These are three different jobs
People say "feedback code" and mean one of three quite different things. Picking the wrong one is why so many of these codes get printed and then ignored.
| Code | Good for | Bad for |
|---|---|---|
| Google review | Public proof that helps you get found | Anything you want kept private |
| A form | Structured answers you can count | Getting a high response rate |
| Complaints and detail, in a repliable thread | Volume, and anonymity |
A Google review is public and helps future customers find you. A form gives you data you can act on but almost nobody fills one in without a reason. An email is the most personal, gets the fewest responses, and is the only one where an unhappy customer feels genuinely heard, because a person replies.
If you only print one: for most small businesses it is the Google review code, because it is the only one of the three that brings new customers rather than just informing you. The other two improve the business. That one grows it.
Finding your Google Place ID
A Place ID is Google's permanent identifier for your business listing. Using it means the code opens the write a review box directly rather than dropping someone on your listing to hunt for the button.
- Open Google's Place ID Finder.
- Search for your business name and address.
- Click the result. The Place ID appears in a small box, starting with
ChIJ. - Copy it and paste it above.
If you already have a short review link from your Google Business Profile, paste that in the second box instead and we will use it as it is. Both work. The Place ID route is more reliable because short links have changed format before.
What Google does not allow
This is the part that gets businesses in trouble, and it is worth reading before you print anything.
- No incentives. Offering a discount, a free coffee or an entry into a draw in exchange for a review is against Google's policy. Reviews obtained that way can be removed and the listing can be penalised.
- No asking for five stars. Soliciting a specific rating is prohibited. "Leave us a review" is fine. "Leave us a 5 star review" is not.
- No filtering by sentiment. Screening people so that only the happy ones reach the review form is called review gating and it breaches the policy.
The safe wording next to the code is plain: "Scan to leave a review" or "Tell us how we did". Our guide to review codes goes through the placement and wording in more detail.
The two code approach, and why we do not recommend it
A common suggestion is to print two codes: a happy face going to Google and a sad face going to a private form. It sounds thoughtful and it is exactly the gating Google prohibits, because it routes negative feedback away from the public review.
If you want both public reviews and private complaints, the honest version is to ask everyone for a review and, separately, make it easy to reach you. Put the review code at the till and your contact details on the receipt. Both available to everyone, no sorting at the door.
When to ask
Timing beats wording. Nobody leaves a review because the sign was well designed. They leave one because they were asked at a moment when they felt good and had thirty seconds spare.
- At the counter, after payment. The service is finished and they are standing still. This is the best moment in most businesses.
- On the receipt, which goes home with them. Lower response rate, but it reaches people who were in a hurry.
- In the delivery box or with the finished work. For anything where the good moment happens after they have left.
- Not while they are waiting. A code on a waiting room wall asks for a review before the service has happened, which produces nothing.
Print the code at 4 to 5 cm at a counter, and pair it with one sentence saying what it does. A bare code gets scanned far less, because people avoid scanning things when they cannot predict where they will land.
Common questions
Does the customer need a Google account?
To leave a Google review, yes. Most people on Android are signed in already, and many iPhone users are too. If a meaningful part of your customers will not have one, the form or email options avoid that barrier entirely.
Can I collect feedback anonymously?
A form can be anonymous if you build it that way. Email cannot, because their address comes with it. Google reviews are public and carry a name. Choose based on how candid you want people to feel.
Why does my email code look denser than the others?
Because it carries the address, the subject and the message, and the subject and body are percent encoded, which inflates them. Shorten the opening line, or drop it. The review and form codes are usually much sparser because they are a single link. You can compare them with our stress test.
Can I change where it points after printing?
Not on a static code, which is what this makes. If your form URL may change, point the code at a short page on your own site and redirect from there. Our static and dynamic guide covers when that is worth the effort.
Nobody is scanning it. What is wrong?
Usually placement and wording rather than the code. Check that it is at eye level at the moment the service ends, that it says what it does, and that it is large enough for the distance. If you suspect the code itself, our scan limits test found that focus, not size, breaks most real scans.
Related tools
Taking bookings as well? The booking code generator handles online, text and WhatsApp bookings, and the appointment code generator confirms a slot with a calendar reminder. A venue usually wants a WiFi code too, and our cafe and restaurant guide sets out which codes belong where.