How to Program an NFC Tag With Your Google Review Link

To program an NFC tag with your Google review link, copy the link from your Google Business Profile, open a free NFC writing app such as NFC Tools, add a URL record, paste the link and hold the blank tag against your phone until the app confirms the write. The whole job takes about a minute per tag once you have the right link and a compatible chip.

You need four things: your review link, a blank writable NFC tag, a phone with NFC, and a writing app. Nothing else is required, and no account or subscription is involved in writing a tag yourself.

An NTAG213 is enough. A Google review link is a short web address, and the NDEF record that carries it is far smaller than the 144 bytes of user memory on an NTAG213. You only need the larger NTAG215 or NTAG216 if you plan to store several records on one tag, such as a review link plus a contact card.

NXP states that all three are NFC Forum Type 2 tags with an operating distance of up to 100 mm depending on the antenna and field strength, 10 years of data retention and 100,000 write cycles. In practice a phone has to be within a few centimeters, and the smaller the antenna in the tag, the closer the phone needs to be. Look for round or square tags of at least 25 mm if customers will be tapping them unassisted.

Copy the link from your Business Profile and test it in a private browser window first. The short g.page/r/…/review link Google hands out and the longer search.google.com/local/writereview?placeid=… link both open the same review form, and both fit on an NTAG213. Google's own help page confirms that asking customers to visit a link or scan a QR code is a permitted way to request reviews; offering anything in return is not.

Use the direct link, not a link shortener you do not control. If a third-party shortener changes its terms or shuts down, every tag you have written goes dead, and you will have to rewrite or replace them all.

The way Android handles web links on tags has recently changed. According to Google's Android developer documentation, from Android 16 a tag containing an http or https link triggers a standard view intent, and from Android 17 the phone shows an "open link" notification that the user has to tap. Either way the customer ends up on your review form without installing anything.

Reading is a separate question from writing. Apple's documentation states that iPhone XS and later support background tag reading, which means the phone scans tags whenever it is in use and shows a notification banner with no app open. Apple's support guide lists iPhone 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus and X as models that can read tags only through the NFC Tag Reader control in Control Center. Keep this in mind when you test: an older iPhone that does nothing on a tap is not proof that your tag is faulty.

Lock it only once you have tested it and are sure the link will not change. Locking sets the tag to read-only permanently; there is no undo. For a tag stuck to a counter in a public place that is a reasonable precaution, because anyone with a phone could otherwise overwrite it with their own link. For a tag you keep behind the counter or hand to staff, leaving it unlocked lets you rewrite it if your profile ever changes.

NTAG chips also offer 32-bit password protection as an alternative to a permanent lock. Some writing apps expose this as a "set password" or "protect" option. It stops casual overwriting while still letting you update the tag later, but you must keep the password somewhere safe, because losing it leaves the tag effectively locked.

Programming your own tags makes sense for one or two counters. It becomes a chore when you need tags for several locations, want them in a durable card or stand rather than a bare sticker, or want a printed QR code on the same item for customers whose phones do not read NFC.

A Google Review Card arrives with the NFC chip already written with your review link and an optional printed QR code as the fallback, for a one-off price with no subscription and tracked delivery. The same link also goes on counter stands, wall plaques, window stickers, keychains and wristbands, which our stand vs plaque vs sticker comparison walks through. If you do order one, our tap tag setup guide explains how to test it when it arrives, and our comparison of NFC and QR review cards explains why having both on one item is useful.

Whichever route you take, the rules are the same as for any review link. Ask every customer the same way, never attach a discount or gift to the tap, and let the customer choose their own rating. Our Google review policy guide and the rest of the review links and QR codes hub cover the details.