How to Embed Google Reviews on Your Website
Your Google reviews do the most good on the page where someone is deciding. Here are the three ways to get them there, step by step, and the Google rules on attribution and review markup.
Short answer: there are three ways to embed Google reviews on a website. The easiest is a review widget tool that imports your Google reviews and gives you a snippet of code to paste into your site. Developers can build their own display with the Google Places API, which returns at most five reviews per place. Or you can copy individual reviews onto the page by hand, with the reviewer’s name and a link back to your Google profile. Whichever you choose, credit the reviewer and do not add star-rating markup for reviews you collected from Google.
This guide covers each method step by step, compares them, explains where Google reviews work best on a site, and summarises the Google rules that apply. All Google sources are linked and were checked in October 2026.
Can You Embed Google Reviews Directly From Google?
Google’s Business Profile tools are built for getting reviews rather than showing them on your site. From your profile you can create a review link or QR code to send to customers: open your Business Profile in a computer browser, select Read Reviews, then the option to get more reviews, and copy the link or save the QR code. Source: Create a Google link or QR code to request reviews, Google Business Profile Help (2026) (opens in a new tab).
To display those reviews on your own website, you need one of the three methods below. All of them start with having reviews worth showing, so if you are short on reviews, read our playbook on how to ask for a review first. Ask every customer the same way: asking only the happy ones is review gating, which Google’s policy prohibits.
Method 1: Use a Review Widget Tool
A review widget tool pulls in your Google reviews, keeps them in a library, and gives you a widget you embed with a snippet of code. It is the quickest option and needs no developer. Most tools follow the same four steps. Here is what they look like in StoryProof:
- 1Import your Google reviews. Open the importer and add your business’s Google Maps link. StoryProof imports from 24 review platforms, so you can bring in G2, Trustpilot or Yelp reviews at the same time. See the import page.
- 2Approve what you want to show. Imported reviews land in your library. Nothing appears on your site until you approve it, and you can tag reviews by product, location or topic.
- 3Pick a layout. Choose from 19 widget layouts. A rating badge or review banner suits a homepage or checkout, a review grid suits a reviews page, and a marquee strip adds movement to a landing page. Match the accent colour to your brand.
- 4Paste the embed code. Copy one line of code into Framer, Webflow, WordPress or plain html. The full gallery is on the widgets page.
On paid plans, a connected platform keeps syncing on its own: Starter includes 1 connected platform and Pro includes 5. On the Free trial you can paste reviews in by hand. Imported and collected reviews share one monthly allowance, which is 25 on Free and 100 on Starter.
Pros: fast, no code beyond one paste, design control, reviews from several platforms in one widget, and new reviews arrive without you touching the site.
Cons: a monthly subscription, and the widget is a script on your page, so check page speed after adding it.
Method 2: Build It Yourself With the Google Places API
If you have a developer and want full control over the markup, you can request your place’s details from the Google Places API and render the reviews in your own components. Two things to know before you start:
- You get five reviews at most. Google’s API reference describes the reviews field as a “list of reviews about this place, sorted by relevance” and says “a maximum of 5 reviews can be returned.” You do not choose which five. Source: Places API (New) REST reference, Google for Developers (2026) (opens in a new tab).
- Attribution is required. Google’s Places API policies say “you must always credit the author when displaying photos or reviews,” using the author’s avatar, name and profile link when space allows, and at minimum the avatar when it is limited. Source: Places API policies and attributions, Google for Developers (updated October 2026) (opens in a new tab).
You will also need a Google Cloud project with billing enabled and an API key, and you should cache responses sensibly rather than calling the API on every page view. Check Google’s current pricing for the review fields before you build.
Pros: full control over design and markup, no third-party widget.
Cons: developer time, ongoing maintenance, a five-review ceiling, and no way to mix in reviews from other platforms without more work.
Method 3: Add Individual Reviews by Hand
For a small site or a single landing page, copying two or three strong Google reviews into the page can be enough. Do it properly:
- Copy the review word for word. Trim only with an ellipsis, and never change the meaning.
- Show the reviewer’s name as it appears on Google, and the star rating they gave.
- Link to your Google Business Profile so visitors can read every review in context.
- Refresh the selection every few months so the dates do not go stale.
Pros: free, no scripts, and the text is part of your page.
Cons: manual, goes out of date, and easy to let slide. Screenshots are tempting, but text inside an image is hard for screen readers and search engines to read, so use real text.
Which Method Should You Choose?
| Factor | Review widget | Places API | By hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup time | Minutes | Days of developer time | Minutes per review |
| Cost | Subscription | Developer time plus API usage | Free |
| Reviews shown | As many as you approve | Up to five, chosen by Google | Whatever you copy |
| Stays up to date | Yes, with sync | Yes, with caching | No |
| Other platforms | Usually supported | Separate integrations | Manual |
| Design control | Layouts and colours | Full | Full |
Scroll the table sideways to compare
Most small and mid-sized businesses are best served by a widget. Choose the API if you have a developer and need full control of the markup, and the manual route if you only want a couple of quotes on one page.
Where Should Google Reviews Go on Your Website?
Put reviews next to the decision they support, not only on a separate reviews page that few visitors open.
- Homepage: a compact rating badge or banner near the main call to action.
- Service and product pages: two or three reviews that mention that specific service.
- Pricing and booking pages: short reviews that speak to value and reliability, right beside the button.
- Contact page: a few reviews about responsiveness and ease of working with you.
- A dedicated reviews page: a full grid or wall, linked from your navigation.
Our guide on how to choose a review widget goes deeper on which layout suits which page.
Common Mistakes When Embedding Google Reviews
| Mistake | Why it hurts | Do this instead |
|---|---|---|
| Only a reviews page | Few visitors ever open it | Place reviews beside the decision on each key page |
| Showing reviews from years ago | Old dates make the business look inactive | Use a source that keeps syncing, or refresh by hand |
| Editing a review’s wording | Misrepresents the customer and breaks trust if spotted | Quote exactly; trim only with an ellipsis |
| Dropping the reviewer’s name | Looks invented, and Google’s API rules require attribution | Show the name, and the avatar where you can |
| A heavy widget above the fold | Slows the first view of the page | Test page speed and place large widgets lower |
| Never replying on Google | Visitors who click through see unanswered complaints | Reply to every review, especially critical ones |
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How Do You Check the Widget Does Not Slow Your Site?
Any embed adds some weight to a page. Before and after adding it, run the page through a speed test such as PageSpeed Insights and compare the results on mobile. Load the widget asynchronously so it does not block the rest of the page, give it a fixed height or placeholder so the layout does not jump when it loads, and avoid stacking several widgets on one screen. If a page is very speed sensitive, a compact rating badge is lighter than a full grid of review cards.
Should You Add Review Schema for Your Google Reviews?
No, not for star ratings in search. Google’s review snippet guidelines say not to “aggregate reviews or ratings from other websites,” and that pages where a local business or organization controls the reviews about itself are ineligible for the star review feature. Reviews imported from Google onto your own site fall under both. Source: Review snippet structured data guidelines, Google Search Central (updated September 2026) (opens in a new tab).
Displaying the reviews as visible content is fine and useful for visitors. Just do not mark them up as review or aggregate rating structured data in the hope of stars.
How Do You Keep Fresh Google Reviews Coming In?
An embedded widget is only as good as the reviews feeding it. Build the ask into your process: send your Google review link after every completed job or order, add the QR code to receipts or the counter, and include the link in your email signature. Do not offer discounts or gifts for Google reviews; Google’s help page on review links describes incentives as prohibited.
Google reviews also sit well beside testimonials you collect yourself. A short video from a customer next to your Google rating shows both breadth and depth. See how to collect video testimonials for that side of it.
Choosing a Tool
If you are comparing widget tools, our testimonial software buyer’s guide compares the main options on imports, widgets and price. To try StoryProof, start on the import page and pick a layout from the widget gallery.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I embed Google reviews on my website for free?
Copy a few reviews onto your page by hand, with the reviewer’s name and a link to your Google Business Profile. It costs nothing but has to be updated manually. Building with the Google Places API avoids a subscription but needs developer time and an API key with billing enabled.
Does Google provide an official reviews widget?
Google Business Profile gives you a review link and QR code for collecting reviews. To display reviews on your own site you use a third-party widget, the Google Places API, or copy reviews by hand.
How many Google reviews can the Places API return?
Google’s API reference says a maximum of five reviews can be returned for a place, sorted by relevance.
Can I add star rating schema for Google reviews shown on my site?
Not for star rich results. Google’s review snippet guidelines say not to aggregate reviews from other websites, and pages where a business controls reviews about itself are ineligible for the star review feature.
Do embedded Google reviews update automatically?
With a widget tool that syncs your Google profile, yes. Reviews you copy by hand do not update.