How to Show Google Reviews on Your Website (Widgets, Badges and the Rules)

You've worked hard for your Google reviews. It makes sense to show them on your website too, where people who are already interested in you can see them.

Here are the main ways to do it, what each one costs, and a few rules worth knowing before you start, especially if you're in a regulated industry like financial services.

Why show Google reviews on your website?

Someone who lands on your website is already part-way to choosing you. Reviews from real customers can be the thing that tips them into picking up the phone or filling in your form.

Google reviews carry extra weight because visitors know you can't write or edit them yourself. A quote from a customer typed into your website could have come from anywhere. A review that links back to Google is much harder to fake.

Option 1: A review widget

A widget is a small piece of code you add to your website. It pulls in your Google reviews and displays them, usually as a carousel, a grid or a small badge showing your star rating.

Google doesn't offer an official widget, so these come from third-party companies. Many website builders, including WordPress, Wix and Squarespace, have plugins or apps that do it.

The pros

• Updates automatically as new reviews come in
• Quick to set up, usually by pasting in a code snippet or installing a plugin
• Lots of designs to match your website

The cons

• Usually a monthly fee for the better options. Free versions often show the provider's branding
• Can slow your website down if the widget loads a lot of code
• Some only show a handful of reviews

Option 2: A simple rating badge and link

The simplest option is a line on your website showing your rating and review count, linking to your Google reviews. For example: "Rated 4.9 from 88 Google reviews. Read them on Google."

It costs nothing and won't slow your site down. The downside is that you need to update the numbers yourself every so often, and visitors have to click away to read the reviews.

Option 3: Quote individual reviews

You can quote individual reviews on your website, for example on a service page or next to a photo of the finished work. It's a good way to put the right review in the right place.

If you do this, quote the review accurately, include the reviewer's first name or initials as they appear on Google, and link to your Google reviews so visitors can check.

Option 4: Build it yourself with Google's API

If you have a developer, they can use Google's Places API to pull your rating and reviews straight from Google. Be aware that the API only returns a small number of reviews (up to five) per request, not your full history, and Google's terms set rules on how the data is displayed and attributed.

For most small businesses, a widget or a simple badge is easier.

The rules worth knowing

Don't cherry-pick in a misleading way

Many widgets let you filter out anything below 4 or 5 stars. Be careful with that. The CMA's guidance on reviews says businesses shouldn't present reviews in a way that gives a misleading picture, and selectively promoting only positive reviews is one of the examples it gives.

Showing your genuine overall rating, and letting visitors see your full set of reviews on Google, keeps you on safe ground.

Star ratings in search results

Some widgets promise to make stars appear next to your website in Google's search results. Don't count on it. Since 2019, Google hasn't shown review stars for businesses marking up reviews of themselves on their own website. Your stars will still appear on your Google Business Profile, which is where most local customers see them anyway.

Regulated industries

If you're a mortgage broker, financial adviser, accountant or work in another regulated field, check with your compliance team or network before adding reviews to your website. In some industries, displaying reviews counts as marketing and has to meet extra rules.

A widget is only as good as your reviews

A widget showing six reviews, the newest from 2022, does more harm than good. It tells visitors you're either not busy or not asking.

Before you spend money on a widget, make sure you've got a steady flow of new reviews to show. That means asking every customer, every time. Our guide to finding your Google review link is the place to start.

Which option should you choose?

• On a budget: a rating badge with a link to your Google reviews
• Want it to look polished and update itself: a widget
• Want the right review on the right page: quote individual reviews
• Have a developer and specific needs: the Places API

Whichever you pick, keep it honest, keep it current, and keep asking for new reviews.