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A Google review QR code your customers will use
A Google review QR code takes a customer straight to the window where they give stars and write a few lines, without searching for your business first. Every step you remove is one more customer who finishes the review. The generator above turns the link from your Business Profile, or your Place ID, into that direct link, puts it in a QR code you can print, writes the request for an e-mail, a WhatsApp message or the line on your invoice, and checks a request you wrote yourself against what Google prohibits.
The QR code holds the link itself, with no redirect through another service, so it does not expire and nobody can switch it off. It is drawn with error correction level M, which survives a stain or a crease, and you download it as SVG for print or PNG for a document. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
The tool accepts what owners usually have at hand:
| What you have | Works? | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| The link from Get more reviews (g.page/r/...) | Yes, the safest choice | The same link, cleanly written |
| A Place ID (ChIJ...) | Yes | Google's write-review link: writereview?placeid= with your ID after it |
| A link with placeid= or place_id: in it | Yes | The link from that Place ID |
| A normal Maps link (google.com/maps/place/...) | No, it holds no Place ID | The tool says what to use instead |
| A short share link (maps.app.goo.gl/...) | No, it only resolves after a detour | The tool says what to use instead |
The Place ID link is widely used but does not appear in Google's help pages, which is why we recommend the link from Get more reviews: it comes from Google itself. Do not have a profile yet? Is Google Business Profile free? covers what it costs you in time.
Where Google keeps your review link
- Open your Business Profile on a computerGoogle only creates the QR code in a desktop browser, not on a phone or tablet. Sign in with the account that manages your business.
- Choose Read reviews, then Get more reviewsGoogle shows a short link starting with g.page/r/ and a QR code. Use the copy icon and paste the link into the tool.
- Or use your Place IDIf someone else manages the profile, look up your Place ID with Google's Place ID Finder. It starts with ChIJ. A Place ID can change when a business moves; Google advises refreshing it after twelve months.
- Test, print and sendOpen the link on your phone, download the QR code, and pick the channel you ask customers through.
One review link in four places
One link, one QR code
- Invoice or receiptThe QR next to the total
- E-mail after the jobThe link under your thank-you
- Counter or tillA card next to the card terminal
- Van or site boardPeople who see you work, scan
A review on your profile
In your customer's words, about your real work
What Google weighs for local results
- RelevanceDoes your profile match the search
- DistanceHow far your business is from the searcher
What Google does not allow
- An incentive: a discount, a freebie, money
- Asking only happy customers
- Pressure at the counter
- Dictating stars or words
Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking, and that a better local ranking cannot be bought.
Where and when to ask
Google names the places itself: receipts, thank-you e-mails, the end of a chat and a printed QR code in your store, plus e-mail, WhatsApp or a Facebook post. Which one works depends on when your customer is pleased and reachable. Ask shortly after the job is done, while they still remember what you did, and ask everyone the same way.
| Place | When | Form | Pitfall |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invoice or receipt | At payment | QR code next to the total | So small a phone cannot read it |
| E-mail after the job | On the day of completion | The link under a short thank-you | An e-mail three screens long |
| WhatsApp or text | After a home visit | Two sentences and the link | A message at ten at night |
| Counter or till | At checkout | A card with the QR code | Pressing people to do it now |
| Van or site board | While you work | A QR code with one short line | A code too small to scan from the pavement |
| Your website | Always | A button on your contact page | Sending only happy customers to it |
If your customers speak several languages, ask each of them in their own. The tool writes the request in English on this page and in Dutch on the Dutch one, and reviews in every language land on the same profile. A builder e-mails after handover and puts the code on the site board, as in a website for contractors; a restaurant prints it on the bill; an online store sends it after delivery, not in the order confirmation, because the customer does not have the product yet. More on timing and wording is in Get more Google reviews.
Review rules in the EU and the UK
Google's policy applies everywhere. On top of it, consumer law sets what a business may do with reviews.
- Law
- EU, including BelgiumOmnibus Directive (EU) 2019/2161, in national law
- United KingdomDigital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024
- In force
- EU, including Belgium28 May 2022
- United Kingdom6 April 2025
- Fake reviews
- EU, including BelgiumBanned: writing, commissioning or misrepresenting them
- United KingdomBanned practice, as are concealed incentivised reviews
- If you publish reviews
- EU, including BelgiumSay whether and how you check they come from real customers
- United KingdomTake reasonable and proportionate steps against fake ones
- Belgian detail
- EU, including BelgiumFPS Economy: ask all customers or a random selection
- United KingdomNot applicable
Selling across borders? Google's policy is the line to follow when you ask for reviews; the law adds duties for businesses that publish reviews themselves.
What Google prohibits, rule by rule
Google removes reviews that break its policy and can suspend or close the account behind them. These are the rules that catch most businesses:
| What a business does | Google's verdict | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| A discount, a freebie or money for a review | Prohibited | The review is removed; Belgian guidelines also want paid reviews labelled |
| A prize draw among reviewers | An incentive, so prohibited | Belgian guidelines allow it if every review has the same chance; Google does not |
| Asking only satisfied customers | Prohibited | Selectively soliciting positive reviews |
| Sending unhappy customers to your own inbox | Prohibited | Discouraging negative reviews |
| Reviews by you, staff or contractors | Prohibited | A conflict of interest; in Belgium always illegal when posing as a consumer |
| Asking for five stars or particular words | Prohibited | No specific content may be requested |
| Pressing customers on the premises | Prohibited | A QR code on the counter is fine, pressure is not |
| Buying reviews from an agency | Prohibited | Also banned under EU and UK law |
The request the tool writes goes to every customer, names the job so the customer knows which one you mean, and asks for neither stars, nor words, nor anything in return. Choose Check a request and paste the text you use today: the tool looks for words that point to an incentive, a selection, a requested score, dictated content or pressure, and tells you which rule you touch. It reads words, not intentions, so what it does not find can still be wrong. In doubt about a campaign with a reward, run it past someone who knows the rules of your sector.
Replying to reviews
You can reply once your business is verified. Google notifies the reviewer when you reply, does not show your personal name, and checks every reply against its policy: usually it appears within ten minutes, sometimes it takes up to thirty days. You can edit or delete a reply later. Reply to every review, also the short ones. To a negative one: thank the person, say what you are doing about it and offer to continue directly, without naming customer data or job details. A calm reply is what later readers see right under the complaint.
How many reviews count for local results
Google gives no number. It does say how local results are formed: relevance (does your profile match the search), distance (how far your business is from the searcher) and prominence (how well known it is). For prominence Google also counts how many websites link to you and how many reviews you have, and it says more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking. A better ranking cannot be requested or bought. A business in Ghent rarely shows at the top for someone searching in Bruges, however many reviews it has. What you control is a complete profile, a site with a page per service and per town, and a steady flow of reviews. How long new pages take to appear is covered in how long until my website shows on Google. If your profile does not show at all, start with why your Google Business Profile is not showing.
Review links and QR codes, answered
Does the QR code expire?
No. The link sits in the code itself, with no redirect via a third party. It works as long as your Google link works. If you used a Place ID, test the code again after a move.
Can I offer a discount for a review?
No. Google prohibits any incentive for a review, such as money, a discount or a freebie, and removes such reviews. A prize draw among reviewers counts as an incentive on Google too, even where national guidelines allow one.
Can I ask only happy customers for a review?
No. Google prohibits selectively soliciting positive reviews and discouraging negative ones. The Belgian FPS Economy advises asking all customers, or a random selection such as everyone from the last twelve months.
Why does my Maps link not work in the tool?
A normal or short Maps link holds no Place ID. Use the link from Get more reviews in your Business Profile, or look up your Place ID with Google's Place ID Finder.
How many Google reviews do I need?
Google gives no number. It counts reviews towards prominence, one of three factors next to relevance and distance, and says more reviews and positive ratings help. A steady flow says more than a spike.
Is my link or text stored?
No. The link, the QR code and the check all run in your browser. Nothing goes to our server, and a text you check never goes into the page address.