How to Get a Google Review Link (2026)

Google changed how the review form opens in Maps, and most guides on the internet still describe the old behaviour. This page explains what changed and gives you the two methods that still work.

What changed

It used to be simple. You opened a business on Google Maps, clicked Write a review, and the form opened as a separate page. The URL in your address bar was the review link — you copied it and you were done.

That no longer happens.

Today, clicking Write a review opens the form as a pop-up layered over the business listing. The address bar keeps showing the business page URL the whole time. Nothing changes when the form opens, and nothing changes when you close it.

This is the same on desktop and mobile, and requesting the desktop site on a phone does not help — the behaviour is identical.

The practical effect: Google Maps will give you the URL of the business page, but it will not give you the URL of the review form.

Plenty of articles published recently still tell you to copy the review URL from your address bar. That advice is out of date. There is no review URL there to copy.

How to get the real review link to open direct

Method 2 — Place ID. The whole point of a review QR code is removing steps. A code pointing at the business page leaves most of the friction in place, and a fair share of people give up before they find the review button.

If you do wish to have the real review link, you will need to follow these few additional steps. Then paste the finished URL into the QR code generator.

1. Open the Place ID Finder. Go to developers.google.com/maps/documentation/javascript/examples/places-placeid-finder. Scroll down past the code samples until you see an embedded map with a search box sitting on top of it. That search box is the tool — everything else on the page is documentation you can ignore.
2. Type the business name and city. Click into the search box on the map and start typing the business name followed by the suburb or city — for example, 'Truth Coffee Cape Town'. Being specific matters here, because chains and common names will otherwise return the wrong branch.
3. Pick the business from the dropdown. As you type, an autocomplete dropdown appears below the box. You must click the matching result in that list — pressing Enter on its own won't work. Check the address shown in the dropdown before clicking, especially if the business has multiple branches.
4. Copy the Place ID. A pin drops on the map and a small info window opens above it showing the business name, its address, and the Place ID. The ID is a long string of letters and numbers, almost always beginning with ChIJ — something like ChIJN1t_tDeuEmsRUsoyG83frY4. Select it and copy it.
5. Check the address matches. Before you go further, read the address in that info window and confirm it's the right branch. This is the single most common mistake, and it's the one that costs a client a print run of the wrong QR code.
6. Build the review link. Build the URL yourself by appending the Place ID to https://search.google.com/local/writereview?placeid= — then open that link in a browser. If Google's review form loads showing the correct business name, you have the right ID. Paste that URL into the QR code generator.

Before you print anything

Three checks, in order. Each one takes seconds and each one has saved somebody a print run.

1. Open the link yourself. Confirm the business name is right.
2. Scan the finished QR code on a phone. Test on both an iPhone and an Android — scanner behaviour differs.
3. Check the branch. If the business has multiple locations, confirm you're looking at the right address, not just the right name.

Common problems