the short URL that opens your Business Profile's review form, so customers can rate you without searching for your business first. To get yours, open your Business Profile on a computer, select Read Reviews, then Get more reviews, and select Copy.
You've probably seen what happens without one. A happy customer says, "I'll leave you a review!" on the way out. That night, they search your name, find a business with a similar name, and give up.
Asking is what gets the review written, and the link makes the asking easy. BrightLocal's Local Consumer Review Survey found that 78% of consumers were asked to leave a review in the past year, and 83% of the people who were asked went on to write one.
Below, you'll find the copy steps, the link formats you'll see, when shortening helps, a quick QR code option, Google's rules, fixes for a link that won't work, and what to do once the reviews arrive.
How do you get your Google review link?
Learning how to get your Google review link takes under a minute, because Google builds the link into your Business Profile. You'll need to be signed in to the Google account that owns or manages the profile. Verify the profile, too, since Google requires verification before you can reply to the reviews your link brings in.
Copy it from your Business Profile
Google's link and QR code help page lays out the steps:
Go to your Business Profile.
Select Read Reviews, then Get more reviews.
Select Copy to grab your link.
The same window can also send your request by email, WhatsApp, or a Facebook post. Some profiles show an Ask for reviews button in Search instead, and it opens the same window.
Once you've copied the link, paste it somewhere your whole team can find it, like a pinned note or a shared doc. That way, nobody has to dig through the profile for it again.
Why you should do this on a computer
Google's help page says review QR codes can only be generated in a computer browser, not on mobile devices. If you've been looking for the QR code on your phone, that's why it isn't there.
Do the setup once on a computer, save both the link and the QR image, and reuse them everywhere. Google writes its QR code steps for a computer browser, so that's the most reliable place to do the whole setup.
One link per location
Every Business Profile has its own review link, so three locations need three links.
The common mistake is copying your main location's link into every location's follow-up emails. Every review then lands on that one listing, and your other locations show few or no new reviews.
A simple shared sheet prevents this. Give it four columns: location name, address, review link, and QR code file. Test each link once, and check that the business name in the review form matches the row.
The three Google review link formats
A Google review link usually looks like g.page/r/ followed by a short code and /review. That's the format Google's Copy button gives you. You may also run into two other formats:
Google's short link:
g.page/r/.../review. This comes from the Get more reviews window, and it's the one to use.A Place ID link:
search.google.com/local/writereview?placeid=.... It's built from your Place ID and opens the same review form. Most third-party generators produce this format.An old short-name link:
g.page/yourbusinessname/review. Google's short name help page says you can no longer create or edit short names. Existing ones still work, but Google no longer shows them on your profile.
If an old short-name link is already printed on your signs or business cards, it still works, so you don't need to reprint. For anything new, use the g.page/r/ link.
Do you need a Google review link generator?
You probably don't need a Google review link generator, because Google's Get more reviews button already creates your link for free. Most third-party generators look up your Place ID and build the longer writereview URL. Google's Business Profile help pages point you to its own Copy button instead.
A generator, or building the link yourself, makes sense in two situations:
You're an agency or freelancer waiting on profile access. You can't select Copy on a profile you don't manage yet.
You manage many locations, and their Place IDs are already in a spreadsheet. Building links in bulk is faster than opening dozens of profiles.
To build one by hand, look up the business with Google's Place ID Finder. Then add the ID to the end of this URL:
https://search.google.com/local/writereview?placeid=
Google's developer documentation adds one caution. Place IDs may change over time, and Google recommends refreshing stored IDs that are more than 12 months old. If you use Place ID links, retest them once a year. The link from the Copy button avoids that upkeep.
Should you shorten your Google review link?
In most cases, you don't need to. Google's g.page/r/ link is already short enough for a text, an email, or the bottom of a receipt.
Free shorteners can also add an extra step for your customer. As of November 2026, Bitly's pricing page labels its Free plan "With Ads." The plan allows 5 links a month and keeps no click history. A customer who taps a free short link may see an ad before the review form.
A paid shortener, or a short link on your own domain, is worth it for two reasons:
Tracking: Give each channel its own short link, such as one for receipts and one for follow-up texts, to see which request gets the most clicks. Bitly's paid Core plan, for example, includes 30 days of click data.
Redirects: Paid plans let you change where a link points without reprinting anything.
Clicks only show interest, so compare them against the reviews that actually appear on your profile.
I generally recommend leaving Google's link alone unless you're going to track it. Every redirect you add is one more thing that can break after your counter cards and receipts are printed.
Can you turn your Google review link into a QR code?
Google gives you a free QR code for your review link in the same Get more reviews window. Right-click the code and select Save image as to download it. As with the link, you'll need a computer for this step.
The code is plain, with no frame or call to action. Before you put it on a counter card or a receipt, add a short line like "Scan to review us on Google."
Then choose the format based on where your customer is:
QR code: when they're in front of you, such as at the counter, at a table, holding a printed receipt, or opening your packaging.
Link: when they're already on a phone or computer, such as in a text, an email, a chat, or your social bio.
I personally prefer a QR code anywhere the customer is standing in front of you and a plain link everywhere else. I still see review request emails that lead with a QR code, which forces readers to find a second device to scan it.
Where should you share your Google review link?
Google's Business Profile Help suggests sharing your review link on receipts, in thank-you emails, at the end of a chat, and as a printed QR code in your store. When you send it matters as much as where you put it.
Ask soon after a good experience, in the channel your customer already uses with you:
Texts work best within a day of the visit or job. The message arrives on the same phone they'll use to write the review.
Thank-you emails fit when email is already how you talk to customers, like after an online order or a booked appointment. Put the link near the top, above any promotions.
A footer button adds a standing review request to every page of your site. These website footer examples show layouts with room for one.
One boutique fitness studio I worked with printed Google's QR code on a counter card. The studio also texted the review link the morning after each member's class pack ended. Each channel got its own tracked short link, and the texts brought in most of the clicks. The counter card got few scans until the studio moved it to the locker room mirror, where members already had their phones out. Scans from the card roughly doubled the next month, and the studio kept both.
Google's rules for asking for reviews
Google lets you ask every customer for an honest review. Its Maps content policy lists what you can't do:
Offer payment, discounts, or free goods or services in exchange for posting, changing, or removing a review.
Discourage negative reviews, or send your link only to the customers you expect to be happy.
Pressure customers to review you while they're on your premises, or ask them to include specific content.
Set review quotas for your staff, or ask staff to collect reviews that mention them by name.
Google does allow you to ask for reviews of genuine experiences, as long as you don't offer anything in return or try to influence the rating or what customers write.
US law adds its own rule. The FTC's final rule on fake reviews, announced August 14, 2024, bans incentives conditioned on a review expressing a particular sentiment. It also lets the FTC seek civil penalties against violators.
BrightLocal's Local Consumer Review Survey also found that 11% of consumers were offered an incentive to write a positive review.
Some review request templates online still offer a discount in exchange for a review, so read any template carefully before you send it.
How to fix a Google review link that isn't working
When a Google review link doesn't work, the link itself is rarely the cause. Find the symptom you're seeing below:
You can't find Get more reviews. You're probably signed in with the wrong Google account. Switch to the one that manages the profile, and use a computer.
The link opens the wrong business. You likely copied it from a duplicate or unclaimed listing. Search your business name in a private browser window to see which listing customers actually find.
It opens your profile instead of the review form. This can happen when the customer isn't signed in to Google. They can still select Write a review from your profile.
A customer sees a sign-in screen. That's expected, since reviews require a Google Account. The FAQ below covers customers who don't use Gmail.
A review never showed up. The link worked. Google says reviews can take a few days to appear while they're checked against its policies, and reviews from recently merged profiles can take a few days to display. Customers on older phones may also need to update the Google Maps app. Google's page on missing or delayed reviews lists every cause.
The QR code won't scan. Check the print size and contrast, then reprint it from your current link.
What should you do after the reviews come in?
Once your Google review link starts bringing in reviews, do two things: reply to each new review on Google, and show your best recent reviews on your own website.
Start with replies. Google's local ranking guidance says more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking, and that replying to reviews shows customers you value their feedback.
Next, put those reviews on your website. Your reviews live on Google, but the decision to call, book, or buy usually happens on your site, next to your quote form, booking button, or pricing.
Curator's Google reviews widget handles this second step. It pulls in new reviews automatically, and you approve each one before it goes live. A daily digest of new reviews shows you what your review link is bringing in. If you have more than one location, create one feed per location, the same way you set up one link per location.
The free plan includes Google Reviews Lite, which shows up to 5 reviews without photos. The Business plan pulls up to 20 reviews per refresh, with photos, and refreshes every 15 minutes.
After setting up review feeds for a lot of different sites, I noticed the same pattern. The businesses that ask every customer and show their newest reviews on their own pages get more use out of each review.
For every way to display your reviews, see our guide on how to add Google reviews to your website. If you use WordPress or Squarespace, follow our step-by-step guides for WordPress and Squarespace.
