Anyone successfully using Google Review deep-links in 2026? Getting 400 errors

Questions
1

:bullseye: What is your goal?

Goal:
I want to automatically route customer feedback based on their star rating:
Happy customers (4-5 stars):

  • Receive a direct link that opens the Google Review writing page in one tap
  • Customer clicks → Google Review box opens → they type and post

Unhappy customers (1-3 stars):

  • Their complaint goes privately to the business owner
  • Never reaches Google publicly
  • Owner handles it privately
    The current problem:
    The direct Google Review link is giving a 400 error when customers click it — preventing happy customers from leaving their Google review easily.That is the complete goal

:thinking: What is the problem & what have you tried?

Problem Summary:

I have built an automated Google Review Management System using Make.com, Airtable, Brevo and Tally.

When a customer submits a 5 star review via our survey form the system automatically sends them an email with a button to leave a Google Review for the business.

The issue:

The Google Review deep-link button in the email is not working correctly. When customers click the button they get a 400 error saying “malformed or illegal request.”

What we have tried:

  1. https://search.google.com/local/writereview?placeid=ChIJpaid4-ed3w8RyJla43cdAUY — 400 error
  2. https://www.google.com/maps/place/?q=place_id:ChIJpaid4-ed3w8RyJla43cdAUY — opens wrong business
  3. https://www.google.com/maps/place/?q=place_id:ChIJpaid4-ed3w8RyJla43cdAUY#Reviews — opens wrong business
  4. https://search.google.com/local/writereview?cid=5044345458384345544 — 400 error

What we know:

  • The Google Maps listing for the business EXISTS and is verified :white_check_mark:
  • The listing has 15 reviews and 4.6 rating :white_check_mark:
  • The Place ID ChIJpaid4-ed3w8RyJla43cdAUY is confirmed correct from Google Place ID finder :white_check_mark:
  • When tested directly in browser the writereview URL gives 400 error
  • The short share link is: https://maps.app.goo.gl/4xMMYXHATnkQQXPa7

The question:

What is the correct URL format to use as a direct Google Review deep-link for this business?

Is there a working format for 2026 as Google may have changed their URL structure?
Additional context:- Business: Westlands Chow, Accra, Ghana

3

Welcome to the Make community!

This works for me.

image
image1461×1201 221 KB

These two links are identical. They both open the same page as the Google Maps short link (https://maps.app.goo.gl/4xMMYXHATnkQQXPa7) on my end.

Hope this helps! If you are still having trouble, please provide more details.

— @samliew
P.S.: investing some effort into the tutorials in the Make Academy will save you lots of time and frustration using Make!

4

I’d avoid constructing the review URL from Place ID/CID if it’s already inconsistent and instead test the ‘Ask for reviews’ link from the verified Business Profile dashboard. If that still breaks, the safer flow may be sending happy customers to the profile’s review section first rather than forcing the write-review modal.

5

I’d first isolate whether the issue is the link format or the business/place identifier by testing the same Place ID outside Make. If the old review URL pattern is failing, the safest fallback is usually generating the current Maps review URL from the live business profile rather than relying on an older deep-link format.