If visitors only need to reach your Google review page, use Google Business Profile’s review link or QR code. It is free and needs no widget, API key, or subscription. If you want review content displayed on your site, a widget or WordPress plugin is the simplest choice for most small businesses. Use the Places API only when you need custom design and have development support.
First, confirm that the correct Google Business Profile is verified and that the reviews you want are visible on Google Maps. Then choose a link, widget, plugin, or custom API display. Add the display to a draft page, check desktop and mobile layouts, and confirm the Google attribution and links appear before publishing.
Key takeaways
- Use Google’s review link or QR code for a free route that sends visitors to Google.
- Choose a widget or WordPress plugin when reviews need to appear directly on the site.
- Use the Places API only if development work, Google Cloud billing, security, and policy requirements fit.
- Check monthly views, refresh timing, branding, language controls, and what happens when a free limit is reached.
- Do not cancel or remove the old display until the replacement works on desktop and mobile.
Which way should you use to show Google reviews?
Your first decision is whether visitors need to read reviews on your website or simply reach Google. A review link or QR code is the cleanest choice when a button such as “Read our reviews” is enough. Google Business Profile provides a direct review-request link, a QR code, and a way to share an individual review. The link does not place review text on your page, but it avoids a widget subscription and external script. For ways to collect more reviews, see getting more customers to leave reviews.
A widget is the practical choice when you want review content visible on a homepage, service page, or contact page. The provider connects to the business listing, creates the display, and supplies embed code. A WordPress plugin does much of the same work inside WordPress through a block or shortcode. These routes need less development work, but the display depends on the vendor or plugin continuing to connect and refresh.
The Places API fits a site that needs a custom review section. Google requires a Cloud project, billing enabled, the Places API activated, an API key or OAuth token, a place ID, and a field mask that states which data the request needs. A Place Details response can return business information and up to five review objects. That limit matters if the design promises a large review wall.
For a Spanish or bilingual site, choose a widget with Spanish interface labels or translation controls, or request Spanish-language API output with a languageCode. A Spanish interface does not automatically translate every review. A review written in Spanish remains Spanish unless the tool translates it. If translation is used, label the text as translated and preserve access to the original.
Your hosting choice, whether shared, managed WordPress, cloud, or VPS, does not change these Google review methods. Hosting affects the site where the display runs, while the widget vendor or Google controls the review connection. If you are still choosing a host, compare the best web hosting plans for small business before paying.
Are free links, widgets, plugins, or the Places API better?
If the goal is to collect more visitors on Google, create the review link from the verified Business Profile. Open the profile, choose “Read reviews,” select “Get more reviews,” and copy the link or download the QR code. Visitors leave your site to read or write reviews. There is no automatic on-page feed and no refresh limit.
A free widget gives you an on-page display, but the free plan may carry branding, a view cap, manual synchronization, or a small display limit. Elfsight’s free tier allows one widget and 200 monthly views with branding. SociableKIT’s free tier allows one source, one widget, 2,000 monthly views, up to 100 displayed reviews, manual synchronization, and branding. EmbedSocial’s free tier allows one source, unlimited widgets, 500 monthly widget views, 500 media items per source, and approximately daily updates. Trustindex provides a free package with paid features available during a seven-day trial.
A WordPress plugin can be convenient if the site already runs WordPress. WordPress.org lists several Google review plugins, but their API requirements, storage methods, support, synchronization, and limits differ. Some advertise that no API key is needed, while others require a Google Places API key and place ID. Check the plugin’s current status before installation. The GR Widget listing says it was closed on November 8, 2026 pending review, so it should not be treated as a dependable current recommendation.
The Places API gives you more control over layout and data handling, but it creates more work. Google Cloud billing must remain enabled, API keys need protection, and the site needs Google-required attribution, links, filtering notices, and compliant caching. The API is not a free replacement for every widget. Google’s current global price list gives 1,000 free monthly billable events for Place Details Enterprise + Atmosphere, followed by $25 per 1,000 events through the first 100,000-event tier. Prices checked November 11, 2026.
For most small-business sites, choose the review link if visitors can leave the site, or a widget if reviews must appear on the page. Choose the API only when the design or data control justifies development and ongoing policy work.
What does each option cost, and what renews?
Before paying, record the plan name, billing interval, amount charged at checkout, monthly view allowance, refresh interval, refund window, cancellation rule, and renewal schedule. Confirm the checkout total and renewal term before paying. If the vendor uses annual billing, confirm the annual amount due upfront rather than treating the displayed monthly figure as a monthly payment.
Prices below were checked November 11, 2026.
Elfsight lists a 14-day full-refund window. Trustindex lists a 30-day refund request window. EmbedSocial paid plans have a seven-day trial that requires card verification, and the provider says the card is not charged during the trial. For SociableKIT, read the cancellation terms and ask about refunds before paying.
Ask Trustindex which purchases, add-ons, or billing channels are excluded before paying. Ask the chosen vendor for its current privacy, retention, hosting, and acceptable-use terms. For an annual plan, confirm the annual checkout total, renewal amount, renewal date, and refund terms together.
For a closer comparison of limits and plan fit, use Best Google Reviews Widgets for Small Business Websites and Elfsight Pricing: Plans, View Limits and What a Small Business Actually Needs.
How do you add the widget on WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy, Shopify, or HTML?
Start on a draft or test page. Connect the widget to the correct Google listing, select the display style, copy the code or shortcode the vendor gives you, and keep the existing review display in place until the new version works.
Elfsight has been part of our client work since 2020, and nine Google Reviews widgets are live across client sites. On WordPress, setup means pasting a short embed code into a code or HTML block. The reviews are then set up and adjusted in the Elfsight dashboard, and changes reach the live site without re-pasting the widget.
On WordPress, install and activate the chosen plugin, create its review display, and add the plugin’s shortcode to a Shortcode block. If the vendor supplies raw HTML or JavaScript, use a Custom HTML block. WordPress documents both blocks. Preview the page while logged out, then check the page on a phone. If the display shows “null,” disappears after caching, or cannot find the business, check the plugin connection, API key, cache, and place ID before changing the live page.
On Wix, open the Wix Editor and choose Add Elements, Embed Code, Popular Embeds, and Embed HTML. Paste the widget code and apply it. Wix requires HTTPS for embedded code and places the visible display inside an iframe. Fixed-width code can crop on smaller screens, so set a responsive height and check the mobile preview. Wix’s custom-code area is suitable for scripts in the head or body, but visible review content belongs in an HTML embed.
On Squarespace, edit the page, add a Code block, choose HTML mode, and paste the vendor code. JavaScript or iframe code in Code blocks requires the Core, Plus, Advanced, or eligible legacy plan. Squarespace warns that custom code can affect mobile appearance and falls outside ordinary support, so test the page before publishing.
On GoDaddy Website Builder, open the product page, manage the site, edit the page, add a section, choose HTML, and paste the code. Set the section height, preview the page, and publish only after the display fits. GoDaddy warns that embedded code can affect the whole site, so keep the change limited to a test page first.
On Shopify, open the theme editor and add a Custom Liquid section or block where the reviews should appear. Shopify allows Custom Liquid in the header, template area, or footer, depending on the selected section. A header block can appear across pages that share that header. Theme and plan availability determine which sections and blocks are available, so check one product or page template before applying it broadly.
For plain HTML, paste the widget container into the desired place in the page body. If the vendor supplies a separate script, keep it in the documented location and place the widget container where the reviews should appear. A hand-written review card is free but static. It will not update when a new Google review arrives.
If the display fails, do not remove the old working method yet. Check the browser console only if you can do so safely, confirm the vendor account is active, clear the relevant cache, and restore the previous code or plugin if the draft change affects the live page. Then retest on desktop and mobile before trying the next change.
How do refresh rates, review limits, filters, and page speed affect the display?
A new Google review may not appear immediately. Google can delay reviews while checking them for policy compliance, and widget vendors add their own synchronization schedule. Elfsight says its Google Reviews widget updates every 72 hours. EmbedSocial says Google reviews are pulled every 15 minutes on its plans. SociableKIT’s free plan uses manual synchronization, while its paid plans advertise automatic refreshes from hourly to every 24 hours. Trustindex advertises daily widget refreshes.
The Places API returns no more than five review objects in one Place Details response. A widget may show more, depending on the vendor’s connection and plan. Check the actual display limit before choosing a layout that depends on many reviews.
Monthly view allowances count page loads according to the vendor’s rules. Elfsight says exceeding the allowance temporarily deactivates the widget. EmbedSocial says the display stops until the monthly reset or an upgrade. SociableKIT says normal display can stop until the allowance resets or the plan changes. Count likely monthly visits to the page where the widget will appear, especially if it is on every page.
Filtering can help visitors focus on relevant reviews, but Google requires a clear notice explaining how reviews are ordered and filtered, including search criteria. Do not use an undisclosed filter to hide negative reviews. Keep the vendor’s attribution, author information, Google Maps access, and any translation label visible.
A third-party script adds external code, network requests, and layout work. Wix embeds run inside iframes, and Squarespace warns that custom code can affect mobile behavior. No vendor claim guarantees a particular page-speed result on every site. Test the page after installation, and remove unnecessary widgets if the page becomes slow or difficult to use.
What Google review rules and attribution should you follow?
A live display must make the source clear. Google requires displayed reviews to include author attribution, access to the individual review on Google Maps, and a notice describing how reviews are ordered or filtered. Where space allows, the author avatar, name, and profile link should remain visible. A widget’s branding controls do not remove Google’s requirements.
Places API use also requires a publicly accessible Terms of Use page and Privacy Policy that incorporate Google’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Google restricts pre-fetching, caching, and storing Places content beyond its permitted exceptions. The place ID is exempt from that caching restriction. Ask a developer to review the implementation before launch if the site stores review text or serves it through a custom database.
A translated review should be labeled as translated, and visitors should have access to the original text. Google’s API accepts a languageCode, while widget vendors handle language in different ways. Elfsight lists 23 widget languages and says paid Pro-level plans and above can automatically translate review text. Trustindex lists 59 languages and AI-translated reviews. SociableKIT allows customized widget labels, but review text still depends on the original Google content. If automatic switching is not documented, create a separate English and Spanish page version instead.
Review requests must be neutral. Ask genuine customers to describe their real experience, without payment, gifts, discounts, or pressure. Google prohibits fake, paid, incentivized, copied, or manipulated reviews, as well as discouraging negative reviews or asking only satisfied customers to post. The FTC separately warns about liability for fake reviews, undisclosed incentives, and deceptive review practices.
A business may report a review that violates Google policy. Disliking a negative review is not enough, and Google says businesses should not report reviews merely because they disagree with them. If a review is reported, leave it visible on the website unless the display method itself needs changing. Do not promise that a bad review will be removed.
Frequently asked questions
Use the answer that matches your site’s purpose, then confirm the platform and vendor limits before publishing.
Can you post Google reviews on your website?
Yes. You can display them through a widget, WordPress plugin, or Places API section. A Google review link is also valid, but it sends visitors to Google instead of placing review text on the page.
How can I display Google reviews on my website?
Use a hosted widget such as Elfsight, Trustindex, SociableKIT, or EmbedSocial, install a WordPress review plugin, or build a Places API display. A widget or plugin usually requires less development work than the API.
How do I embed my Google reviews into my website?
Connect the widget to the correct Google Business Profile, create the display, copy its embed code, and paste it into the platform’s HTML, Code, Custom Liquid, or shortcode location. Test the page before replacing an existing display.
How much does it cost to get Google reviews?
Receiving reviews on Google is free. A website display can also be free through Google’s review link, a free widget tier, or some WordPress plugins, while paid widgets charge by plan and the Places API charges by usage.
How do I register my website for Google reviews?
There is no separate website registration for receiving Google reviews. You need a Google Business Profile, and a custom API display needs a Google Cloud project with billing enabled and the Places API activated.
Do Google reviews show up immediately?
Not always. Google may delay a review for policy checks, and widget providers add their own refresh schedules. Check the vendor’s synchronization rule before promising that a new review will appear on the site at once.
Can businesses remove bad Google reviews?
Businesses can report reviews that violate Google policy. Google does not remove a review merely because the business dislikes it or disagrees with its contents.
What are the rules for Google reviews?
Reviews must reflect genuine experiences and cannot be fake, paid, incentivized, copied, or selectively requested from only satisfied customers. Businesses should not discourage negative reviews or hide them through undisclosed filtering.
Is review gating illegal?
Review gating can violate Google’s policies and may violate the FTC Act. The safer request is to ask every genuine customer to describe their real experience, without incentives or pressure.
How do I create a link to my Google reviews?
Open the verified Business Profile, choose “Read reviews,” select “Get more reviews,” and copy the review link or download the QR code. Google Maps also provides a way to share an individual review.
Choose the review link when sending visitors to Google is enough. Choose a widget or plugin when the reviews need to stay on the page, and use the Places API only when custom development and ongoing policy work fit the site. Before changing a live display, test the replacement, check the billing terms, and keep the previous setup available until the new one works.
Glossary
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