14 July 2026/16 min read

How to Embed Google Reviews: The Exact 2025 Guide

web-designseosmall-businessaustraliaconversions

Why Google Reviews on Your Website Are Worth More Than You Think

Businesses that display reviews on their website see an average conversion rate lift of 270% on higher-priced products and services, according to Spiegel Research Centre data. For a local Australian tradie, salon, or restaurant, that number is not abstract — it is the difference between a visitor bouncing and a visitor booking.

Yet the majority of Australian small business owners who have worked hard to accumulate Google reviews make a critical mistake: they leave those reviews trapped inside Google's platform. A potential customer who lands on your website never sees them unless they specifically navigate away to Google Search or Maps. That is a conversion opportunity lost at the exact moment intent is highest.

This guide covers every practical method to embed Google reviews on your website in 2025 — from zero-cost manual approaches to paid widget services — with step-by-step instructions, honest cost breakdowns, and specific advice for the Australian market. Whether your site runs on WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, Shopify, or is custom-built, you will find the right method here.

What "Embedding" Google Reviews Actually Means

Before diving into methods, it is worth being precise about terminology, because the term "embed" gets used loosely and the distinction matters for both legality and technical implementation.

Embedding via Google's Places API: Pulling live review data directly from Google using their official Places API. The data is fetched in real time, is always current, and complies fully with Google's Terms of Service.
Embedding via a third-party widget: A widget service (Elfsight, EmbedSocial, ReviewsOnMyWebsite, etc.) acts as a middleman, connecting to Google's API on your behalf and rendering a styled display on your site.
Manual copy-paste / screenshot: Copying review text or taking a screenshot and placing it on your site. Technically permissible for genuine reviews you received, but creates static, non-updating content that can look dated.
iFrame embed of your Google Business Profile: Embedding a map widget that shows your business listing — this indirectly shows your star rating but does not surface individual review text on the page.

Each approach has different technical requirements, costs, and SEO implications. We will cover all of them.

Google's Terms of Service: What You Can and Cannot Do

This section is non-negotiable reading. Google's Maps Platform Terms of Service and their general Terms of Service place specific restrictions on how review content can be used.

You cannot scrape Google reviews using automated tools that bypass the official API. This violates the Terms of Service and risks your Google Business Profile being penalised or suspended.
You cannot fabricate, modify, or selectively edit review content when presenting it as a Google review. If you display a review attributed to Google, it must be the verbatim text.
Using the official Places API is always the safest path. Any third-party widget provider worth using will be pulling data via the API.
Schema markup for reviews (discussed below) must reflect genuine reviews. Using schema to display fabricated star ratings violates Google's structured data guidelines and can result in a manual penalty.

The practical upshot: use official API-based methods or reputable third-party widgets. Do not copy-paste dozens of reviews and mark them up with review schema — only use schema for reviews you have actually collected and control on your own platform.

Method 1 — Google's Official Places API (Free, Technical)

This is the most technically robust option and the one recommended if you have a developer or are comfortable with code. The Google Places API (part of the Maps Platform) allows you to fetch review data for any Google Business Profile listing and display it however you like.

Step-by-Step: Setting Up the Places API

Create a Google Cloud project. Go to console.cloud.google.com, sign in with your Google account, and create a new project (e.g. "My Business Reviews").
Enable billing. Google requires a billing account to use the Maps Platform APIs. However, Google provides a free monthly credit of USD $200 — equivalent to approximately AUD $310 at current rates — which covers roughly 28,500 Places Details API calls per month. For a small business website, you will almost certainly stay within the free tier.
Enable the Places API. In the APIs & Services library, search for "Places API" and enable it. If you are using the newer Places API (New), enable that instead — it has updated fields and better pricing for 2025.
Generate an API key. Go to APIs & Services → Credentials → Create Credentials → API Key. Copy the key and restrict it to your domain for security.
Find your Place ID. Use the Place ID Finder tool by Google. Search for your business name, and note the Place ID string (e.g. ChIJN1t_tDeuEmsRUsoyG83frY3).
Make a Places Details API call. The endpoint looks like this:

https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/place/details/json
  ?place_id=YOUR_PLACE_ID
  &fields=name,rating,reviews
  &key=YOUR_API_KEY

Parse and render the JSON response. The API returns up to 5 of your most relevant reviews (Google's algorithm picks which 5 to surface — you cannot request all reviews via the API). Each review object contains: author_name, rating, text, time (Unix timestamp), and author_url.
Style and display on your website. Use HTML and CSS to build a reviews section. A simple JavaScript fetch call can pull the data client-side, or you can run a server-side script (Node.js, PHP, Python) to cache the data and avoid API rate limits.

Important Caveat: The 5-Review Limit

Google's Places API only returns a maximum of 5 reviews per request, and Google selects which 5 to show — typically the most relevant or recent. This is a deliberate policy, not a technical limitation you can work around. If you want to display more than 5 reviews, you need a third-party solution (Method 2) that aggregates reviews over time through repeated API polling.

Caching to Stay Within the Free Tier

Each page load that triggers a Places API call counts against your quota. For a site receiving 500 visits per day, that is 500 API calls — still within the free USD $200 credit, but worth managing. The recommended approach is to cache the API response on your server (e.g. store it in a database or flat JSON file) and refresh the cache every 24 hours. This reduces your API calls to one per day regardless of traffic volume.

Method 2 — Third-Party Review Widget Services (Easiest, Low Cost)

For most Australian small business owners, a third-party widget is the most practical solution. These services handle the API connection, the display styling, and the caching — you just paste an embed code into your website.

Service	Free Plan?	Paid Plan (AUD approx.)	Max Reviews Displayed	Platforms Supported
Elfsight	Yes (200 views/month)	From ~$7/mo (Basic)	Unlimited (on paid)	All major CMSs, HTML
EmbedSocial	No	From ~$33/mo	Unlimited	All major CMSs
ReviewsOnMyWebsite	Yes (limited)	From ~$14/mo	Unlimited (on paid)	WordPress, HTML, Wix
Trustmary	Yes (1 widget)	From ~$23/mo	Unlimited (on paid)	All major CMSs
Google Reviews Widget (WP plugin)	Yes (limited styling)	From ~$100/year	Up to 5 (API limit)	WordPress only

Pricing approximate, converted from USD at time of writing. Verify current pricing on each provider's website.

How to Embed an Elfsight Google Reviews Widget (Step-by-Step)

Elfsight is one of the most commonly used options for Australian small businesses because of its generous free tier and straightforward setup. Here is the exact process:

Go to elfsight.com and create a free account.
Search for "Google Reviews" in the widget library and select it.
Click "Create Widget" and enter your business name or Google Maps URL when prompted. Elfsight will locate your Google Business Profile automatically.
Customise the display: choose a carousel, grid, or list layout; set minimum star rating filter (most businesses show 4+ stars); choose how many reviews to display; pick your colour scheme to match your brand.
Click "Add to Website" and copy the JavaScript embed code provided (it looks like a single <script> tag plus a short <div>).
Paste the code into your website where you want reviews to appear. On WordPress, you can paste it into a Custom HTML block in the Gutenberg editor, or use a widget area. On Wix, use the HTML iframe embed element. On Squarespace, use a Code Block.
Publish your page and test on both desktop and mobile to confirm the widget loads correctly.

Method 3 — WordPress-Specific Plugins

If your website runs on WordPress — which powers approximately 43% of all websites globally — you have access to dedicated plugins that handle the Google API connection without requiring you to manage API keys directly.

Recommended WordPress Plugins for Google Reviews

WP Google Review Slider — One of the highest-rated options. Free version shows up to 5 reviews; Pro version (around AUD $75/year) shows unlimited, supports filtering, and adds schema markup automatically.
Google Reviews Widget by richplugins — Simple interface, reliable updates, used by over 100,000 sites. Free version is functional for basic display.
Site Reviews — This plugin manages its own review collection system but also imports from Google. Better choice if you want to manage all reviews in one place.
Widgets for Google Reviews by Trustindex — Multiple layout templates, schema markup support, and a straightforward free tier.

Installation Steps (WordPress)

In your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins → Add New.
Search for your chosen plugin name and click Install, then Activate.
Navigate to the plugin settings page. You will be prompted to connect your Google account or enter an API key (varies by plugin — most walk you through this with a wizard).
Select your business location from the dropdown once connected.
Configure display settings (layout, number of reviews, star filter).
Use the provided shortcode (e.g. [google-reviews]) or Gutenberg block to place the reviews anywhere on your site.

Method 4 — Wix, Squarespace, and Shopify (Platform-Specific Steps)

Embedding Reviews on Wix

Wix does not have native Google Reviews integration as of 2025. The recommended approach is:

Use Elfsight or a similar widget service to generate your embed code.
In the Wix Editor, click the blue (+) Add button → Embed → Custom Embeds → Embed a Widget.
Paste your widget's HTML/JavaScript code into the HTML iframe panel.
Resize the element to fit your layout.
Publish. Note: Wix loads embedded HTML in an iframe, which means the review text will not be crawlable by Google bots — a relevant SEO consideration discussed below.

Embedding Reviews on Squarespace

Edit the page where you want reviews to appear.
Click the (+) to add a new block and choose Code.
Paste your widget's embed code into the code block.
Toggle off the "Display Source" option.
Save and preview. Squarespace renders third-party scripts well, and the result is typically clean on both desktop and mobile.

Embedding Reviews on Shopify

In the Shopify Admin, go to Online Store → Themes → Customize.
Navigate to the page or section where you want reviews.
Add a Custom Liquid or Custom HTML section (available in most modern Shopify themes).
Paste your widget embed code into the custom section.
Save and preview. Alternatively, many review widget providers offer dedicated Shopify apps — Elfsight, for example, has a Shopify App Store listing that handles installation without touching theme code.

Method 5 — Manual Display with Review Schema Markup

For businesses that prefer full design control and do not want to rely on third-party scripts, a manual approach combined with proper schema markup is a legitimate option — particularly for testimonials you have collected directly (e.g. via email or Google, copied with permission).

When Manual Display Makes Sense

You want a specific visual style that widgets cannot replicate.
You have a handful of standout reviews worth featuring prominently.
You want the review text to be crawlable HTML (not inside an iframe), maximising SEO value.

How to Add Review Schema Markup

Schema markup tells Google what your review content means. The relevant schema types are Review and AggregateRating. Here is a minimal example of AggregateRating schema in JSON-LD format, which you add to the <head> of your page or in a script block:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "LocalBusiness",
  "name": "Your Business Name",
  "aggregateRating": {
    "@type": "AggregateRating",
    "ratingValue": "4.9",
    "reviewCount": "87"
  }
}
</script>

Critical rule: Only use AggregateRating schema if the ratings it references are accessible on the same page (i.e. the individual reviews are visible on that page). Google's structured data guidelines prohibit marking up ratings that a user cannot see without navigating elsewhere. Violating this can result in a rich result manual action penalty, which removes star ratings from your search listings.

Validate your schema using Google's Rich Results Test after implementation.

The SEO Truth About Embedded Reviews

Here is something most "how to embed reviews" articles skip entirely: the SEO impact of embedded reviews depends heavily on how they are embedded, and most business owners implement this in the way that offers the least SEO benefit.

iFrames and JavaScript-Rendered Content: Google Can (Mostly) Crawl Them

Google's crawler executes JavaScript, which means that content rendered by a widget script is technically crawlable. However, Google's own documentation notes that JavaScript rendering is resource-intensive and may be deprioritised for smaller sites. In practice, review text inside a third-party widget iframe is unlikely to contribute meaningfully to your page's keyword relevance.

What Does Help SEO

Review schema on your page: AggregateRating schema can unlock star rating rich results in Google Search, which increases click-through rate (CTR) significantly. Higher CTR is itself a positive ranking signal.
Fresh, crawlable review text: If you manually feature review excerpts as real HTML text on the page (not in an iframe), those words become part of your page's indexed content. Customer reviews often naturally contain long-tail keywords — service names, suburb names, specific outcomes — that reinforce your local relevance.
Trust signals and dwell time: Pages with social proof tend to have lower bounce rates and longer session durations, which are indirect positive signals.
Google Business Profile signals remain separate: Your Google reviews on Maps and Search are indexed independently of your website. Embedding them on your site does not increase their count or affect your GBP ranking directly — but the combination of a strong GBP and a website that reinforces trust creates a compounding effect.

For businesses serious about local SEO, pairing your review display strategy with structured on-page optimisation is essential. Our SEO retainer ($39.95 + GST/month) includes ongoing optimisation of exactly these elements.

Where to Place Reviews on Your Website for Maximum Conversion Impact

Location matters as much as method. Research on conversion rate optimisation (including studies from Baymard Institute and Nielsen Norman Group) consistently shows that review placement affects whether they are seen and trusted.

High-Impact Placement Zones

Homepage, above the fold or in the first scroll: First-time visitors form trust judgements within seconds. A prominent star rating display or a short featured review near the top of the homepage reassures visitors immediately.
Service or product pages: Place reviews relevant to a specific service on that service's page. A plumber's website should show plumbing reviews on the plumbing page, not just on the homepage.
Contact or booking page: This is where visitors are on the verge of converting. A review widget here reduces last-minute hesitation. Some businesses report 15–30% lift in form completions simply by adding reviews near the CTA.
Near pricing information: Price anchoring with social proof is a well-documented psychological principle. If you list your service rates, a cluster of 5-star reviews immediately adjacent provides the value justification.
Footer (aggregate rating only): A persistent star rating display in the footer ensures it appears on every page without consuming prime real estate.

What Not to Do

Do not bury your reviews widget at the bottom of a long page with no other entry point. Most visitors will not scroll far enough to see it.
Do not display only your most recent reviews if recent reviews happen to be lower-rated. Most widget tools let you filter by minimum star rating — use a 4+ star filter for display purposes.
Do not use an auto-playing carousel that moves too fast for visitors to read. Static grids or slow carousels (5+ seconds per slide) perform better.

A Note for Specific Business Types

The right approach varies by industry. Here is a quick reference for common Australian business categories:

Business Type	Recommended Display Method	Key Placement	Special Consideration
Tradies (plumbers, electricians, builders)	Widget carousel + manual featured review	Homepage hero + quote request page	Highlight specific job types mentioned in reviews
Restaurants & cafes	Widget grid (show food/ambience reviews)	Homepage + menu page	Filter for reviews mentioning specific dishes
Hair salons & beauty	Instagram-style grid widget or Elfsight carousel	Booking page	Use reviewer names/initials for authenticity
Healthcare & allied health	Manual featured quotes + AggregateRating schema	About page + appointment page	Avoid displaying reviews about specific medical outcomes — seek legal/AHPRA advice
Professional services (lawyers, accountants)	Manual featured quotes	About page + contact page	Check professional body guidelines on testimonials
E-commerce / retail	Product-level review schema + Shopify app	Product pages	Use product-specific schema, not just business schema

For example, APX Trade Group — licensed electricians in Sydney would benefit enormously from a reviews carousel placed on their quote request page, where the decision to contact is made. Sydney homeowners searching for a licensed electrician need trust signals at precisely that point in the journey.

Similarly, a hospitality business like a cafe or restaurant — or a food supplier such as ZenPacks Australia — eco-friendly food packaging serving the hospitality industry — benefits most from visually rich review displays that reflect real customer experiences with specific products or services.

How to Get More Google Reviews to Embed (The Real Problem)

Many Australian business owners arrive at this guide with a secondary problem: they want to embed Google reviews, but they only have a handful. A widget displaying three reviews does not inspire much confidence. Here is how to build your review count quickly and legitimately:

Create a short review link. Go to your Google Business Profile dashboard, click "Get more reviews", and copy the direct link. This takes customers directly to the review prompt — removing friction is the single biggest lever for increasing review volume.
Ask at the moment of highest satisfaction. For a tradie, this is immediately after a job well done. For a restaurant, it is when the bill arrives and the customer is still in a good mood. For a service business, it is the follow-up message sent 24 hours after a positive outcome.
Use SMS or WhatsApp, not email. Review request SMS messages have a 90%+ open rate versus 20–30% for email. A simple message — "Hi [Name], thanks for choosing us. If you had a great experience, we'd really appreciate a quick Google review: [link]" — converts well.
Do not offer incentives. Google's policies and the ACCC's guidelines on misleading conduct both prohibit incentivised reviews. Offering discounts or gifts for reviews is a compliance risk, not a growth strategy.
Respond to every review. Google's documentation confirms that responding to reviews signals active business engagement and can influence your local ranking. It also demonstrates to prospective customers that you care — which makes the reviews you eventually embed more believable.

Troubleshooting: Common Embedding Problems and Fixes

The Widget Is Not Showing on My Live Site

This is almost always a caching issue. If your website uses a caching plugin (like WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache, or Cloudflare) the cached version of your page may not include the new widget. Clear all caches, then hard-refresh the page (Ctrl+Shift+R on Windows, Cmd+Shift+R on Mac).

Reviews Are Not Updating

Most widget services update their data cache every 24–72 hours. New reviews will not appear instantly. If reviews have not updated after 72 hours, log into your widget provider dashboard and look for a manual "Refresh" or "Sync" button.

The Widget Breaks My Mobile Layout

Fixed-width widgets are the usual culprit. In your widget settings, ensure you are using a responsive layout option. If embedding via raw HTML/JavaScript, wrap the embed in a container with max-width: 100%; overflow: hidden; applied via your site's CSS. Do not use inline styles — add a class to a wrapper element and target it in your stylesheet.

My Google API Key Is Being Rejected

Check two things: (1) that billing is enabled on your Google Cloud project — the Places API will not function without an active billing account even if you stay within the free credit tier; and (2) that your API key restrictions (if you set domain restrictions) include both the www and non-www versions of your domain.

Google Rich Results Test Shows No Stars

If you have added AggregateRating schema but the Rich Results Test does not show a valid result, the most common cause is that the reviews referenced in the schema are not visible on the page. Ensure the individual review content is rendered in HTML on the same page as the schema — not hidden behind a tab, collapsed accordion, or in an iframe that Google cannot read.

FAQ: Australian Business Owners' Most Common Questions

Is it legal to display Google reviews on my website in Australia?

Yes, provided the reviews are genuine, unmodified, and you are displaying them in a way that complies with Google's Terms of Service (i.e. using official API-based tools). The ACCC's guidelines on testimonials and endorsements (part of the Australian Consumer Law) require that testimonials reflect genuine consumer experiences and are not misleading. Displaying authentic Google reviews verbatim is fully compliant. What is not compliant: fabricating reviews, cherry-picking only positive elements of mixed reviews while hiding the negative text, or presenting paid endorsements as organic reviews.

Will embedding reviews hurt my Google Business Profile ranking?

No — embedding reviews on your website does not negatively affect your GBP ranking. Your GBP ranking is determined by factors including relevance, distance, and prominence (which includes review count and quality on Google itself). Displaying those reviews on your website is a separate action that affects your website's credibility and conversion rate, not your Maps ranking directly.

Can I choose which reviews to show?

Yes. Every reputable widget service allows you to filter by minimum star rating. It is standard practice to show only 4- and 5-star reviews in your display widget. This is not deceptive — you are not hiding reviews from Google, just choosing which subset to feature on your own site. However, do not use schema markup to claim an aggregate rating higher than your actual Google average, and do not present filtered reviews in a way that implies they represent all your feedback.

Does embedding Google reviews help my website's SEO?

Indirectly, yes. The most direct benefit is through AggregateRating schema, which can produce star rating rich results in Google Search — these visually stand out in the SERP and typically improve click-through rates by 10–35% according to various case studies. The review text itself, if rendered in crawlable HTML (not inside an iframe), adds keyword-rich user-generated content to your page. The trust signals reviews provide also tend to reduce bounce rates and increase engagement, which are positive user behaviour signals.

What is the best free option for a small Australian business?

For most small businesses, Elfsight's free plan (200 widget views per month) is sufficient to test the approach. If you have more than 200 page views per month on the page where reviews are displayed — which most established businesses will — you will need to upgrade to a paid plan (approximately AUD $7–$14/month) or implement the Google Places API directly. The Places API with server-side caching is effectively free for most small business volumes.

My business has reviews on both Google and Facebook. Should I display both?

If you have strong reviews on multiple platforms, displaying both adds breadth of social proof. Elfsight, EmbedSocial, and Trustmary all support multi-source review display — pulling from Google, Facebook, and sometimes Yelp or TripAdvisor simultaneously. For most Australian service businesses, Google reviews carry the most weight because they appear prominently in local search results and Maps, making them the most recognisable trust signal. Facebook reviews are a useful secondary signal, particularly for businesses with an active Facebook following.

How many reviews do I need before it is worth embedding them?

There is no hard minimum, but displaying fewer than 5 reviews tends to look sparse and can have a negative effect if those reviews are mixed. As a practical guideline: aim for at least 10 reviews with an average above 4.2 stars before prominently featuring a review widget. In the meantime, use a manual approach — feature one or two standout reviews as styled quotes on your homepage, without a full widget display. Once you have 20+ reviews and a consistent 4.5+ average, a full carousel or grid widget becomes a powerful asset.

Can I embed reviews on a website that was not built by me?

Yes, with the right access. You need either: (a) access to your website's admin backend to install a plugin or paste embed code, or (b) your web developer to implement it for you. If your current web developer charges significantly for a task this simple, it may be worth considering whether your website setup is serving your business efficiently. For businesses looking at a fresh start, websites for restaurants and takeaways and websites for tradies and contractors built through Weauto come with review display capability built into the standard package.

The Hidden Cost of Getting This Wrong

Here is the original insight that most embedding guides skip: the real cost of not displaying reviews on your website is not measured in dollars spent, it is measured in conversions lost.

Consider a local plumber who receives 80 website visits per month from Google Search. Industry-average conversion rate for a service business without visible social proof: approximately 1.5–2%. With a prominent reviews display featuring a 4.8-star average from 60+ reviews: conversion rates in the 4–6% range are commonly reported. At 80 visits per month, the difference between 2% and 5% conversion is 2.4 additional enquiries per month. At an average job value of $350, that is $840 per month — or over $10,000 per year — left on the table because of a missing widget.

This is not a hypothetical. It is the compounding effect of trust signals at scale, and it is why this is worth taking seriously rather than deferring.

The implementation itself is straightforward — the steps in this guide are achievable in an afternoon. The ongoing cost is minimal. The ongoing return, for a business with strong Google reviews, is significant.

If your website is not yet set up to take advantage of these conversions, or if you are still relying on a social media page instead of a professional site, the weauto homepage explains how to get a professionally built, conversion-ready Australian business website for $99 + GST, live in 5 business days — including the infrastructure to display your Google reviews properly from day one.