Google Reviews

The Google Reviews module shows reviews from Google for your business in a list, grid, carousel or marquee. It gets reviews from the Google Places API, saves them on your site and refreshes them once a day. The module shows the saved copy, so the page does not call Google when a visitor loads it.

Google Places API key

The module needs your own Google Places API key. You create the key in Google Cloud. Google's guide covers the current console steps: Get an API key.

In Google Cloud, create or choose a project that has billing enabled.
Enable the Places API for the project.
Go to the Credentials page and choose Create credentials > API key.
Restrict the key before you use it in production. In API restrictions, limit it to the Places API.

The plugin sends its requests to Google from your server, not from a visitor's browser. A key restricted to HTTP referrers will be rejected. If you want an application restriction, use your server's IP address.

Add the key

In the WordPress dashboard, go to Divi Torque > Settings.
Open the Integrations tab.
In the Google section, paste the key into Google Places API Key and click Save.

Add your business

After you save the key, add your business.

Go to Divi Torque > Google Reviews.
Click Add business.
Enter your business name in the search box and click Search.
Choose your business from the results and click Save.

The Google Reviews screen only appears in the menu while the Google Reviews module is enabled.

Same business name in different locations

If your business has several locations, search with the business name and the address of the location you want.

Go to Google Maps and search for your business name with the location, for example "Denny's Washington".
Choose the result for the right location and copy its address.
Go to Divi Torque > Google Reviews and click Add business.
Enter the business name and the copied address in the search box, for example "Denny's 1250 Bladensburg Rd NE, Washington, DC 20002, United States", and click Search.
Choose the location and click Save.

Manage reviews

On the Google Reviews screen, each business lists its saved reviews. Use Hide Review and Show Review to control which reviews the module can display. Reviews rated below 4 stars are hidden when they are saved. Click Show Review on any of them to publish it.

Content Tab

Business

Business (Place ID): The Google Place ID of a business you added under Divi Torque > Google Reviews.
Number of Reviews: How many reviews to show, from 1 to 20. The module shows the newest visible reviews first.

Layout

Layout: List, Carousel, Grid or Marquee. Default is List.
Space Between Cards: The gap between review cards. Default is 20px.
Grid Columns and Grid Gutter: Options for the Grid layout.
Carousel options: Slides Per Page, Slides Per Move, Gap, Type (Loop, Slide or Fade), Autoplay, Autoplay Interval, Transition Speed, Pause On Hover, Focus, Trim Space, Arrows and Pagination.
Marquee options: Speed, Direction (Left or Right), Pause on Hover, Loop (0 loops forever), Edge Gradient with its width and color.

Card

Show Reviewer Name, Show Avatar, Show Date, Show Rating and Show Google Logo: Each toggles that part of the card. All are on by default.
Show Read More: Adds a read more link to long reviews. On by default. Set the Read More Text (default "Read more") and Read Less Text.
Alignment: Left, Center or Right. Default is Left.
Review Text Length: Short shows about 100 characters. Full shows the whole review. Custom uses the number you set in Custom Text Length, counted in characters.
Enable Schema Markup: Adds Review structured data (JSON-LD) for each review shown. Off by default.

Design Tab

Card: Card Background, Card Padding and border. Review Box Width sets a fixed card width when the Marquee layout is active.
Name, Date and Review Text: Font styling for each.
Carousel: Arrow size and colors, and pagination size, gap and colors.

Frequently asked questions

Why do I see only 5 reviews at first?

The module relies on the Google Places API, and Google returns at most 5 reviews per request. It does not let you sort them. This limit is set by Google, not by the plugin.

How does the plugin handle review updates?

A scheduled task fetches reviews for each saved business once a day. When Google's selection changes, new reviews are added to your database. Over time this builds a larger set of reviews without manual work.

Why do the reviews change over time?

Google chooses which reviews the API returns. When that selection changes, new reviews are saved and the module shows the newest visible ones.

Why is a review missing?

Reviews rated below 4 stars are hidden when they are saved. You can show any review from Divi Torque > Google Reviews.

Where do the reviews come from?

The module copies reviews from the Google Places API. You can show the Google logo on each card so visitors can see the source.

What does Enable Schema Markup do?

It adds Review structured data in JSON-LD format for each review the module shows. Search engines decide whether to use it.