--- title: "How do you set up Google reviews for your business?" url: https://reviewnudge.app/guides/set-up-google-reviews-for-your-business/ published: 2026-10-09 updated: 2026-10-27 author: "Jack Stovell" author_profile: https://i.hilyt.it/jack publisher: "Adapt Progress Evolve Limited" summary: "There is no separate switch for Google reviews: they come with your Google Business Profile. Claim or create the profile for free, verify it, then share your review link, and never buy, filter or reward reviews." language: en-GB --- # How do you set up Google reviews for your business? > There is no separate switch for Google reviews: they come with your Google Business Profile. Claim or create the profile for free, verify it, then share your review link, and never buy, filter or reward reviews. Short answer: reviews live on your Google Business Profile, the listing that shows your business on Google Search and Maps. Google says adding or claiming a profile is free. Verifying it makes the profile yours to manage, and you have to be verified before you can reply to reviews. After that, you copy a review link or QR code from the profile and start asking customers. ## There is no separate reviews switch Google's help pages describe no setting for turning reviews on, and none for turning them off. Customers leave reviews on your Business Profile, so setting up the profile is the whole job. Your part is to make sure the profile is yours, verified and accurate, then make it easy for customers to reach the review form and ask fairly. The order is: claim or create the profile, verify it, check what customers see, get your link, ask honestly, reply. None of it is fiddly. Before you start, have these to hand: - A Google Account you are happy to run the business from. - Your business details (name, address or the area you serve, phone number, opening hours), written the way you want customers to see them. - Access to the business phone or email, since Google may send a verification code to either. - A computer for step 4. Google says review QR codes can currently only be generated in a computer browser. ## Step 1: Claim or create your Business Profile Before you create anything, check whether your business is already on Google, because you may only need to claim an existing listing. On a computer, open Google Maps and search for your business name and town. If the listing shows Claim this business, select it, then Manage now, and choose a verification option. If nothing turns up, go to business.google.com/add, select Add your business to Google and follow the on-screen instructions. Google says you can add or claim a business at no charge. If someone else has already verified the profile, such as a former manager or an agency, Google lets you request ownership from the current owner as long as you are authorised to manage the business. Sort that out first, so you are not working on a profile you cannot edit. Take ten minutes over the name, address and category. They are much easier to get right now than to fix once verification has started. ## Step 2: Verify the profile so you can manage it Verifying makes you the owner. Google says you need it to edit details such as your name or hours and to interact with customers, and its reviews help page says you must verify before you can reply to reviews. Google decides which methods you are offered, based on things like your business type, public information, region and opening hours, and you cannot pick. Its help page covers: - Phone or text: a code by call or SMS (interactive voice response systems will not receive it) - Email - Live video call - Postcard by post - Video recording, if your business is eligible In some cases Google verifies a profile instantly, for example through Google Search Console. Google says verification reviews take up to five working days. Most postcard codes arrive within 14 days and expire after 30. Do not request a new code while you wait, because that invalidates the one already in the post. Google will never ask for your verification code, so do not share it with anyone who does. If the Get verified button reappears on your profile, Google could not fully verify you. Try again or use another method. ## Step 3: Check how customers see your reviews Once you are verified, search for your business on your phone the way a customer would. Check the name, address, phone number and hours, and find the Reviews section. People will land on this page from your review link, so a minute spent checking it now is worth it. ## Step 4: Get your Google review link On a computer, go to your Business Profile, select Read reviews, then Get more reviews. From there you can: - copy the review link with Copy - download the QR code by right-clicking it and choosing Save image as - share the link straight away using the other options shown Open the link on your own phone before you send it, so you know exactly where it takes customers. If your screens look different, [find your Google review link](/guides/find-your-google-review-link/) covers the other routes. Google's help page also mentions sending review requests by email, WhatsApp message or Facebook post. A bare QR code is easy to lose on a busy counter, so the free [Google review QR code maker](/tools/google-review-qr-code/) turns your link into a printable card, with no account needed. ## Step 5: Ask customers honestly (and what you must not do) Pick one way of asking and use it with everyone: the same link and the same words, whatever you think of how the job went. Say thank you, say a review would help, and send the link. If you would rather send a message than hand over a card, the [review request message builder](/tools/review-request-generator/) writes SMS, WhatsApp and email requests you can adapt and send yourself. Google's policies prohibit all of these, so do not do them: - Offering anything in return for a review, such as payment, discounts or free goods or services. - Review gating, meaning you ask only the customers you think are happy, or steer unhappy ones away. Google's policy bars businesses from selectively soliciting positive reviews or discouraging negative ones. - Asking staff to collect a set number of reviews, or reviews that include specific content. - Pressuring customers to leave a review while they are on the premises. - Reviews from you, your staff or anyone else with a conflict of interest, and reviews that have been paid for. UK law backs this up. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 includes an explicit ban on posting and commissioning fake reviews, and the CMA can fine companies up to 10% of global turnover for consumer law breaches. [Asking for Google reviews: the rules](/guides/asking-for-google-reviews-rules/) covers the detail, including what you can say in a request. ## Step 6: Reply to the reviews you receive New reviews appear under Read reviews on your Business Profile, or under Reviews when you search for your business on Google Maps. Reply to the good ones with a short, specific thank you, and to the awkward ones calmly. Google tells the reviewer when you reply, and anyone else reading can see how you respond. When a review is grumpy, my instinct is to type something sharp. Wait an hour and write the calm version instead. [How to reply to Google reviews](/guides/how-to-reply-to-google-reviews/) covers what to say, including to the awkward ones. ## Does it cost anything, and do reviewers need a Google account? Google says adding or claiming a Business Profile is free, and its help pages on getting reviews and creating a review link mention no charge. Nobody should be paid to produce reviews either, because Google's policy prohibits paid reviews. Customers must be signed in to a Google Account to leave a review, and Google says they can create one with a non-Gmail email address. If a customer says they cannot post, check this before you assume your link is broken. ## Common set-up problems - **You cannot reply to reviews.** The profile is probably not verified yet. Finish verification (step 2). - **Someone else controls the profile.** Request ownership from the current owner (step 1). - **There are two listings for your business.** Sort this out before you share a link, so customers do not end up reviewing the wrong one. - **The link opens the wrong place.** Copy it again from your own Business Profile rather than a third-party site, and test it on your phone. - **The QR code option is missing.** Switch to a computer browser. Google says review QR codes cannot be generated on mobile at the moment. - **A review has been left but is not showing.** [Google reviews not showing](/guides/google-reviews-not-showing/) goes through the usual causes. ## Questions people ask ### How do I get my business to show up on Google reviews? Customers leave reviews on your Google Business Profile, so you need one first. Search Google Maps for your business and claim the listing, or add it at business.google.com/add. Then verify the profile and share your review link with customers. ### Can someone leave a Google review without having a Google account? No. Google says customers must be signed in to a Google Account to leave a review. They can create one with a non-Gmail email address. ### How much does it cost for Google reviews? Google says you can add or claim a Business Profile at no charge, and its help pages on getting reviews and review links mention no fees. You must not pay for reviews or offer incentives for them, because Google's policy prohibits this. ### How can I share my Google review link? On a computer, go to your Business Profile, select Read reviews, then Get more reviews. Copy the link, or right-click the QR code and choose Save image as. Google suggests sharing it by email, WhatsApp message or Facebook post. ### Can I turn Google reviews on or off for my business? Google's help pages describe no setting for turning reviews on or off. Reviews come with the Business Profile, so the job is getting it verified and sharing your link. ## Sources - [Google Business Profile Help: Add or claim your Business Profile](https://support.google.com/business/answer/2911778) - [Google Business Profile Help: Verify your business](https://support.google.com/business/answer/7107242) - [Google Business Profile Help: Create a Google link or QR code to request reviews](https://support.google.com/business/answer/16816815) - [Google Business Profile Help: Tips to get more reviews](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3474122) - [Google Business Profile Help: Manage customer reviews](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3474050) - [Google Maps user contributed content policy: Prohibited and restricted content](https://support.google.com/contributionpolicy/answer/7400114) - [CMA: New consumer protection regime comes into force (7 April 2025)](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cma-to-boost-consumer-and-business-confidence-as-new-consumer-protection-regime-comes-into-force)