How to Make a QR Code for Google Reviews

Most customers will happily leave you a review. They just will not go hunting for the page to do it on. Asking someone to "find us on Google" afterwards is five steps, and most people stop at three. A Google review QR code on the counter, the table or the receipt makes it two: point the camera, write the review.

This guide shows how to get your review link from Google, turn it into a QR code you can edit and track, and where to put it so it actually gets scanned.

Google's own QR code, and why not to use it

Google Business Profile hands you a review link, and it will even draw a QR code for it. That QR code is static: it is frozen the day you print it, and it tells you nothing. You cannot see whether the table cards or the receipts are the ones bringing reviews in, and if you ever want the QR code to go somewhere else, you reprint.

Put the same review link behind a Linkly short link instead and the QR code becomes yours: every scan is counted, you can make one per location or placement and compare them, and the destination can be changed later without touching the print.

What customers see

The scan opens your business's Google review box, with the star rating ready to tap and a box for the comment. If the Google Maps app is installed it opens there; otherwise it opens in the browser. Customers who are not signed in to Google are asked to sign in first, which is Google's rule, not something the QR code controls.

You cannot pre-select the rating. The QR code opens the box, and people write what they write.

Where to put it

• Table cards and tent cards, which is usually the winner for cafés and restaurants.
• The counter or the till, at the moment people are paying and pleased.
• Receipts and invoices, printed or emailed.
• Packaging inserts for online orders, with a line thanking them for the purchase.
• After-service messages by SMS or email, where the same short link works as a tappable link.
• Your email signature, for a service business.

Whatever you print, put a short line next to the QR code: "Enjoyed your visit? Scan to leave us a Google review." People scan when they know what will happen.

Which spot actually works

Here is the trick worth stealing from the video. Make one QR code per placement: one short link for the table cards, another for the till receipts, another for the packaging insert. They all open the same review box, but each has its own scan count in Linkly's analytics, so a month later you can see which spot brings the reviews in and print more of that one.

If you run more than one location, make one link per location too, each pointing at that location's review link.

Changing where the QR code goes

Because the QR code points at a short link, its destination can change later. Open a new branch and repoint the old cards. Decide you would rather collect Tripadvisor or Trustpilot reviews for a while, and switch the same QR code over. If a review link ever changes, edit the link once and every card in the building follows.

A note on Google's rules

Google's review policies allow you to ask customers for reviews, and a QR code is a good way to do it. They do not allow offering discounts or gifts in exchange for reviews, or showing the review link only to customers you expect to be positive. Ask everyone, and let the reviews speak for themselves.

Related QR code guides

• Create QR Codes - the complete guide to dynamic QR codes in Linkly
• Location QR Code - one scan opens Google Maps at your door
• Google Form QR Code - collect feedback with your own form
• Add a Logo to a QR Code - branded QR codes that still scan
• QR Code Analytics - track scans by time, place and device