A Google review QR code encodes a link built from your business's Place ID, https://search.google.com/local/writereview?placeid=<ID>, so a scan opens the "write a review" box for that exact location. Asking customers for reviews is allowed. What Google prohibits is attaching incentives or selectively steering only happy customers, so how you use the code matters as much as the code.
The link is built in your browser from the Place ID you paste. The generator does not verify that the ID belongs to you.
How do you make a Google review QR code?
- Find your Place ID with Google's Place ID finder: search for your business and copy the ID it shows.
- Paste it into the Google Place ID field.
- Download the code and scan it. It should open the review box for your business, not a different location.
https://search.google.com/local/writereview?placeid=ChIJN1t_tDeuEmsRUsoyG83frY4That example ID is Google's own documentation sample; yours will differ. The scanner needs to be signed in to a Google account to post, and the app will prompt them if they are not.
Are Place IDs permanent?
Not guaranteed. Google's Place IDs documentation says an ID can become obsolete, for example when a business moves or closes, and recommends refreshing stored IDs. So before a large print run, look the ID up again, and retest a printed code from time to time. If the code opens a wrong or missing place, re-run the finder and reprint.
What does Google's policy allow?
According to Google's Maps user-generated content policy, reviews posted because of an incentive from a business, such as payment, discounts, or free goods, are not allowed and will be removed. Google also prohibits review gating, which means filtering customers so that only positive experiences are sent to the public review page.
| Practice | Fine? |
|---|---|
| A sign or receipt with a QR code saying "Review us on Google" | Yes: this is what the code is for |
| Asking every customer, not only the happy ones | Yes |
| Offering a discount or entry to a prize draw for a review | No: incentivized reviews are prohibited |
| Sending only satisfied customers to the link, with unhappy ones to a private form | No: review gating |
| Staff or family posting reviews | No: this is fake engagement |
Google can remove reviews and take action against a Business Profile that breaks the rules. Policy details are updated, so check Google's current page.
Where should the code go?
Put it where the customer is already thinking about the experience: on the receipt, the table tent, the checkout counter, or the "thank you" card in a delivery. Add a one-line prompt in plain words. For a multi-location business, make one code per location using each place's own ID and label them, or customers will review the wrong branch.
See QR codes for Google reviews for more placement ideas, and the restaurant QR code guide for hospitality examples.
How do you test it?
Scan from a phone signed in to a personal Google account that is not the business owner's. Confirm the business name and address shown are correct, then close without posting. Check the export with the QR validator and the print size guide.