Link to Your Local Businesses’s Google My Business Review Section

Here’s how to make a direct Google reviews link that takes your customers to your Google My Business profile AND opens the review window automatically!

I was just over last week talking with a friend of mine who runs an accounting firm up here in northern Colorado, Paul Mueller. He runs Mueller, Pye and Associates. His question was, “I’ve got people who’d like to give me a review, but I don’t have an easy way for them to leave me a review on Google My Business. I can’t send them an easy link in an email.”

It’s a bit clunky to say to a customer, “Hey, go out to Google, search for my business, click the listing, then in the knowledge panel on right side of the screen, click the Write Review button and leave a review.” There’s an easier way.

Creating the Direct Google Reviews Link

Whether you know it or not, every business location on Google My Business has a Place ID. The first step in creating a direct google reviews link is to find the Place ID for your business.

Go to https://developers.google.com/places/place-id, look up your business, and click on the marker. You’ll see your Place ID listed there. Select and copy your Place ID. In the case of Mueller, Pye and Associates, their Place ID is ChIJP4jf8qxTaYcRWb_6NEe6L30

Now, take the following URL and replace [place_id] with the actual ID for your business:

  • https://search.google.com/local/writereview?placeid=[place_id]

Here’s what the final URL looks like for Mueller, Pye and Associates:

Automatically Open the Review Window

Click on that URL and watch what happens. It automatically pulls up the business and pops up the review window. People can instantly leave you a review. No more searching for your business. No more having to click on the listing and the Write Review button.

You can also take that same URL and shorten it for use on social media. Use a URL shortener like Goog.le or Bit.ly and use the shortened URL on Facebook or Twitter posts. By the way, don’t use shortened links in emails. That can reduce your email deliverability.

Questions / Comments?

What online review sites do you think are the most important, and how do you ask people for reviews on them? I really want to hear from you, so please let me know in the comments section below. Also, please let me know if you have any other local marketing questions that you’d like us to answer.

Eric is the Founder and CEO of Local Marketing Institute. He has 25 years of experience in digital marketing and has been the Chief Digital Officer for several B2B and consumer media companies. Eric has a passion for local businesses and focuses on practical digital strategies to help them attract more customers, build customer loyalty, and grow their business.