A Google review QR encodes the direct review URL for your Google Business Profile. Scanning opens the star-rating prompt straight away — no menu hunting, no logging in to Google Maps.
Find your review URL: go to your Google Business Profile dashboard → Read reviews → Get more reviews → Share review form. Copy the URL (it looks like https://g.page/r/<id>/review or https://search.google.com/local/writereview?placeid=<id>) and paste it below.
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Why it matters more than email asks
Reviews are the single biggest variable in local-search ranking after proximity. Businesses that ask consistently get 3–5× more reviews than businesses that don't. The asking-mechanism that wins is the one that takes the fewest taps — and a QR is fewer taps than any email funnel.
Print the QR at the point of positive emotion: at the bottom of the receipt, on the takeout bag, on a thank-you card the server hands over with the cheque. The closer to the experience, the higher the review rate.
Print placement
Receipt footer: small enough that it's not pushy, big enough to scan (1.5 cm × 1.5 cm minimum at 200 DPI thermal print).
Counter card by the exit: 3 cm × 3 cm with a caption like 'Share your experience'. Avoid the word 'review' alone if your customers are older — 'share your experience' tests better with non-tech-savvy demographics.
Takeout packaging: a sticker on the bag. Scans happen at home, when the experience is being remembered fondly.
Don't print the QR on the table for the customer to scan during the meal. Reviews are post-experience; mid-experience scans skew the rating both ways.
What not to do
Don't add 'leave a 5-star review' next to the QR. Google explicitly bans coached or incentivized reviews and Maps algorithms now demote obvious coaching language. 'Tell us how we did' is safer and tests just as well.
Don't filter pre-prompt — i.e. don't ask customers privately if they had a good experience, then only show the QR to happy ones. Google bans this 'review gating' and reviews from gated audiences risk removal. Show the QR to everyone.
Don't use a dynamic redirect service for your review QR. If they change pricing or shut down, your printed receipts go dead. Static QRs encode the Google URL directly — nothing to fail.
Frequently asked questions
- Does the customer need to be signed into Google?
- Yes — Google requires a Google account to leave a review. Most smartphone users are already signed in via the device. iPhone users without a Google account see a sign-in prompt and usually proceed.
- Can I see who scanned vs who reviewed?
- Not directly from a static QR. The Google Business Profile dashboard shows total review count and ratings but not scan-to-review attribution. If you need this funnel data, route the QR through a URL on your domain that logs the click, then redirects to the Google URL.
- What if my business doesn't have a Google Business Profile yet?
- Set one up free at business.google.com. The profile creates the review URL the QR needs. Profiles can take 1–2 weeks to verify by postcard or video.