How to Add Google Reviews to WordPress

Google does not give WordPress a native reviews block. You add Google reviews by connecting your Google Business Profile in a tool like ReviewsJet, then dropping a plugin shortcode on the page. Skip a Custom HTML script tag. Themes and security plugins often strip it, so the widget never appears.

Key takeaways

• Google has no native WordPress reviews embed. You need a plugin shortcode or a hosted widget.
• Install ReviewsJet from Plugins → Add New, then paste a shortcode such as [rj_slider]. Do not put a script tag in a Custom HTML block.
• Connect your Google Business Profile or Maps URL in ReviewsJet and publish the reviews you want on the site.
• Free includes unlimited widgets and 5 published reviews from one source. Advanced ($19.99/month) adds automatic daily sync.
• Slider, marquee, masonry, grid, list, and popup all work on WordPress. Popup uses a footer script instead of a shortcode.

Why doesn't Google let you paste reviews into WordPress?

Google keeps Business Profile reviews on Google. There is no official “copy this widget into WordPress” button, and a Maps embed only shows a map, not a review wall you control. WordPress also has no built-in Google reviews block. That is why every working setup uses a plugin, a hosted widget, or the Places API.

A screenshot of a five-star Google listing does not update when the next review lands. Hand-typing quotes into a testimonial block also goes stale. A live widget pulls the reviews you publish and keeps the layout on your homepage, service pages, or footer.

If you want the same reviews on a site that is not WordPress, the same ReviewsJet account can display Google reviews on any website. WordPress is the one platform where the install path is a shortcode, not a script tag.

What is the fastest way to add Google reviews to WordPress?

The fastest reliable path is a dedicated plugin plus a shortcode. Connect Google once, pick a layout, paste the shortcode, and update the page. You do not create a Google Cloud project or a Places API key. ReviewsJet fetches the listing from the public Google Business Profile or Maps URL you paste in.

Other methods exist. They cost more time or they fail quietly.

• ReviewsJet plugin and shortcode: no Places API key, layouts you already chose in the dashboard, works in Gutenberg, Classic, Elementor, and widget areas.
• Directory plugins that talk to the Places API: you manage a Google Cloud key, billing, and quotas.
• Custom HTML embed from a widget builder: many WordPress themes and security plugins strip script tags, so the page looks empty.
• Manual Quote or testimonial blocks: fine for one quote, useless when you want new Google reviews to show up later.

Create a free account at app.reviewsjet.com, connect Google as your source, then follow the plugin steps below. Free lets you publish 5 reviews from 1 source and still create unlimited widgets.

How do you connect Google reviews in ReviewsJet?

Open ReviewsJet, add Google as a connected source, and paste your Google Business Profile or Maps URL. ReviewsJet fetches the reviews server-side. You then choose which reviews to publish. Only published reviews appear in the WordPress widget.

1. Sign in at app.reviewsjet.com.
2. Add a Google source and paste the listing URL (a Maps link with a cid, or your public Business Profile URL).
3. Wait for the import to finish, then publish the reviews you want on the site.
4. Open Display, pick a widget type, and copy the WordPress shortcode from Get the code.

On Free you get 1 review source, so Google can be that source. Professional ($7.99/month) raises the cap to 2 sources and 150 published reviews. Advanced ($19.99/month) is the recommended plan: 1,000 published reviews, unlimited sources, auto-publish by rating, and automatic daily sync. See pricing for the current limits. New paid workspaces get a 14-day trial.

You cannot reply to imported Google reviews from ReviewsJet. Replies to Google reviews still happen in Google’s own dashboard. Replies in ReviewsJet work for reviews collected on a ReviewsJet form or typed in by hand.

How do you install the ReviewsJet WordPress plugin?

Install “ReviewsJet” from Plugins → Add New, activate it, then paste the shortcode from Get the code. That is the whole WordPress-specific step. The plugin exists because a script tag in a Custom HTML block is stripped by a great many themes and security plugins, and the widget then renders nothing.

1. In WordPress admin, go to Plugins → Add New.
2. Search for ReviewsJet and install it. You can also get it from wordpress.org/plugins/reviewsjet.
3. Open Plugins → Installed Plugins and click Activate.
4. Copy the shortcode from Get the code on the Display page in ReviewsJet.
5. Paste it into a page, post, or widget area, then update.

The code never changes. Reviews you publish later appear automatically, with nothing to reinstall.

How do you add the Google reviews shortcode?

Paste the shortcode from Get the code into a Shortcode block, a page builder shortcode widget, or any widget area that accepts shortcodes. Gutenberg, Classic Editor, and Elementor all accept it. After you update the page, view the live site (not only the editor canvas) to confirm the reviews render.

Example slider shortcode shape:

[rj_slider id="YOUR_ID" count="3"]

Other layouts use [rj_marquee], [rj_masonry], [rj_grid], and [rj_list]. The id is your workspace embed id. count is how many reviews that embed asks for by default. If you later filter a widget by tags in ReviewsJet, Get the code includes a widget attribute. Copy it again rather than editing the shortcode by hand.

For a site-wide strip, put the shortcode in a footer or header widget area, or in a theme template part. For a dedicated reviews page, a masonry or grid shortcode with a higher count reads better than a three-card slider.

The popup is the exception. The plugin registers no popup shortcode. Paste the popup script before the closing body tag (Appearance → Theme File Editor, or a headers-and-footers plugin), then save. The floating tab then shows on every page without taking layout space.

Should you use a plugin shortcode or a Custom HTML block?

Use the plugin shortcode for slider, marquee, masonry, grid, and list. Use a footer script only for the popup. Do not paste the embedded widget script into a Custom HTML block and hope WordPress leaves it alone.

• Shortcode via the ReviewsJet plugin: the supported WordPress path. Themes do not strip it the way they strip script tags.
• Custom HTML with a script tag: fails silently on many hosts. The block saves, the front end stays blank.
• Places API in your theme: full control, plus Google Cloud billing, caching, and a five-review API cap unless you build around it.
• Static testimonial blocks: no sync, no source badge, easy to forget.

If a page still looks empty after you paste a shortcode, confirm the plugin is activated and that you used the shortcode from Get the code, not an HTML snippet meant for Webflow or Squarespace.

Which review widget layout works best on WordPress?

Pick the layout for the page, not the other way around. A homepage usually wants a compact slider or marquee. A reviews page wants masonry, grid, or list. Widgets are unlimited on every ReviewsJet plan, including Free, so you can put a slider on the home page and a masonry wall on /reviews without paying for extra embeds.

• Slider: a few reviews at a time, on rotation. Best where space is tight.
• Marquee: a continuous ticker. Works as a full-width band between sections.
• Masonry: a wall of love. Long and short reviews sit together. Good for a dedicated reviews page.
• Grid: equal cards. Predictable when reviews are a similar length.
• List: one column, newest first. Reads well on phones.
• Popup: a floating tab. Use the footer script, not a shortcode.

Paid plans can fully customise widgets and remove ReviewsJet branding. Advanced can customise widget wording and add structured data. Google still does not treat your own Business Profile reviews as a guaranteed star snippet on your domain. Do not install a widget only to chase stars in search.

For WordPress-focused pricing context, see affordable review management with ReviewsJet for WordPress.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a Google Places API key?

No. ReviewsJet connects Google with your public Business Profile or Maps URL and fetches reviews on the server. You do not create a Google Cloud project or paste an API key into WordPress.

Can I add Google reviews to WordPress without a plugin?

You can paste a hosted HTML embed into a Custom HTML block, but many themes and security plugins strip the script, so the widget never shows. The ReviewsJet plugin plus a shortcode is the path that actually survives typical WordPress setups. The popup still needs a footer script.

How many Google reviews can I show on the Free plan?

Free publishes 5 reviews at a time, from 1 source, with 50 review request emails a month and 1 collection form. Widgets stay unlimited. Professional publishes 150 reviews from 2 sources. Advanced publishes 1,000 from unlimited sources.

Will Google reviews on my WordPress site create star ratings in search?

Showing real Google reviews on your site builds trust for visitors. Google’s own review-snippet rules make self-serving LocalBusiness markup a poor bet for stars under your homepage. Advanced includes structured data, but it is not a promise that star rich results will appear.

Can I show Google and Yelp reviews in the same WordPress widget?

Yes, once the plan allows more than one source. Free is 1 source. Professional is 2. Advanced is unlimited. Connect each source, publish the reviews, and the same widget can include them. You still install WordPress the same way: one shortcode.

Does this work with Elementor and the block editor?

Yes. Paste the shortcode into a Shortcode block, an Elementor shortcode widget, or any area that accepts shortcodes. View the published page to confirm. Some builders do not render third-party shortcodes in the canvas.

Google already collected the reviews. WordPress only needs a plugin that will not get stripped, and a shortcode on the page where people decide to call or buy. Connect your listing in ReviewsJet, install the plugin, paste the shortcode, and publish.