How to add Google reviews to WordPress with Glowing Reviews.

Installation

1. Free: in WordPress admin, open Plugins, Add New, search "iWEBAPP Google Reviews Widget," install, then activate.
2. Pro: open Plugins, Add New, Upload Plugin, choose the Pro ZIP, and activate. Upgrading keeps your imported reviews and settings because the data lives in your database.
3. Open the iWEBAPP Reviews menu item in the admin sidebar.
4. Pro only: open the License tab, paste your key, and click Activate license to unlock Pro features and updates.

1. Import tab (Import/Export in Pro)

Option A: import public Google reviews by URL

1. Paste a Google Maps place URL, a Business Profile URL, or a short link. Short maps.app.goo.gl, goo.gl, and g.page links are expanded automatically.
2. Check the authorization box confirming you own or are authorized to manage the profile. The button stays disabled until this is checked.
3. Click Save URL and pull reviews. The saved URL is stored encrypted.
4. Use Pull latest reviews any time to re-import. Your show/hide and position choices are preserved.
5. If Google withholds review text, paste a business webpage that publicly displays its reviews; the importer can read schema.org review markup and embedded review widgets.
6. Remove saved URL lets you switch profiles, with a choice to keep reviews (merge on next import) or delete them.

Option B: import CSV or JSON (any card content)

1. Download the sample CSV or JSON, or prepare your own. Maximum file size is 2 MB.
2. Upload a .csv or .json file, or paste the data.
3. Click Preview and map import, then map columns to card title, review text, image, rating, date, and unique ID.
4. Works for testimonials, team or staff profiles, case-study quotes, student reviews, and product feedback. Uploaded temporary files are not retained.

Pro export: Export a full JSON backup (reviews, source, settings, saved displays) before migrating, or export the review library as CSV. Pro can also restore a backup JSON.

2. Reviews tab

The Reviews tab is your local library. Show or hide each review with a toggle, set a numeric Position for manual order, and Delete any item. Use Select all and Unselect all for bulk control, and a live count shows how many are selected. "Add sample reviews" lets you explore the designer before importing real content. A sticky save bar keeps Save within reach.

3. Grid design tab (Grid/Slider design in Pro)

A live-preview designer with a device switch (Desktop, Laptop, Tablet, Phone) and zoom (100%, 75%, 50%, 35%). It has three control groups.

Three Free layouts: Showcase mosaic, Editorial heading above, and Column list. Pro adds three more: the Review slider/carousel, the Pill marquee slider (an animated stream of pill-shaped review cards), and the Circular bubble cluster (a portrait-led circular review constellation). Pro also unlocks per-device typography and image sizes, advanced heading placement, and card shadows.

Review slider and carousel (Pro)

The Pro slider supports Editorial-cards or Compact-carousel styles, cards-per-view set per device (desktop up to 6, laptop 4, tablet 3, phone 2), scroll count, autoplay with an interval, loop, and pause on hover. Arrows can be shown or hidden with chevron, arrow, caret, or custom SVG/PNG icons, three shapes, and five placements. Dots support six placements. The slider JavaScript loads only on pages that use it.

4. Embed tab

Copy the default shortcode [iwebapp_reviews], which uses every choice from the Design tab. Add it through any builder:

• Elementor: drag a Shortcode widget and paste the shortcode.
• Gutenberg: use the Shortcode block.
• Divi, Beaver Builder, WPBakery, Bricks: use their code, text, or shortcode element.
• Theme templates: use the WordPress sidebar Shortcode widget or a PHP do_shortcode() call.

Pro saved displays: create named designs, each with its own shortcode such as [iwebapp_reviews id="home-slider"] and [iwebapp_reviews id="footer-grid"], so different pages show different displays.

5. License tab (Pro)

Pro adds a License tab to activate your key through Easy Digital Downloads Software Licensing on the iWEBAPP store. Paste your license key and click Activate license. The tab shows status, expiry, the customer email, sites used versus your license limit, and when it was last checked. Use Check status to refresh, or Deactivate on this site to free a seat before moving the license.

Shortcode attribute reference

Both [iwebapp_reviews] and the alias [iwebapp_google_reviews] accept these attributes. Any attribute you omit uses your saved Design-tab setting.

Example: [iwebapp_reviews limit="6" columns="3" rows="2" layout="editorial" min_rating="4" order="latest" heading="yes"]

Storage, privacy, and external requests

The plugin is privacy-first and self-hosted. Here is exactly where data lives and what loads from outside your site.

Only import profiles you own or are authorized to manage. Administrators are responsible for content rights, privacy obligations, and applicable terms. The public URL importer is not an official Google API integration, and Google may change its responses at any time. Uninstalling through WordPress removes the reviews table and plugin options.

Note on Google star snippets: reviews a business displays about itself are treated by Google as self-serving and are not eligible for star review rich results, with any plugin. Glowing Reviews gives you genuine on-page social proof that builds trust and conversions.