GR Widget – Google Reviews Widget

⭐ Show Google reviews on your WordPress site in minutes — no Google API keys, no Google sign-in, and no review data stored in your database.

GR Widget is a Google reviews embed plugin for WordPress: search for your business in wp-admin, pick a layout, and publish with a shortcode or Gutenberg block. Reviews stay fresh because they sync on the GR Widget platform.

No account is required to get started. Link a free GRWidget.com account from GR Widget → Account (one click — no API key copy/paste) to unlock 3 widgets, 8 layouts, 10 reviews available, plus the hosted web builder. Paid plans add unlimited widgets, daily sync, and Business features.

🚀 Unlimited views on every plan — including free. Your widgets are not metered by page views.

Why site owners choose this Google reviews widget

• 🔑 No Google API keys — search by business name; we handle Google data on our servers
• 🧩 Shortcode + Gutenberg block — [grwi_widget id="your-key"] or the GR Widget block to embed Google reviews
• 🎨 4 layouts unlinked / 8 with a free account — badges, review feeds, sliders, stickers (paid plans unlock all 13 layouts, including Carousel feed and Masonry feed)
• 🎛️ Hosted builder — link a free account and customise plugin widgets in the full builder on GRWidget.com
• 🔄 Reviews stay fresh — synced on GRWidget.com (weekly on Free and Site; daily on Business and Agency)
• 🛡️ No local review storage — your WordPress database stays clean
• ✨ Works standalone — create widgets without an account; link a free account when you need more

Free WordPress plugin (no account required)

• ✅ Up to 1 Google review widget per site (unlinked)
• ✅ 4 layouts (Rating Badge, List feed, Slider feed, Classic sticker)
• ✅ Up to 5 reviews available per business
• ✅ Weekly review sync
• ✅ Shortcode and Gutenberg block embeds
• ✅ Embed script loads only on pages that contain a widget
• ✅ Unlimited views — no view caps on free or paid
• ✅ No GR Widget branding on verified official WordPress installs

Link a free GRWidget.com account (still $0)

From GR Widget → Account, click to create or link a free account. No card required. That unlocks:

• ✅ 3 widgets (instead of 1)
• ✅ 8 layouts (instead of 4) — adds Inline badge, Compact badge, Grid feed, and Tag sticker
• ✅ 10 reviews available per business (instead of 5)
• ✅ Hosted web builder on GRWidget.com, cloud backup, and the web dashboard

The free tier is a complete, ongoing product — not a time-limited trial. Existing widgets and shortcodes keep working if you hit the current widget limit.

What paid plans unlock 💎

When you need more than the linked free allowance, paid plans are domain-based (clear pricing — not charged per page view):

• ♾️ Unlimited widgets (Site and above)
• 📈 More reviews available — up to 30 on Site, unlimited on Business/Agency
• ⏱️ Daily sync on Business and Agency (Free and Site stay weekly)
• 🎨 All 13 layouts (badges, feeds, Slider feed, Carousel feed, Masonry feed, stickers, and more) — new styles are included on paid plans
• 🪄 Filters — highlight the reviews that matter
• 👤 Reviewer photos (and review photos on Business+)
• 🧠 AI review summary (Business+)
• 🔍 JSON-LD / review structured data for search engines on Business & Agency (eligibility for rich results is never guaranteed)
• 🏷️ Agency adds white-label, multi-client management, widget stats, and 10 combined invited seats
• 🎛️ Full design customisation (Site+) — make every widget match your brand with colours, typography, spacing, borders, labels, element controls, and custom CSS (Free keeps light/dark theme + font family)

Compare plans at GRWidget.com.

How it works

1. Install and activate GR Widget
2. Open GR Widget in wp-admin and search for your business
3. Pick a layout and create your Google review widget
4. Paste the shortcode or insert the GR Widget block — done
5. (Optional) Link a free GRWidget.com account from GR Widget → Account to unlock 3 widgets, 8 layouts, 10 reviews, and the hosted builder

Widget HTML/CSS/JS is served by the hosted grwidget.js embed and the GRWidget.com API. This plugin is a thin, Plugin Check–friendly client.

You can see live examples of all the Google Reviews Widget layouts and styles available on our examples page.

Support

🛟 Something not working? Please ask — GR Widget is actively improving, and we address reported issues very quickly.

• 🐞 Report bug — open a widget in Customize, then click Report bug in the left rail (or top bar). That sends the issue to our team with useful context.
• 💬 Community (WordPress Plugin) — grwidget.com/community/c/wordpress-plugin for install, shortcode, block, and linking questions
• 📘 WordPress.org support forum — wordpress.org/support/plugin/gr-widget
• 💡 Feature requests — post ideas on the WordPress.org support forum for GR Widget. We continually explore improvements and consider all feature requests.

External services

This plugin relies on external services to work. By installing and activating it, you authorize the connections below (similar to Akismet or other SaaS-connected plugins — no separate opt-in checkbox is required because the plugin cannot function without GRWidget.com).

GRWidget.com

What it is: GRWidget.com (operated by EXTHUS LTD) hosts the Google review widget service — API, embed script, review sync, and wp-admin tools.

Used for: Site registration, business search, review sync, widget creation and configuration, plan limits, hosted previews, the style editor, the hosted builder (when you link an account), and serving live embeds on your public site.

When it is contacted:

• Plugin activation — registers your WordPress site and retrieves plan limits
• wp-admin (GR Widget) — business search, widget create/delete, account linking, plan refresh; layout cards use local miniature previews (no iframes); live preview loads grw-preview.js; widget style editor runs entirely in wp-admin
• Widget customisation — colours, fonts, and display options are edited on the native Customise screen in wp-admin (API-backed; no external tabs or iframes). After linking an account, you can also customise the same widgets in the full-featured web builder
• Public site — loads grwidget.com/v1/grwidget.js only on pages that contain a GR Widget shortcode or block (not site-wide); the script fetches widget JSON to render review embeds
• Background — plan limits may refresh twice daily via WordPress cron

Data sent to GRWidget.com:

• Site URL and hostname
• Plugin version
• Site credentials issued at registration (stored locally in WordPress options)
• Business place IDs, names, addresses, ratings, and review counts you select in wp-admin
• Widget layout and style configuration choices
• API token (only when you choose to link a GRWidget.com account)
• Referrer hostname when a visitor loads a widget embed (to verify the widget is used on an allowed domain)

Data not sent by this plugin:

• WordPress user passwords or wp-admin login credentials
• Unrelated site content or visitor analytics
• Payment or billing details (checkout happens on GRWidget.com, not inside the plugin)

Terms and privacy:

• Service: https://grwidget.com
• Privacy policy: https://grwidget.com/privacy
• Terms of use: https://grwidget.com/terms

Google (business data and review links)

What it is: Google Maps / Google Business Profile — the source of business listings and public Google reviews displayed in widgets.

Used for: Business search results and review content are fetched by GRWidget.com from Google on your behalf. Widgets may also show links such as “View on Google” or “Write a review” that open Google in the visitor’s browser.

When it is involved:

• wp-admin — when you search for a business or trigger review sync, your search terms and selected place ID are sent to GRWidget.com, which queries Google server-side (your WordPress site never stores or sends Google API keys)
• Public site — review text, ratings, and business details are served from GRWidget.com (originally sourced from Google). Optional Google links appear in the widget UI; data is sent to Google only if a visitor clicks those links and leaves your site

Data sent:

• To GRWidget.com (then to Google server-side): business search queries, Google place IDs, and business metadata needed to sync reviews
• To Google directly from the visitor’s browser: only when a visitor clicks a Google link in a widget (standard browser navigation; may include referrer URL per the browser’s normal behaviour). The plugin does not call Google APIs from WordPress.

Terms and privacy:

• Google Terms of Service: https://policies.google.com/terms
• Google Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy

Google Fonts (optional, visitor browsers)

What it is: Google’s hosted web font service (fonts.googleapis.com), used only when a widget is configured to use a Google Font rather than the site’s inherited/system font.

Used for: Loading the font files that style widget text on the public site.

When it is contacted: When a visitor views a page containing a widget whose style uses a Google Font preset — the hosted grwidget.js embed script injects a stylesheet request to Google Fonts.

Data sent: The visitor’s browser requests font CSS from Google; Google may log the request per its own policies (typically IP address and user-agent). No WordPress user or site-admin data is sent by the plugin for this purpose.

Terms and privacy:

• Google Fonts FAQ (privacy): https://developers.google.com/fonts/faq#what_does_using_the_google_fonts_api_mean_for_the_privacy_of_my_users
• Google Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy

Other third parties

This plugin does not load third-party advertising or analytics trackers on your public site. Scripts and styles for wp-admin UI (except the GRWidget.com connections above) are bundled in the plugin. Upgrade and account links open GRWidget.com in your browser only when you click them.

For a full walkthrough, follow our guide to embed Google reviews in WordPress.

1. Install GR Widget from Plugins → Add New (search “GR Widget” or “Google reviews”), or upload the ZIP.
2. Activate the plugin — it registers your site with GRWidget.com automatically.
3. Go to GR Widget in the WordPress admin menu.
4. Search for your business, choose a layout, and click Create widget.
5. Copy [grwi_widget id="your-embed-key"] into a page or post, or insert the GR Widget block.
6. Optional: open GR Widget → Account and link a free GRWidget.com account (one click — no API token paste). That unlocks 3 widgets, 8 layouts, 10 reviews available, and the hosted builder.

The plugin loads the embed script automatically on pages that contain a widget — no manual <script> tag needed.

1. 

   Search for your Google Business listing and choose a layout to create your Google reviews widget — no API keys

2. 

   Settings tab — set display mode, alignment, width and spacing with a live preview

3. 

   Style tab — choose a light or dark theme and font family while the live preview updates

4. 

   Reviews tab — choose how many Google reviews to show, then link an account for more

5. 

   Customise tab — match your brand with colours, Google logo options, spacing and more

6. 

   Install tab — copy the shortcode or HTML embed code to place the widget on your site

1.1.2

• Preview every layout and styling option in the builder, including ones on a higher plan.
• Choosing a layout before a business now shows a notice in the plugin.
• Carousel feed and Slider feed names were swapped so they match the layouts. Existing widgets look the same.
• A default Free widget no longer asks you to upgrade for custom styling. Light theme, default font, full width, and empty spacing stay Free.
• Outer Spacing, theme, fonts, Display Limit, and basic Review Panel options are labelled Free.
• Switching feed layouts no longer turns on review photos. Photo settings only apply when that feed is selected.
• Display Limit updates as you type, including after changing tabs. You can preview a higher count than your plan publishes.
• WordPress widgets stay branding-free. Branding controls are removed from the plugin builder.
• Linked GRWidget.com accounts can list, open, preview, and save widgets, and search for a business in wp-admin again.
• If the widget list fails to load, you get a retry message instead of an empty screen.

1.1.1

• Improvements to make linking a free GR Widget account from the plugin simpler.
• Width controls in the WordPress Customise builder (same options as the web builder).
• Widgets you created on GRWidget.com now appear in the WordPress plugin automatically when your account is linked. No manual refresh.
• Stops loading the embed script twice on sites that also pasted the GR Widget script tag.
• Gutenberg block: pick one of this site’s widgets from a list instead of pasting the embed key. You can still enter a key manually.
• Feed layouts: mobile headers now wrap cleanly so the title, stars, and “Write a review” button no longer overlap or get cut off.

1.1.0

• Redesigned native Customize builder with more options and features.
• Link a GR Widget account with a click (sign in or create an account) — no API key copy/paste.
• Additional customisation controls in the builder.
• Change layout from inside the builder.
• Raise free plugin limits by linking a free GR Widget account.
• Other minor bug fixes and improvements.

1.0.3

• Customise Review Button / Footer Button on feed widgets (show/hide, colours, and typography).
• Style and Customize panels use closed-by-default accordions matching the web builder.
• AI Summary live preview works in the native builder when exploring locked plans.

1.0.2

• Report a bug is now visible in the Customize left rail (matching the web builder), and still available in the top bar.
• Linked GRWidget.com accounts can submit bug reports from the native builder (previously blocked when the site was linked).

1.0.1

• Updated the plugin display name to “GR Widget – Google Reviews Widget” for clearer directory search and discoverability (no functional changes; slug, settings, and shortcodes are unchanged).

1.0.0

• Initial public release on WordPress.org (first SVN / directory release).
• Embed Google reviews with a shortcode or Gutenberg block — no Google API keys or sign-in required.
• Search for your business in wp-admin, pick from five free layouts, and create up to three widgets per site.
• Local layout picker previews and live preview in wp-admin (no external iframes); native style editor with API-backed save.
• Reviews sync on GRWidget.com — your WordPress database does not store review content.
• Optional GRWidget.com account linking for paid plans, more widgets, and daily sync.
• Embed script loads only on pages that contain a widget (not site-wide).
• Plugin Check compliant: escaped output, nonces, uninstall cleanup, and contextual upgrade notices in wp-admin only.
• Prefix compliance — options, cron hooks, AJAX actions, script/style handles, and localized JS objects use grwi_ / GRWI_; legacy grw_* options migrate automatically on upgrade.
• Tested up to WordPress 7.0; view-template and uninstall loop variables prefixed for Plugin Check; mock CSS enqueue versioned; core sidebars_widgets filter usage documented.