For WordPress sites
WordPress Google reviews widget — without a plugin
Searching for a WordPress Google reviews plugin usually ends with another PHP dependency to update, another settings screen, and another thing that can conflict with your cache. There is a lighter path: one Custom HTML block that works identically in Gutenberg, Elementor, Divi and the Classic editor.
Last reviewed by the Reviews Widget product team.
Plugin or no plugin?
A reviews plugin runs PHP on every page load, stores review data in your database and needs ongoing updates. A script embed runs entirely in the visitor's browser. For displaying reviews you already earned on Google or Trustpilot, the embed does the same job with less to maintain and less to break.
| Reviews plugin | Reviews Widget embed | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on your server | Yes — PHP on every request | No — browser only |
| Database tables | Usually adds its own | None |
| Update maintenance | Plugin updates, PHP compatibility | None; the hosted script updates itself |
| Cache compatibility | Can conflict with page and object caching | Static snippet, safe to cache |
| Multisite / multiple sites | Install and license per site | Paste the same snippet anywhere |
| Review sources | Often Google only | Google, Trustpilot, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Facebook, Booking.com, Airbnb, Amazon, ProductReview.com.au, G2, Etsy in one grid |
Where the snippet goes in WordPress
In the block editor, add a Custom HTML block on the page, in a template part, or in a block-based widget area, then paste the snippet and publish. The reviews render exactly where the block sits, on the front end only.
- 1. Build the widget. Add your Google Business Profile in the dashboard and choose a layout — grid, masonry, list, carousel, scrolling marquee, floating badge or review popups.
- 2. Match your theme. Set corner radius, accent colour, card background and font weight in the live preview so it looks native to your theme.
- 3. Paste a Custom HTML block. Insert the block where the reviews belong, paste the snippet, then Preview to confirm before publishing.
The full walkthrough with screenshots is in how to embed Google reviews on WordPress.
Elementor, Divi and the Classic editor
Every WordPress page builder exposes one element that accepts raw HTML. Find that element, paste the snippet, done — the widget behaves the same regardless of which builder rendered the page around it.
| Editor | Element to use | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Block editor (Gutenberg) | Custom HTML block | Works in posts, pages, template parts and widget areas |
| Elementor | HTML widget | Drag into any column; container queries handle narrow columns |
| Divi | Code module | Paste into the module's code field |
| Classic editor | Text tab | Switch from Visual to Text before pasting |
| Full-site editing themes | Custom HTML block in a template part | Ideal for a sitewide footer badge |
| WooCommerce | Custom HTML block on a product or shop page | Pairs with the floating star badge sitewide |
There is also a dedicated Elementor guide.
WooCommerce stores
WooCommerce's own customer reviews only cover products people bought from you, which leaves the reviews that persuade a first-time buyer — your Google and Trustpilot ratings — sitting on someone else's site. Pasting the snippet into a Custom HTML block on the shop page, or into a single-product template, puts them under every product without a WooCommerce Google reviews plugin adding queries to each page load.
On a paid plan you can run Trustpilot for WooCommerce and Google in the same grid with source tabs and one combined rating — see multi-platform reviews for how the average is weighted. Product reviews from WooCommerce and business reviews from Google answer different questions, so showing both usually beats choosing one.
Best placements on a WordPress site
- Homepage, below the hero. Grid or masonry, six to nine reviews, aggregate rating header on.
- Service and landing pages. Carousel, filtered to the platform your audience trusts most.
- Sidebar or footer template part. Compact list, so proof follows the reader down every post.
- Contact page. Grid plus the write-a-review dropdown to convert happy customers into reviewers.
Schema, speed and Core Web Vitals
The widget emits valid Review and AggregateRating JSON-LD. Google treats reviews about a business on its own site as self-serving and generally ineligible for star snippets in Search, so judge the widget on conversion and structured trust data rather than promised gold stars.
On performance, the script is roughly 5 KB gzipped, loads asynchronously and adds no server-side work — no extra PHP execution, no database query, no admin-ajax call. Give the block a min-height so nothing shifts when reviews mount, and keep your hero image as the LCP element.
Background on structured data: review schema explained and star rich snippets.
Sources & further reading
- WordPress — Custom HTML block — The official block for embedding raw HTML and script tags
- Google Search Central — review snippet guidelines — Self-serving review rules for reviews on your own site
- web.dev — Core Web Vitals — LCP, INP and CLS thresholds referenced in the performance section