Free Google review link and QR generator

How to make a review link

Paste a Place ID that starts with ChIJ, or paste a Google Maps share link that contains one. The tool extracts the ID and builds https://search.google.com/local/writereview?placeid=… Copy that URL into SMS, WhatsApp, email signatures, and invoices.

If Places search is configured on the server, you can search the business name and city, then pick the right listing. If search is not configured, use Maps → Share. Do not guess a Place ID. The wrong ID sends people to someone else’s form.

Download the QR PNG for stickers, van wraps, and till cards. Print the simple review card when you want a paper handout after a job. The QR encodes the same official URL. It does not expire unless Google changes the review path.

How to ask without breaking the rules

Ask for honest feedback. Do not offer gifts, discounts, or entry into a prize draw for a review. Do not tell people to write five stars only. Do not hand them a script to paste. Those patterns get profiles restricted and they teach staff the wrong habit.

The templates here use a warm, professional, or brief tone. Replace the first-name placeholder. Mention the real service you delivered. Send the same style of ask to every recent customer, not only the ones who smiled on the doorstep. Filtering for happy customers is still review gating.

• Ask after the job is finished
• Use one direct link or QR
• Thank people either way
• Reply to new reviews in GBP
• Never pay for a star rating

Where to put the link and QR

SMS and WhatsApp work best within a day of the visit. Email works for longer jobs and B2B. Put the QR on invoices, packing slips, waiting-room cards, and the thank-you screen of a booking flow. Keep a short instruction: Scan to leave a Google review.

On the website, a button that says Leave a Google review can use the same URL. Do not bury it behind a page that asks for an email first. Friction kills completion. Staff should have the link in their notes app so they are not inventing a new ask every time.

Multi-location and service-area businesses

Each location needs its own Place ID and its own link. A single QR for a brand with five shops will send everyone to one profile. Label cards by suburb or store code. Service-area businesses should still confirm the profile customers actually see in Maps before printing a thousand stickers.

If you recently claimed or merged listings, regenerate the link after the Place ID stabilises. Old short links people made years ago sometimes pointed at Google+ era paths. Prefer the writereview Place ID form this tool builds.

Measuring whether the ask works

Watch new review velocity in Google Business Profile, not vanity spikes. A steady weekly increase beats one campaign week and silence. Pair review growth with the local SEO audit so you can see when you are still behind the competitor median.

If people open the link and bounce, check that the ID matches the live listing and that the business is not suspended. If they say they cannot find the button, they probably received a Maps search link instead of the writereview URL.

Track which channel sent the ask when you can do it without extra friction. A UTM on a redirect you control is fine. Do not wrap the Google URL in a shady cloaking hop that breaks on mobile.

Seasonal businesses should raise ask volume after peak weeks, not only in quiet months. The best time to ask is when the job is fresh in the customer’s mind, even if your marketing calendar prefers quieter quarters.

If two locations share staff, label the QR cards clearly. A review meant for the York shop that lands on the Leeds profile creates support tickets and uneven ratings.

A review ask system that lasts longer than a poster

I treat the review link as part of job completion, not marketing theatre. When the invoice goes out or the engineer leaves the site, the ask goes with it. The QR on the van is backup for people who prefer to scan later.

Train every customer-facing person on the same sentence. Thanks for choosing us. Here is a direct link if you are willing to leave a Google review. No star coaching. No discount for kind words. Consistency beats cleverness.

Put the link in the CRM note template so nobody hunts for it in a WhatsApp thread from 2022. Rotate printed cards when you open a new location so the Place ID matches the shop the customer visited.

Watch for staff sending a Maps search URL instead of the writereview URL. Search URLs still make people pick a listing. The Place ID form skips that step. That difference shows up in completion rate even when nobody can name the technical reason.

On websites, place the button near contact proof, not in the footer graveyard. On booking confirmation pages, one tap while intent is high beats an email three days later. Still send the email. Some people review from a laptop at night.

If a location is suspended or unverified, fix that before you print a thousand stickers. A perfect QR that lands on an error teaches customers the wrong lesson about your brand.

Respond to every new review in Business Profile. Public replies show you read feedback. They also give you a place to move complaints into a private channel without arguing in the star rating.

Negative reviews are not a reason to stop asking. Stopping the ask when someone is unhappy is how profiles stagnate. Keep the process. Fix the operational issue the review named.

Agencies managing many locations should generate one link per Place ID and label files by store code. Shared brand short links that route through a chooser page add friction and tracking excuses nobody needs.

Pair monthly review counts with the local SEO audit. Growing reviews while hours are missing or NAP is wrong still leaves easy competitor wins on the table.

I keep templates short on SMS because long messages get skimmed. Email can carry one extra sentence about the job. Neither channel should sound like a legal disclaimer. Plain language converts.

For trades, I like the QR on the job sheet the customer already signs. For clinics, the discharge or follow-up message works better than a waiting-room poster people ignore. Match the ask to the moment trust is highest.

If marketing wants a fancy microsite in front of the Google form, I push back. Extra clicks lose reviews. Brand the message. Keep the destination official.

Print a fresh batch of cards whenever you change locations or reclaim a suspended listing. Old stock with a dead Place ID is worse than no card at all because it trains staff to shrug when the link fails.