Illustrated setup guide

Get the Google Maps link, import reviews to WordPress, and publish the widget.

Follow every click, from finding the correct public Google Business Profile and copying its Maps share URL to importing reviews, designing the display, saving the shortcode, and placing it on a page.

Start the guide Open full documentation

Glowing Reviews plugin interface for importing authorized public Google reviews and CSV or JSON testimonials into WordPress — **Start with a public profile URL or your own structured data.**The marketing image contains only the plugin interface, with no WordPress dashboard chrome.

6 layoutsThree standard and three designer layouts in Pro

4 devicesDesktop, laptop, tablet, and phone previews

1 shortcodeWorks anywhere WordPress renders shortcodes

0 API keysNo Google Cloud project is required

Complete workflow

Every step, in the same order you see inside the plugin.

The screenshots show Glowing Reviews Pro 3.7.0. Free follows the same Import, Reviews, Design, and Embed flow with the Free feature set.

Step 1

Install and activate the plugin.

For Free, install iWEBAPP Review Widget for Google Reviews from WordPress.org. For Pro, download the ZIP from your customer account, then use Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin. Activate the plugin when WordPress finishes installing it.

Keep the ZIP file compressed when uploading.
Use a WordPress administrator account.
Pro users can activate the license from the License tab.

Glowing Reviews Pro plugin-only License tab with a masked license key, active status, sample customer email, and site count — **Pro license activation.**The key shown in this documentation image is fully masked and the customer address is a sample.

Steps 2 to 3

Find the business in Google Maps and copy its public link.

You do not need a Google API key. You do need the public link that opens the correct business listing in Google Maps. That public Maps listing is the customer-facing Google Business Profile. The pictures below use the real public listing for iWEBAPP Agency Inc. and mark the exact controls to use.

Open Google Maps. In a new browser tab, go to google.com/maps. You may use a computer, tablet, or phone. The button names are the same even if their positions move slightly.
Search for the exact business. Click the search box at the top left. Type the business name and its city, for example iWEBAPP Agency Inc. Toronto, then press Enter.
Confirm that you opened the correct listing. Read the business name and category. When available, also compare the website, phone number, address, photos, and review count. Do not continue if Google Maps opened a different business with a similar name.
Click Share on the public listing. In the row of round action buttons below the business name, click Share. If you do not see it immediately, scroll the business information panel a little or open the listing fully first.
Copy the public Maps link. In the Share window, keep Send a link selected. Click Copy link. Google copies a link beginning with https://maps.app.goo.gl/ to your clipboard.
Return to WordPress. Leave the Google Maps tab open in case you need it again, then return to the browser tab containing your WordPress dashboard.

1. Search and verify the business.Use the exact business name and city. Check the public profile details before you copy anything.

2. Click Share.Use Share on the public Maps listing, not a URL from the private Business Profile management screen.

3. Click Copy link.When the button confirms the copy, the public Maps URL is ready to paste into Glowing Reviews.

If you start in Google Maps

This is the simplest route and works whether or not you are signed into the Google account that manages the business.

Open Google Maps and search for the business name plus city.
Open the correct public listing and click Share.
Keep Send a link selected and click Copy link.

If you start as the Business Profile owner

Sign in to the Google account that manages the business. Search Google for your exact business name or my business. In the management panel, choose View profile, View on Maps, or click the business name to open the public listing. You have reached the correct place when the listing looks like screenshots 1 and 2 above. Then use Share, Send a link, Copy link, exactly as shown in screenshots 2 and 3.

Do not copy the address from a private management page such as business.google.com.
Do not use Ask for reviews. That link opens a form for customers to write a new review; it is not the public listing link used for importing existing reviews.
If you cannot find View on Maps, open Google Maps, search for the business name and city, and follow the pictured route instead.

How to recognize a usable link

The easiest link to use is the one copied from the Maps Share window. Glowing Reviews also recognizes common full and legacy public Google Maps formats.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/your-public-place-link https://www.google.com/maps/place/Your+Business/... https://maps.google.com/?cid=123456789... https://goo.gl/maps/your-public-place-link https://g.page/your-business

The link should begin with https:// and open the correct public business listing.
If someone can open the link without entering your Google account password, it is public.
If a shortened link does not work, open it in your browser, wait for Google Maps to load, then copy the full address from the browser address bar.
If Google does not expose review text through the public response, use the plugin's authorized CSV or JSON import instead.

Google Maps interface verified July 2026. Google may move controls, but its documented flow remains: open the place, choose Share, keep Send a link selected, and copy the link. Read Google's place-sharing instructions.

Step 4

Paste the copied link and import the reviews.

In WordPress, open iWEBAPP Reviews, Import/Export. Click once inside the long field labelled Google Maps or business reviews page. Paste the link copied from Google Maps. On a Mac, press Command + V. On Windows, press Control + V.

Read the pasted address. It must begin with https://. A Maps Share link usually begins with https://maps.app.goo.gl/.
Check the authorization box. This confirms that you own or are authorized to manage the profile and imported content.
Click Save URL & pull reviews. The button becomes available after the required field and authorization box are complete.
Wait for the success notice. Do not close the tab or refresh while the plugin is pulling the public review data.
Use Pull latest reviews later. This refreshes the library while preserving saved visibility and position choices.

Close-up of the Glowing Reviews Import tab showing the Google Maps URL field, authorization checkbox, Save URL and pull reviews button, Pull latest reviews button, keep current reviews checkbox, and Remove saved URL link — **The exact controls for importing and changing a source.**The left card saves the public Maps link. The right card refreshes reviews or removes the saved source.

Before changing a source

Choose whether the current review library should stay or be deleted.

Remove saved URL does not always mean the same thing. The checkbox directly above it decides what happens to the reviews already stored in WordPress.

Checked

Keep current imported reviews

The saved URL is removed, but the review library stays. Importing another URL merges new items into the existing library. Use this when you want to keep the current cards or combine authorized sources.

Unchecked

Delete reviews when removing the URL

The saved URL is removed and the stored review library is deleted. The plugin design settings remain. Use this only when you intentionally want an empty library before importing another source.

Step 5

Choose which reviews belong on the page.

Open the Reviews tab. Each row represents one review stored in WordPress. Hiding and deleting are different actions, so use the control that matches what you mean.

Hide one review: turn its Show switch off, then click Save review choices. The review stays in the library and can be shown again later.
Show it again: turn the same switch on and save the choices.
Hide or show many reviews: use Select all or Unselect all, then save.
Change manual order: enter a number in Position. The designer uses these numbers when Review order is set to Manual.
Delete one review permanently: click the red Delete button on that row and confirm the warning. Import it again later if it is still available from the source.

Pulling later updates preserves saved Show and Position choices.
Use Hide when you may want the review again.
Use Delete only when you want to remove that stored item.

Close-up of the Glowing Reviews library showing Select all, Unselect all, Show switches, reviewer rows, manual Position fields, and Delete buttons — **Visibility and bulk controls.**Switches change what appears in widgets after you save. They do not erase the review.

Zoomed Glowing Reviews rows showing the Show visibility switch on the left, reviewer and review text in the middle, Position field, and permanent Delete button on the right — **Left hides; right deletes.**Turn Show off for a reversible choice. Use Delete only for permanent removal from the local library.

Cleanup and reset

Use the reset that matches what you actually want to clear.

Glowing Reviews separates data cleanup from design reset so one accidental click cannot erase everything. There is no single reset-all button inside the plugin.

Remove the source and reviews

Go to Import/Export. Uncheck Keep current imported reviews, then click Remove saved URL. This clears the source and review library. Design settings remain.

Delete every stored review

At the bottom of Import/Export, find Review library cleanup. Check the confirmation box, then click Delete all stored reviews. The saved source URL and design settings remain.

Reset only the widget design

Open Grid/Slider design. At the bottom save bar, click the circular reset arrow beside Save as new shortcode. Confirm the prompt. Layout, Content, Card style, and Finish choices return to defaults; reviews, source, shortcode names, and license settings do not change.

Close-up of Review library cleanup with export backup controls, confirmation checkbox, and Delete all stored reviews button — **Library cleanup requires confirmation.**The source URL and design settings remain after this action.

Close-up of the Grid Slider design save bar with Save design, Save as new shortcode, circular reset arrow, and Help controls — **The circular arrow resets design choices.**It does not delete reviews or disconnect the source.

Step 6

Choose the layout and responsive composition.

Open Grid/Slider Design. Select Showcase mosaic, Editorial heading, Column list, Slider/carousel, Pill marquee, or Circular bubble. Use the device buttons to check desktop, laptop, tablet, and phone settings while the live preview updates.

Glowing Reviews plugin-only Layout step with six visual layout choices, responsive device controls, and a live Showcase mosaic preview — **Step 1 of the designer: Layout.**Pick the display structure first, then the panel reveals the controls that apply to that layout.

Step 7

Edit the words, typography, cards, spacing, and shadows.

The Content step controls headings, introduction, rating summary, review text, reviewer names, dates, and review selection. Card style controls the visual surface: fills, borders, corner radius, spacing, shadows, images, and layout-specific appearance.

Use only one H1 per page; H2 is a safe default for widget headings.
Check all four device views after typography changes.
Keep sufficient colour contrast for review text and buttons.

Glowing Reviews plugin-only Content step with heading text, responsive typography controls, review content settings, and live preview — **Step 2: Content.**Edit the message and review typography without leaving the live preview.

Glowing Reviews plugin-only Card style step with card fill, border, radius, shadow, and live WordPress widget preview — **Step 3: Card style.**Refine surfaces and spacing while the same shortcode renderer previews the result.

Step 8

Finish the design and create a reusable shortcode.

Use Save design to update the current display. Pro can also name and save another display, which creates an independent shortcode for another page, campaign, or layout.

A new shortcode name is required before saving a new display.
Named displays let different pages use different layouts.
The Finish step confirms when the shortcode is ready.

Glowing Reviews plugin-only Finish step showing shortcode-ready status, shortcode copy control, new display name, and live review preview — **Step 4: Finish.**Save the current design or create a separate named shortcode without losing the live preview.

Step 9

Copy the shortcode and place it in your page builder.

Open Embed and copy [iwebapp_reviews] or a named Pro display such as [iwebapp_reviews id="home-slider"]. Paste it into the page builder element that renders WordPress shortcodes.

Elementor: use the Shortcode widget.
Gutenberg: use the Shortcode block.
Divi, Bricks, Beaver Builder, and WPBakery: use a shortcode, code, or text module that executes WordPress shortcodes.
Publish or update the page, then test desktop and mobile.

Glowing Reviews plugin-only Embed tab with a default shortcode, per-page shortcode options, and named display shortcodes for WordPress page builders — **Publish with one shortcode.**The same shortcode works in Elementor, Gutenberg, Divi, Bricks, Beaver Builder, WPBakery, and compatible theme areas.

Your next step

Install the Free plugin or choose Pro for all six layouts and saved displays.

Download Free Compare Pro