How to add Google reviews to Shopify (Custom Liquid or widget)

The question comes up on the Shopify Community and Reddit every week: "How can I add a Google reviews widget to my homepage?" The usual answer is "install an app." There's a simpler route that doesn't need one, and it's better for search visibility too. First, though, make sure you're solving the right problem.

Which "reviews" do you mean?

Three different things share the word, and each is displayed differently:

Google's own help center states that "Google Customer Reviews are different from Google Business Profile reviews," because only verified buyers contribute to them. This page covers the first one: putting your Business Profile reviews on your store. For product reviews, a product reviews app is still the right tool.

What works on Shopify?

Shopify won't run your own server code, so there's no PHP include or server component. Liquid, the theme language, can't fetch content from another site either. That leaves two easy methods and one for developers.

Revys isn't on the Shopify App Store. You don't install anything; you paste code into your theme.

Static HTML is a complete fragment: the reviews, their styling (CSS scoped to the widget) and schema.org LocalBusiness or Organization markup, with no JavaScript. Once it's in a Custom Liquid section, Shopify's servers send it as part of the page, so Google and AI crawlers read it like any other text. The catch: it doesn't update. When new reviews come in, regenerate and re-paste. Once a month is plenty for most stores.

The JavaScript snippet loads the widget in an iframe and refreshes nightly. Easy, but the review text isn't in your page, and AI crawlers, which read raw HTML, don't see it.

How do you add Google reviews with a Custom Liquid section?

Most free Shopify themes (Dawn and the newer Theme Store themes) include a Custom Liquid section. If you're nervous, try it on a duplicate theme first.

1. Set up the widget in Revys

   Connect your Google Business Profile, then open "My businesses › your business › On my website": your widget is already there (a carousel). With "Change style", pick another layout if you like (grid, list, wall or badge) and cap the number of reviews at 6 to 8 (see the size limit below). The setting is “Max number of reviews”.

2. Generate the HTML

   Click "Put on my website" and enter your store address: Revys recognizes Shopify (if it doesn't, pick "Shopify" under "Not right?") and shows the HTML to paste. Click "Generate the HTML" and copy the code.

3. Open the theme editor

   In Shopify admin: Online Store, then Edit theme on your theme. Choose the template (home page, product page…) from the drop-down at the top.

4. Add a Custom Liquid section

   In the sidebar, click Add section and search for Custom Liquid. Drag it where you want it, for example under the product description.

5. Paste and save

   Paste the HTML into the section's Liquid field and click Save. If Shopify won't save, the code is over the limit: lower the number of reviews and regenerate.

6. Set a reminder

   Add a monthly reminder to regenerate and re-paste. Going with the JavaScript snippet instead? Paste the script line and skip the reminder.

The JavaScript snippet, for reference:

<script src="https://revys.io/api/embed/YOUR_ID" async></script>

How many reviews fit in one section?

Shopify's developer docs are explicit: content in Liquid settings "can't exceed 50kb." We measured the Revys HTML on a test widget: about 24,000 characters for structure and styling, then roughly 3,000 per review of average length (330 characters of text). Six reviews come to about 42,000 characters; twelve reach about 60,000 and won't save.

• Aim for 6 to 8 reviews per section, fewer if your customers write long reviews.
• The badge layout (rating and review count) always fits, at about 24,000 characters.
• Need more on one page? Use two sections, or the JavaScript snippet for an "All reviews" page.
• Don't filter to five stars only: a realistic mix is more convincing than a perfect wall.

Can you get reviews that are both readable and automatic?

Yes, with a developer. Liquid can't call Revys, but it can print a shop metafield. The setup:

1. A small custom Shopify app (created in your admin, with an Admin API access token) runs once a day from a server or a scheduled job.
2. It fetches the Revys HTML fragment (https://revys.io/api/embed/YOUR_ID/html) or the reviews as JSON through the Revys API.
3. It writes the result to a shop metafield, say revys.reviews_html.
4. Your Custom Liquid section outputs {{ shop.metafields.revys.reviews_html }}.

Shopify renders it on the server, so it's readable, and it refreshes daily. Revys doesn't ship that app: it's custom work that makes sense for an agency, less so for a small store.

How do you check your reviews are in the HTML?

On the live page, right-click and choose "View Page Source" (Ctrl+U, Cmd+Option+U on a Mac), then search for a sentence from one review.

• With the pasted HTML, you'll find it.
• With the snippet, you'll only find a <script> tag. That's expected.

Why it matters for AI Overviews and ChatGPT search: see local business visibility in AI search. For every method on every platform, see how to embed Google reviews on your website.

What about Shopify App Store review apps?

There are plenty of Google reviews apps for Shopify, and many load a JavaScript widget through an app block. Before installing one, run the page-source test on its demo store. Our best Google reviews widgets roundup notes how each tool renders. Building on another platform? See Squarespace or Webflow.

FAQ

How do I get Google reviews on my Shopify store?

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Use a review widget that connects to your Google Business Profile, then add it to your theme. Without installing an app, paste the widget's HTML or script into a Custom Liquid section in the theme editor (Online Store, Edit theme, Add section).

Is there a simple Google reviews block for Shopify without an app?

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Yes: a Custom Liquid section. Most free Shopify themes include one. Paste a review widget's code into it, place it where you want and save. Revys gives you that code; there's nothing to install from the App Store.

What's the difference between Google reviews and Google Customer Reviews?

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Google reviews live on your Google Business Profile and anyone with a Google account can write one. Google Customer Reviews is a Merchant Center program: a survey after checkout that feeds a store rating on Shopping and ads. Google's help center says the two are different.

How many reviews fit in a Custom Liquid section?

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Shopify caps Liquid settings at 50 KB. The Revys HTML is about 24,000 characters plus roughly 3,000 per average-length review, so plan on 6 to 8 reviews per section. Set the widget's maximum number of reviews before generating the HTML.

Does this work on the Shopify Starter plan?

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No. The Starter plan doesn't include a full online store or theme customization. You need Basic or higher to add sections in the theme editor.

Will Google reviews on my Shopify store show stars in search results?

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Not from your business reviews. Google treats reviews a business shows about itself on its own site as self-serving and won't show stars for them. Product rating stars come from product reviews or Merchant Center, not from your Google Business Profile.

Sources

1. Shopify Help Center: sections and blocks (adding a section in the theme editor)
2. Shopify.dev: input settings, liquid type (50 KB limit)
3. Shopify Help Center: Shopify Starter plan
4. Google Merchant Center Help: Google Customer Reviews basics
5. Google Search Central: Review snippet structured data, self-serving reviews