All articles

How Do I Make an NFC Card for Google Reviews?

Make an NFC card for Google reviews: copy your review link in Business Profile, write it to a blank tag with NFC Tools, test it, then lock it.

Nookesh Karri

· 6 min read

Dark cover card with the title 'How Do I Make an NFC Card for Google Reviews?' in white and an accent bar

To make an NFC card for Google reviews, copy your review link from Google Business Profile on a computer, write it to a blank NFC card as a URL record with an app such as NFC Tools, and test it on two phones. Once it opens the review form every time, lock or password-protect the card so nobody can rewrite it. Print the matching QR code on the card for phones without NFC.

What you need before you start

You need four things:

  • Access to the Google Business Profile for the business, on a computer.
  • A blank NFC card or sticker. NTAG213 is the usual chip. It has 144 bytes of user memory and fits a URL of around 130 characters, according to WakDev’s NTAG213 reference.
  • NFC on your phone and a writer app. These steps use NFC Tools, which runs on Android and iPhone.
  • A second phone for testing, ideally the other platform.

If you’re unsure which chip to order, our comparison of NTAG213, NTAG215 and NTAG216 covers the differences. For a review link, the smallest one is plenty.

Google gives you the review link from the Business Profile on a desktop browser. Google’s help page on review links lists the path:

  1. On a computer, go to your Business Profile.
  2. Select Read Reviews, then Get more reviews.
  3. Select Copy to copy the review link. To save the QR code too, right-click it and choose Save image as….

Do this on a laptop. Google says review QR codes “can only be generated on a computer browser, not on mobile devices.” If you run several locations, copy each link from that location’s own profile so every card opens the right listing.

Writing the review link to the card takes about a minute in NFC Tools. These are WakDev’s steps for writing a URL:

  1. Open NFC Tools and go to Write.
  2. Tap Add a record, then choose URL / URI.
  3. Paste the review link and tap Validate.
  4. Tap Write / X Bytes.
  5. Hold the card against the phone until writing completes. On iPhone, that’s the top edge.

Write one URL record and nothing else. Apple’s background tag reading talk says “only the first discovered URL record in the NDEF message will be processed,” so extra records only add room for mistakes. Our full guide to writing a URL to an NFC tag covers the same steps in more detail.

Step 3: Test the NFC card on iPhone and Android

Test the card on a phone you didn’t write it with. A tap should open the Google review form, not just your Maps listing.

On iPhone XS, XR and later, the phone reads URL tags in the background whenever the screen is on. A banner from Notification Center appears; tap it to open the link. Apple lists when reading pauses: “a Core NFC reader session is in progress, Wallet or Apple Pay are in use, cameras are in use, or the device is in Airplane Mode.” So if a customer has the camera open, the tap does nothing.

On Android, NFC has to be switched on in settings. Some customers will have it off, which is why the QR code matters. Our post on whether NFC business cards work with iPhone goes deeper on older models.

Step 4: Lock or password-protect the card

Lock the card only after it passes testing. A card on a counter can be rewritten by anyone with a writer app, and an unlocked review card could be pointed somewhere else.

WakDev says NTAG213 lock bytes make the memory read-only “in an irreversible way.” The softer option is the chip’s reversible 32-bit password, which blocks rewriting but lets you change the link later. The chip is rated for 100,000 write cycles, so rewriting a password-protected card is no problem.

My take: use the password, not the permanent lock. Review links rarely change, but if you merge locations or rebuild a profile, a locked card becomes plastic.

What Google allows when you ask for reviews

Google allows you to ask every customer for a review with a link or QR code, but it bans incentives and cherry-picking. Its review help page says “to leave reviews, you can ask customers to visit a Google link or scan a QR code.”

The Maps content policy is stricter. Merchants may not:

  • Offer incentives “such as payment, discounts, free goods and/or services - in exchange for posting any review.”
  • Discourage negative reviews, or “selectively solicit positive reviews from customers.”
  • Ask staff “to solicit a certain number of reviews” or reviews “that include specific content.”

One popular guide from Wiremo suggests a free dessert, 10% off or a $5 gift card for a review. Under Google’s rules, that is exactly what you can’t do. It also means the card can’t be kept under the counter for happy customers only. Put it where everyone sees it.

Where to put the card

The NFC card works best where customers already pause. Google itself suggests receipts, thank-you emails, the end of chats, or an in-store display for the link and QR code.

A counter stand next to the payment terminal is the classic spot. A table sticker works in cafes, and a wallet-size card suits trades who finish jobs at the customer’s home.

One limitation: the customer needs a Google Account to post, as Google’s help page notes. Some will tap, see a sign-in screen and give up. The card removes the search step, but it can’t remove that one.

If you also hand out a QRCard digital business card, you can add the review link as one of its links (up to 2 on Free, 20 on Pro). QRCard doesn’t sell NFC hardware, though; you write the tag yourself, as in making an NFC business card at home.

FAQ

Google’s help page says review QR codes can only be generated in a computer browser, not on mobile. Use a laptop to open your Business Profile, select Read Reviews, then Get more reviews, and copy the link.

Which NFC tag should I buy for a Google review card?

An NTAG213 card or sticker is enough. It has 144 bytes of user memory, room for a URL of around 130 characters, and a Google review link is far shorter than that.

Can I give customers a discount for leaving a Google review?

No. Google’s policy bans offering incentives such as payment, discounts or free goods in exchange for posting any review, positive or not.

Do customers need an app to use a Google review NFC card?

No. Android phones with NFC switched on and iPhone XS, XR and later read a URL tag in the background while the screen is on. The person does need a Google Account to post the review.

Sources