How to Embed Google Reviews in WordPress (Free + Pro Ways) 

Most people won’t just take your word for it. They want proof, especially if they’re about to book a service or make a purchase.

That’s why I always add Google reviews to the WordPress sites I build. It’s one of the easiest ways to build trust, highlight happy customers, and show that your business is the real deal.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through how to embed Google reviews in WordPress, plus how to include Yelp reviews if you need them. I’ll cover the free no-plugin route and the exact tools I use myself, like SeedProd and Smash Balloon, so you can do it quickly without touching code.

Why Embed Google & Yelp Reviews in WordPress?

Showing reviews on your site closes the gap between “interested” and “booked.” About 92% of consumers hesitate to buy without reviews, according to SQ Magazine.

Recency matters as much as volume. In research from BrightLocal, about 73% of consumers say reviews need to be from the last month to influence their choice of a local business.

A live Google review feed pulls in your newest reviews automatically, so visitors always see current feedback. That keeps your social proof fresh without you copying and pasting anything.

Reviews can also help your search visibility. They add fresh content and trust signals, which can improve engagement and your chances of star ratings in search results.

Should You Use a Static Testimonial or an Embedded Google Review Feed?

Use an embedded Google review feed if you want fresh, verifiable proof; use a static testimonial only when you need a specific quote in a specific spot.

A static testimonial is text you type out yourself, so visitors have to take your word that it’s real.

An embedded feed pulls live reviews straight from Google or Yelp, complete with the reviewer’s name and star rating. That’s harder to fake, so it carries more weight with someone deciding whether to trust you.

How to Embed Google Reviews for Free (No Plugin)

The free no-plugin route is to grab embed code from a free Google reviews widget and paste it into a WordPress Custom HTML block. It takes a few minutes and works in any editor, including Gutenberg and the Classic editor.

Here’s how it works in practice. You connect a free review-widget service to your Google Business Profile, copy the snippet it generates, then add a Custom HTML block to your page and paste the snippet in.

One thing to know is, most free widgets don’t need a Google API key, because the widget service handles that connection for you.

The tradeoff is control. You get a clean block of reviews, but styling options are limited, and the feed depends on that third-party service staying online. If the free plan changes, your embedded reviews can stop updating.

So how do you choose? Pick the free widget if you just want a few reviews shown and don’t mind limited styling. Pick SeedProd or Smash Balloon if you want reviews that auto-sync, match your branding, and sit inside a full page you control.

For more control and auto-syncing, here’s the method I use myself.

How to Embed Google Reviews in WordPress Using SeedProd

The fastest way I’ve found to show Google reviews on a real page is SeedProd, a drag-and-drop WordPress website builder used by over 1 million people. Its Business Reviews block pulls live Google and Yelp reviews onto any page, styled to match your site, with no code.

SeedProd also comes with pre-made landing page templates, a WordPress theme builder, user access controls, a subscriber management dashboard, email marketing integrations, and custom domain mapping.

Follow the steps below to add Google reviews and Yelp ratings to your WordPress site.

Step 1. Install and Activate SeedProd

The Business Reviews block is available in all paid SeedProd plans, from Basic up, not just Pro. So pick whichever license fits your site. For this guide I’ll use SeedProd Pro, but the review steps are the same on every paid plan.

Visit the SeedProd pricing page and choose your license. Once you’ve downloaded the plugin, install and activate it on your WordPress site. You can follow this tutorial on how to install SeedProd if you’ve never done it before.

Next, go to SeedProd » Settings from your WordPress dashboard and paste your license key into the empty field.

Click the Verify Key button to continue.

On the same page, you can save time by entering your Google Places API Key and Yelp API Key. You’ll use these to display your reviews later in this tutorial.

Click the Save Changes button to keep your settings.

If you don’t have those keys yet, here’s the quick version. Create a project in the Google Cloud Console, enable the Places API, then generate an API key under APIs & Services » Credentials.

You’ll also need your Place ID, which you can look up with Google’s Place ID Finder by searching your business name. Google requires billing to be enabled on the project, though the free monthly usage covers a typical reviews feed.

Step 2. Choose a WordPress Template

Next, decide how to use SeedProd on your site. All plans let you create landing pages, the Pro plan lets you create custom WordPress themes without code, and Elite adds WooCommerce support for eCommerce sites.

I’ll use the Theme Builder method here because it lets you add reviews to any part of your site. Note that it replaces your current WordPress theme, so if you’d rather keep your theme, create a landing page instead.

Both methods let you embed business reviews with the same drag-and-drop builder, no code or HTML required.

To build a new theme, go to SeedProd » Theme Builder and click the Theme Template Kits button to pick a website kit from the library.

To choose a template, hover over its thumbnail and click the orange checkmark icon.

SeedProd then displays the templates that make up your theme. You can customize any of them by clicking the Edit Design link.

It also imports content pages from the template demo, such as About, Contact, and Testimonials pages. You’ll find them under Pages » All Pages in your dashboard.

I’ll customize the Testimonials page since the kit I’m using includes one. Click the Edit with SeedProd link to open it.

Step 3. Customize Your Page to Embed Google and Yelp Reviews

When your page opens, you’ll see the builder interface: a live preview on the right, with blocks and settings on the left.

Click any element to open its settings panel. For example, clicking the Headline opens a panel where you can change the text, alignment, font size, and heading level.

You can also click individual sections to change background colors, spacing, and styling.

The current template shows reviews using Star Rating and Text blocks. Since we’re using the Business Reviews block instead, delete that section.

To remove blocks and sections, hover over them until they show a colored outline, then click the trashcan icon.

After that, choose a column layout to house your business reviews.

Step 4. Add the Block to Embed Google Reviews in WordPress

Now add the Business Reviews block to your page. Find it in the left-hand panel and drag it onto your preview.

With this block, you can embed Google and Yelp reviews in one feed, or display them separately by adding the block more than once.

Embed Google and Yelp Reviews in One Feed (No Code Needed)

To pull in your reviews, choose your review source in the block settings. You can select Google, Yelp, or both for a combined feed.

If you didn’t add your API keys back in Step 1, you can paste them here in the block settings.

Next, enter your Google and Yelp business IDs so the block knows which reviews to pull.

From there, choose a grid or carousel layout and set the number of reviews to display. Google allows a maximum of 5 reviews, and the combined total from Google and Yelp can’t exceed 8.

You can also use the filters to control which reviews appear and what reviewer details show.

How to Embed Google Reviews Widget in WordPress

To show Google reviews on their own, set the review source to Google only. The block then displays a clean Google reviews widget.

To do the same for Yelp, add a second Business Reviews block and set its source to Yelp.

You can customize the colors, fonts, and spacing of either feed so it matches the rest of your site.

When you’re happy with how it looks, click Save in the top-right corner.

One thing reviews do well on a landing page is sit right next to the action you want. When I build a services page, I put the review feed beside the pricing or contact button, so the proof and the booking decision live in the same place.

SeedProd is handy here because it builds the page and shows the reviews in one tool. You can read more on this in our guide to landing page best practices.

Step 5. Publish Your Changes in WordPress

The last step is to make your reviews live. For a custom theme, go to SeedProd » Theme Builder and switch the Enable SeedProd Theme toggle to “Yes.”

If you built a landing page instead, open it in the builder, click the Save button’s drop-down arrow, and select Publish.

Now visit your page to see your Google reviews live on the site.

Where to Put Your Reviews on Your Site

Knowing how to embed reviews is half the job; where you place them decides whether they actually move people to act. Here are the spots I reach for first:

• Near pricing or checkout: Reviews beside the price or booking button answer the “is this worth it?” doubt at the exact moment it shows up.
• On your homepage: A short review feed high on the homepage gives first-time visitors fast proof before they go looking for it.
• On a dedicated reviews page: A full reviews or testimonials page gives you a link to send to anyone on the fence, and it’s easy to point your About page at it too.

Why Aren’t My Google Reviews Showing Up?

If you’ve added the block and no reviews appear, the cause is usually one of a few common things. Run through these checks:

• Wrong Place ID: If the Place ID doesn’t match your business, Google returns nothing. Look it up again with Google’s Place ID Finder and paste the exact value.
• Places API not enabled: The API key works only if the Places API is switched on for that project in the Google Cloud Console.
• Billing not enabled: Google requires billing on the Cloud project before it serves review data, even though typical usage stays inside the free monthly allowance.
• Fewer reviews than requested: If you ask for 5 reviews but the profile only has 2, you’ll only see 2. Lower the count or gather more reviews first.

Alternative Way to Embed Google Reviews in WordPress (Smash Balloon)

Another solid way to embed customer reviews on your WordPress site is with Smash Balloon.

Smash Balloon is a WordPress social media feed suite. It offers several plugins for adding social feeds to your site quickly.

With its Reviews Feed feature, you can add reviews from several platforms, including:

• Yelp reviews
• Google My Business
• TripAdvisor reviews
• Facebook reviews

Your reviews automatically match the design and branding of your site, so they fit in without extra work. You can also pick from various feed templates with a single click.

Smash Balloon is my go-to when I want something more flexible for social and review feeds across multiple platforms. For a full walkthrough, see their guide on how to embed Google reviews in WordPress.

Responding to Negative Reviews: 6 Tips

Embedding reviews means the occasional critical one will show up too, and that’s fine. How you respond often matters more to a watching customer than the complaint itself. Here are six tips I keep in mind:

1. Respond quickly: A fast reply shows you’re paying attention and care about the customer’s experience.
2. Stay calm and professional: Don’t take it personally. A measured reply reads far better to everyone else scrolling through.
3. Apologize and own it: If something went wrong, acknowledge it honestly instead of getting defensive.
4. Take it offline: Offer a phone number or email so you can sort the details out privately.
5. Offer a real fix: A refund, a redo, or a clear next step shows you stand behind your work.
6. Learn from it: Patterns in your reviews point straight at what to improve next.

FAQs About Embedding Google Reviews in WordPress

How do I embed Google reviews in WordPress for free without a plugin?

Sign up for a free Google reviews widget service, connect it to your Google Business Profile, and copy the embed code it gives you. Then add a Custom HTML block to your page and paste the code in.

This works without a Google API key because the widget service handles that connection. The tradeoff is limited styling and no guarantee the feed keeps updating if the free plan changes.

How many Google reviews can I display at once?

Google’s API returns a maximum of 5 reviews at a time. In SeedProd’s Business Reviews block, the combined total from Google and Yelp can’t go above 8.

Why are my Google reviews not showing up after I add the block?

The usual causes are a wrong Place ID, the Places API not being enabled on your Google Cloud project, or billing not being turned on for that project.

It can also be that your profile has fewer reviews than the number you asked the block to display. Double-check those four things and the feed should appear.

Do embedded Google reviews update automatically when I get new ones?

With a live feed like SeedProd’s Business Reviews block or Smash Balloon, yes. New reviews from your Google Business Profile appear automatically, usually after a short cache refresh.

A static testimonial you type out by hand won’t update, which is the main reason I prefer a live feed.

That’s everything you need to know to embed Google reviews in WordPress. It might seem like a small thing, but showing real feedback from happy customers can make a big difference in how people see your business.

I use SeedProd on my own sites because it gives me full control over how those reviews show up. And when I want something more flexible for social feeds, Smash Balloon is my go-to.

If you’ve been holding off on adding reviews to your site, pick one page to start with, follow the steps above, and see how it feels with real reviews front and center.

Get Started With SeedProd Today

Want the fastest way to add Google reviews to your WordPress site? Try SeedProd today and make your pages work harder for you.

Before you go, you might also like this guide on how to make a FAQ page in WordPress to combat buyer hesitation.

Thanks for reading! We’d love to hear your thoughts, so please feel free to join the conversation on YouTube, X and Facebook for more helpful advice and content to grow your business.