Google Review QR Code: The Complete Setup Guide
A Google review QR code turns a happy customer into a public review in seconds. Here is what it should link to, three ways to get your link, how to make the code, and where to place it.
A Google review QR code is the fastest way to turn a happy customer standing in front of you into a public review. They point their phone camera at the square, the review box opens, and they tap the stars before they have left the counter. The trick is not the code itself, which is free to make. It is pointing it at the right place and putting it where people will actually scan it. This guide shows you what the code should link to, three ways to get that link, how to build the QR, and where to stick it so it earns reviews instead of gathering dust.
What a Google review QR code actually points to
A QR code is just a link wrapped in a square of dots. For reviews, the link you want is your Google review form, the short page with the five stars and an empty comment box, not your business listing. If you send people to the listing instead, they land on your photos and opening hours and most of them never find the review button. Most people will not hunt around for the review form, they simply give up. So before you make anything, get the exact link that opens the review box on its own.
Three ways to find your Google review link
You need the direct link once. After that the QR never changes.
- The Business Profile button. Sign in to the Google account that owns your business, search your own name on Google, and look for the box that says Get more reviews. It hands you a short link like g.page/r/... that opens the review form. This is the cleanest option.
- Google Maps share. Open your business on Google Maps, tap Share, and copy the link. It is longer, but it works, and you can shorten it later.
- Your Place ID. If the button is missing, look up your Place ID with Google's Place ID finder and build the link as https://search.google.com/local/writereview?placeid=YOUR_ID. It is the manual route, handy when you manage several locations.
Test whichever link you pick on your own phone. It should open straight to the stars. If it opens your listing, you grabbed the wrong one.
How to turn that link into a QR code
Any free QR generator will wrap your link in a code. Paste the review link, download the image as an SVG or a high resolution PNG, and you are done. A few pointers:
- Download it big. An SVG scales to any size without going blurry; if you only get a PNG, ask for at least 1000 pixels wide.
- Skip the fancy logo in the middle for now. A plain black code on white scans from further away and in worse light.
- Do not use a link shortener that expires or a free trial that dies in 14 days, or your printed codes go dead with it.
You can now use Analytee's free review QR generator to create your link and code in one click, and with Analytee you can also track the scans, so you can skip the copy and paste.
Where to put the QR code, with print sizes
A code nobody sees earns nothing. Put it where a customer has a free hand and a reason to look down.
- Table tents on each table. Print the code at about 3 to 4 cm square at 300 DPI so it stays sharp. A restaurant gets most of its scans here, right after the plates are cleared.
- By the till or counter. A small standing card while they wait for the receipt.
- On the receipt or invoice. Around 2 cm works on a paper receipt; make it larger on an A4 invoice.
- On the van or shopfront window. A tradesperson can add it to the van door at 10 cm or bigger so it reads from a step away.
- On the back of your business card.
Whatever the size, leave a clear white border around the code and print it at 300 DPI. Anything blurry or crammed to the edge will not scan.
What to say next to the code
The code needs a sentence next to it, or people scan nothing. Keep it short and human. Something like: if we looked after you today, a quick review means a lot to a small business, point your camera here. Ask at the moment they are happiest, usually right after you have solved their problem or served the meal, and say it out loud as well as printing it. A staff member asking in person lifts scans more than any sign.
Whatever you print, keep it to one line. A paragraph of instructions gets skipped, while a short nudge with an arrow to the code gets scanned. And ask again on the way out if the visit went well, because a spoken reminder does most of the work.
Mistakes that kill your scan rate
- Linking to your listing, not the review form. The single most common error. Test the link first.
- Offering a discount for a review. Google prohibits paying for or incentivising reviews, and it can get your reviews filtered or your profile penalised.
- Only asking the customers you think are happy. Screening people before you let them review, sometimes called gating, breaks Google's policy. Show the same code to everyone.
- A tiny, blurry, or glare-covered code. If your own phone struggles with it, theirs will too.
Track whether it works
Count reviews the week before you put the codes out, then watch the next few weeks. A simple jump in new reviews tells you the placement is working. If one spot does nothing, move the code somewhere with more idle time and a phone already in hand. Some QR tools, including the generator Analytee is building, log every scan so you can see which table tent or counter card pulls its weight.
Do not obsess over a single day. Reviews arrive in bursts, so look at a rolling three or four week window instead. If you added the codes and the trend is flat, the problem is usually placement or the missing spoken ask, not the code itself.
How Analytee helps
Analytee is review software for local businesses. Beyond the QR code, it can send the same review link by WhatsApp or SMS a few minutes after a visit, which usually beats print because the phone is already in their hand. When the reviews come in, it drafts replies in your own tone so you are not staring at a blank box, and it keeps an eye on new ratings so nothing slips past. Plans start at $19/month and there is a free trial. If you want the whole picture, our guide to get more Google reviews covers every channel, and once they arrive you will want to know how to respond to Google reviews well. Ready to collect reviews without chasing anyone? See Analytee pricing and start a free trial.
FAQ
Does a Google review QR code cost anything?
No. Making the code is free with any QR generator, and Google does not charge for the review link. Your only cost is printing it.
Will one QR code work forever?
Yes, as long as the review link behind it stays live. Avoid short links that expire, and the same printed code keeps working for years.
Can customers leave a review without a Google account?
They need to be signed in to a Google account to post, which most people on an Android phone already are. On an iPhone they may be prompted to sign in first.
Where should a restaurant put the QR code?
On table tents, so it is in front of the customer right after the meal. That single placement tends to collect the most scans for a restaurant.
