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QR Code for Google Reviews

Google generates a review QR code free inside Business Profile. When that is the whole job, the three cases where a dynamic code adds something, and the gating rule that puts a profile at risk.

Daniel VSeptember 7, 20265 min read

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Get Google's own first

In your Business Profile, open Read Reviews, then Get more reviews. From there you can copy the review link or save the QR code image. Google notes the code can currently only be generated in a desktop browser, not on a phone.

That link points at the review form for your specific profile, which is the fiddly part done for you. If you have one location and just want a code on a card, stop here. Nothing below improves on it for that case.

The three cases where a dynamic code adds something

All three are about the printed object rather than the link.

  • You want to reuse the print. A table tent that points at reviews now and at a seasonal menu in December is one print run instead of two, if the code's destination is a setting.
  • You want scan counts. Google's code gives none. A dynamic code counts scans with device and rough location, which at least tells you whether the cards are being picked up at all.
  • You have several locations. One code per site, each pointing at that site's review link, tells you which branch is actually handing cards out. One shared code cannot.

Setting it up is one step: create a dynamic QR code with Google's review link as the destination. The code is yours, the destination is Google's.

The rule people break

A common setup sends customers to a rating screen first and only forwards the happy ones to Google, keeping the unhappy ones in a private feedback form. This is review gating, and it runs against Google's review policies.

Offering something in exchange is clearer still: Google explicitly prohibits incentives such as free or discounted goods or services for posting, changing or removing reviews, and treats it as fake and misleading content. That applies whether the ask is printed on a card, on a receipt, or said out loud.

Google's own guidance makes a commercial point rather than only a compliance one: a mix of positive and negative feedback tends to read as more trustworthy than a wall of five stars. A filtered profile is also a fragile one, because the filtering is what is at risk, not the reviews.

Placement decides more than design

Put the code where someone is finished and unhurried: the bill folder, a table tent cleared at the end of a meal, a card handed over as a job is signed off. A code at the entrance reaches people on the way in, before they have anything to say.

Practical notes for small print: around 2cm across is enough at arm's length, and glare on a laminated card under indoor lighting is the usual reason a code that scanned fine on a monitor fails on a table. Print a test at final size on the real stock, and scan it where it will live rather than at your desk.

What the numbers will not tell you

A scan means someone reached the review page. Whether they wrote anything happens on Google's side, invisible to any QR tool including this one. If you want a rough conversion, compare scans against new reviews over the same window and accept that it is rough.

More on the limits of scan data in what a scan count can and cannot tell you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Google provide a review QR code?▾
Yes, free. In your Business Profile, open Read Reviews and then Get more reviews: you can copy the review link or save the QR code image. Google notes the QR code can currently only be generated in a desktop browser, not on mobile. For most businesses this is the whole answer and no other tool is needed.
Why would I use a different QR code then?▾
Three reasons, all about the printed object rather than the link. You want to change where one printed code points later, for example running a campaign through the same table tent. You want scan counts, which Google’s code does not give you. Or you have several locations and want to know which card is being used, which needs a separate code per site pointing at each profile.
Can I ask customers only to leave a review if they are happy?▾
No. Filtering people before the review page, usually called review gating, runs against Google’s policies, and offering anything in exchange for a review is explicitly prohibited as fake and misleading content. Google’s own guidance points out that a mix of positive and negative feedback tends to read as more trustworthy anyway.
Is it against the rules to offer a discount for leaving a review?▾
Yes. Google prohibits offering incentives such as free or discounted goods and services in exchange for posting, changing, or removing reviews. This is one of the clearer lines in the policy, and it applies whether the ask is on a card, a receipt or a screen.
Where should the review code go?▾
Where someone is already finished and not in a hurry: on the receipt or bill folder, on a table tent after the meal, on a card handed over at the end of a job. A code at the entrance catches people on their way in, before they have anything to review.
Does a scan mean a review was left?▾
No. A scan means someone reached the review page. Whether they wrote anything happens on Google’s side and is invisible to any QR tool. Compare scan counts with your review count over the same period if you want a rough conversion rate, and treat it as rough.
What size should the code be on a table tent or card?▾
Around 2cm across works for something read at arm’s length, and print a test at final size before ordering a batch. On a glossy laminated card, watch for glare under indoor lighting, which is the usual reason a code that scanned fine on the designer’s screen fails on the table.

Google and Google Business Profile are trademarks of Google LLC; this page is not affiliated with them. Policy and interface details read from Google's own help pages in September 2026.