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How to make a Google review NFC tag or stand

Updated

A review stand lets a customer tap their phone and land on your Google review form. Under the plastic, it's just an NFC tag holding a link. You can make one yourself with an iPhone and a few NTAG213 stickers; ready-made stands work exactly the same way.

How it works

The tag stores a normal web link to your review form. iPhone XS and later, and most Android phones, open links from NFC tags without any app: on iPhone a notification appears and the customer taps it; on Android the browser usually opens straight away. Older iPhones (7, 8 and X) need an app to read tags at all, which is why every stand should also carry a QR code.

Step 1: get your review link

  1. Sign in with the Google account that manages your Business Profile.
  2. Search Google for your business name, or open your business in the Google Maps app.
  3. Look for Ask for reviews or Get more reviews and copy the link. It usually starts with https://g.page/r/.
  4. Open the link in a private browser window to check it lands on the review form.

Google renames these buttons from time to time; if you can't find them, search the Google Business Profile Help Center for "get more reviews". Note that the ordinary Share link from Maps opens your listing, not the review form, which adds a step for the customer.

Step 2: write the tag

  1. Open the template. In NFC Toolkit, open the Write tab and tap Google review.
  2. Paste your link. Paste the review link you copied from your Business Profile.
  3. Check the size. Tap Done. A review link is small and fits on an NTAG213.
  4. Write the tag. Tap Write to tag and hold the top of your iPhone against the tag until it confirms.
  5. Test it. Scan the tag from the Scan tab and tap Open to check it lands on the review form.

Step 3: protect it from tampering

A writable tag in a public place can be rewritten by anyone with an NFC app, which could send your customers to a different page. Protect it once it works:

  • Lock permanently: the tag becomes read-only forever. NFC Toolkit asks you to type LOCK to confirm. You can never change the link afterwards, so if your review link ever changes you'll replace the tag.
  • Password-protect: the tag stays readable by everyone, but rewriting it needs your password (4 characters or 8 hex digits). Good if you might update it. It's a lightweight lock meant to stop casual tampering, not a strong security feature.

Both are Pro tools in NFC Toolkit. You can use either once by watching a short ad, or unlock them for good with a one-time purchase.

Step 4: design and place the stand

  • Say what to do: "Tap your phone here to leave a review", plus a QR code with the same link for older phones and anyone who prefers the camera.
  • Show where to tap: iPhones read NFC at the top edge; on Android the spot varies, often the middle of the back. Put the tag behind the centre of the "tap here" area.
  • Location: near the till, on tables, at reception, anywhere customers wait for a moment.
  • Mounting: stick the tag behind the printed surface. Standard tags don't work on metal; on a metal counter, use an on-metal tag or a stand that raises the tag off the surface.
  • Tag type: NTAG213 is enough for a review link. Ready-made stands should state NTAG213, 215 or 216.

Ask for reviews within Google's rules

Google's review policies don't allow offering incentives such as discounts or freebies in exchange for reviews, and they discourage selectively asking only happy customers. Put the stand where every customer can see it, ask everyone the same way, and never write reviews on a customer's behalf.

Troubleshooting

  • An iPhone does nothing: older models (iPhone 7, 8 and X) need an app; newer ones don't read in the background while the camera or Wallet is open or in Airplane Mode. The QR code covers these cases.
  • It opens your listing, not the review form: you copied the Share link. Use the Ask for reviews link.
  • Customers are asked to sign in: Google requires a Google account to post a review; that's expected.
  • It stopped working: scan the tag with NFC Toolkit to see what's on it, check the link still opens, and check the tag isn't damaged.

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