WordPress Google Reviews Feed Pro
The {CODICTS} Google Reviews Feed Pro plugin lets you display Google Reviews on any WordPress page using an Elementor widget or a shortcode. It supports three display modes (Full Reviews, Rating Summary, and Overall Rating), three layout templates (List, Grid, and Carousel), and two API providers — the native Google Places API or Outscraper API for unlimited reviews.
Requirements
Note: This plugin does not require any Theme. It works on any WordPress site.
Installation & Activation
Start by downloading the plugin from the Downloads page on your dashboard on the CoDicts website.
After downloading, install and activate the plugin in WordPress by navigating to “Plugins” > “Add New” > “Upload Plugin” and selecting the downloaded zip file. Click “Install Now” and then “Activate”.
Once activated, navigate to “Google Reviews Feed Pro” > “Settings” in the WordPress admin sidebar to configure your API provider and key.
Choosing an API Provider
The plugin supports two API providers. Choose the one that best fits your needs:
| Provider | Max Reviews | Review Images | Speed | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Places API | 5 per place (hard limit) | No | Fast (1–2 seconds) | Simple use cases where 5 reviews are enough |
| Outscraper API | Unlimited (configurable) | Yes | Slower on first load (5–60 seconds, then cached) | Sites needing many reviews with images |
Option A: Google Places API Setup
Step 1: Go to the Google Cloud Console and create a project (or use an existing one).
Step 2: Enable the Places API (New) for your project. Make sure billing is active on your Google Cloud account.
Step 3: Create an API key under Credentials.
Step 4: In the plugin settings, select “Google Places API” and paste your API key.
Option B: Outscraper API Setup
Step 1: Create an account at outscraper.com.
Step 2: Copy your API key from your Outscraper dashboard.
Step 3: In the plugin settings, select “Outscraper API” and paste your API key.
Step 4: Set the “Maximum Reviews Per Place” (default: 20). This controls how many reviews are fetched and cached per place.
Tip: If you only need a few reviews and don’t need images, Google Places API is simpler and faster. If you need more than 5 reviews or want review images, use Outscraper.
Settings Overview
Navigate to “Google Reviews Feed Pro” > “Settings” to configure the plugin.
API Settings
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| API Provider | Choose between Google Places API or Outscraper API. |
| API Key | Your Google or Outscraper API key. |
| Maximum Reviews Per Place | Outscraper only — how many reviews to fetch per place (default: 20). |
| Language | Language for reviews. “Use Site Language” auto-detects from your WordPress settings. 70+ languages supported. |
Display Settings
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Review Star Icons | Customize the full and blank star icons. Accepts icon class names (e.g., fa fa-star), image URLs, or raw HTML/SVG. Leave blank for default star images. |
| Truncate Review Text | Enable “Read More / Read Less” for long reviews. |
Caching Settings
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Enable Caching | Store reviews in the database to avoid repeated API calls. Strongly recommended. |
| Caching Time | How many hours before cached data expires (default: 24). |
| Background Re-caching | Automatically refresh expired cache entries in the background via WordPress cron. |
Tip: Keep caching enabled to reduce API costs and improve page load speed. With background re-caching on, expired entries are refreshed automatically — visitors always see cached data while fresh data loads behind the scenes.
Display Modes
The plugin supports three display modes:
| Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| Full Reviews | Individual review cards showing avatar, author name, star rating, date, review text, and images (Outscraper only). Available in List, Grid, or Carousel layouts. |
| Rating Summary | A compact card showing the aggregate rating with stars and total review count. |
| Overall Rating Only | Just the numeric overall rating value (e.g., “4.5”). |
Using the Elementor Widget
If you have Elementor installed, the plugin provides a fully-featured widget with visual style controls.
Step 1: Add the Widget
Open a page in the Elementor editor and search for “Google Reviews” in the widget panel. It appears under the {CODICTS} category. Drag it onto your page.
Step 2: Enter a Place ID or Name
In the widget’s Content tab under “Place Settings”, enter a Google Place ID (e.g., ChIJN1t_tDeuEmsRUsoyG83frY4) or a business name (e.g., “Empire State Building”). If you enter a business name, the plugin resolves it to a Place ID automatically.
Tip: To find a Place ID, use Google’s Place ID Finder. Using a Place ID is more reliable than a business name, especially for businesses with common names.
Step 3: Choose Display Settings
| Setting | Options |
|---|---|
| Display Type | Full Reviews, Rating Summary, or Overall Rating Only. |
| Layout Template | List, Grid, or Carousel (Full Reviews only). |
| Columns | 1–6 columns for Grid and Carousel layouts. Responsive per device. |
| Number of Reviews | 1–100 reviews to display. |
Step 4: Configure Filtering & Sorting
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Star Rating Filter | Show only reviews with a specific star rating (1–5), or show all. |
| Sort By | Most Relevant, Newest, Highest Rating, or Lowest Rating. |
| Include Reviews Without Text | Whether to include reviews that only have a star rating and no written text. |
| Enable Read More/Less | Truncate long reviews with a “Read More” toggle. |
Step 5: Set Up Images (Outscraper Only)
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Show Review Images | Display images attached to reviews. |
| Visible Images Per Review | How many images to show before a “+N more” expander (1–10). |
Step 6: Configure Carousel (If Using Carousel Layout)
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Autoplay | Automatically scroll through reviews, with speed control. |
| Navigation | None, Arrows, Dots, or Both. |
| Loop | Continuously loop back to the beginning. |
Step 7: Set Up Pagination
| Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| None | All reviews shown at once. |
| Numbered | Page buttons (1, 2, 3…) with Previous/Next. Replaces content on click. |
| Load More | A “Load More Reviews” button that appends new reviews below. |
| Infinite Scroll | Automatically loads more reviews as the user scrolls down. |
Note: Pagination is not available for the Carousel layout. Also, with Google Places API (max 5 reviews), pagination is impractical — use Outscraper for meaningful pagination.
Step 8: Style Your Widget
Switch to the Style tab for full control over the visual appearance. Style sections include:
Review Card (background, border, shadow, padding), Typography (author name, review text, date), Star Rating (size, spacing, colors), Review Images (border radius, spacing), Carousel Navigation (arrow and dot colors), Pagination (alignment, button styles with hover/active states), Read More Button (typography, colors), and Rating Display (alignment, typography, container styling).
Note: In the Elementor editor, if no cached data exists, you’ll see a “Preview Mode” message. This is by design to avoid unnecessary API calls while editing. Save the page and view it on the frontend to see live reviews.
Using the Shortcode
For sites without Elementor, use the shortcode on any page or post:
[codicts-google-reviews-feed-pro field="YOUR_PLACE_ID"]Common Examples
Grid with pagination:
[codicts-google-reviews-feed-pro field="ChIJN1t_tDeuEmsRUsoyG83frY4" template="grid" column_count="3" pagination_mode="numbered" per_page="6"]Carousel with autoplay:
[codicts-google-reviews-feed-pro field="ChIJN1t_tDeuEmsRUsoyG83frY4" template="carousel" autoplay="true" navigation="dots" column_count="3"]Rating summary only:
[codicts-google-reviews-feed-pro field="ChIJN1t_tDeuEmsRUsoyG83frY4" type="summary"]Only 5-star reviews, newest first:
[codicts-google-reviews-feed-pro field="ChIJN1t_tDeuEmsRUsoyG83frY4" star_rating="5" sort_by="newest"]All Shortcode Attributes
| Attribute | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
field | (required) | Google Place ID or business name. |
type | reviews | Display mode: reviews, summary, or overall. |
template | grid | Layout: list, grid, or carousel. |
item_count | 10 | Total reviews to retrieve. |
column_count | 3 | Columns for grid/carousel. |
autoplay | false | Carousel autoplay. |
navigation | none | Carousel navigation: none, arrows, dots, both. |
include_images | true | Show review images (Outscraper only). |
img_breakpoint | 3 | Visible images before “+N more” expander. |
include_empty_text | true | Include reviews without text. |
star_rating | 0 | Filter by star rating (0 = all, 1–5). |
sort_by | most_relevant | Sort: most_relevant, newest, highest_rating, lowest_rating. |
truncate_text | true | Enable Read More/Less. |
read_more_text | Read More | Custom “Read More” label. |
read_less_text | Read Less | Custom “Read Less” label. |
pagination_mode | none | Pagination: none, numbered, load_more, infinite. |
per_page | 6 | Reviews per page when pagination is enabled. |
You can also use the Shortcode Builder in the Settings page to generate shortcodes interactively.
Cache Management
The main “Google Reviews Feed Pro” admin page shows a list of all cached review entries. Each entry displays the Place ID, data summary (total rating, total reviews, cached review count), cache status, expiry time, and API type.
Cache Statuses
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Active (green) | Cache is valid and being served to visitors. |
| Expired (red) | Cache has expired. Will be refreshed on the next request or by background re-caching. |
| Processing (blue) | An API request is currently in progress for this place. |
| Incomplete (yellow) | Cache entry exists but has no data yet. |
Available Actions
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Regenerate | Deletes the cache entry so fresh data is fetched on the next request. |
| Delete | Permanently removes the cache entry. |
| Cancel Processing | Releases a stuck processing lock (only for entries in “Processing” status). |
| Clear All Cache | Removes all cached data at once. |
Tip: If reviews appear outdated, click Regenerate next to the entry. The next time someone visits the page, fresh reviews will be fetched from the API.
Review Images & Lightbox
When using Outscraper API, reviews can include images. These are displayed below the review text in a gallery format.
The “Visible Images Per Review” setting controls how many images are shown initially. If a review has more images, a “+N more” button appears. Clicking it reveals the rest.
Clicking any review image opens a built-in lightbox with full-size image viewing, previous/next navigation, keyboard arrow support, and touch swipe on mobile.
Note: Review images are only available with Outscraper API. Google Places API does not return review images.
SEO & Schema Markup
The plugin automatically generates schema.org structured data for search engines. Each review card includes microdata for the author, rating, date, and review body. A JSON-LD block with aggregate rating data is also output for the overall listing.
This helps search engines understand your review content and can lead to rich snippet displays in search results.
Troubleshooting
Reviews Not Loading
Verify your API key is correct in the plugin settings. For Google, make su