Did you know Facebook reviews are now enabled by default whenever a new business page is created? If you haven’t received a new customer review in a while, though, it could be that your Facebook page has reviews turned off.
It’s not uncommon to accidentally turn off Facebook reviews or forget how to turn them back on, so it’s worth double-checking that your reviews are enabled. This ensures that your reviews and review ratings are visible to customers and that they can leave you a review.
Before getting started, it’s good to remember that Facebook reviews and Facebook recommendations are the same thing. Enabling reviews is the same as enabling recommendations.
Below, find out how Facebook reviews have changed, how to enable reviews (with step-by-step instructions), why a business might disable reviews on Facebook, and, last but not least, how your business can get more Facebook reviews to boost its social media presence.
Key Takeaways
- You may have heard many different terms for Facebook reviews. First, you’ll get a quick history of this feature and how it has changed over time.
- Facebook reviews matter. Learn why you should care and what’s possible if you invite visitors to leave reviews.
- Learn the step-by-step process that will help you enable business reviews if they’ve been disabled for any reason.
- Your reviews may not show up correctly, anyway. Learn what to do when this happens.
What Are Facebook Reviews and Recommendations?
Facebook’s reviews are called recommendations. You may have read some confusing guides on this topic because Facebook has adjusted this feature many times, and many online guides are outdated. Here’s a quick history of how we got here so you can understand why they matter.
Facebook first launched “Fan Pages” in November 2007 to cater to the growing business presence on the platform. These new Pages allowed businesses, organizations, and public figures to create a professional online property to make on-topic Facebook posts and interact with potential customers.
Facebook Business Page Reviews were launched in 2012 and allowed users to leave public and permanent reviews. Facebook continued to refine and expand its business-related features, including analytics, advertising tools, and e-commerce integrations. In 2018, Facebook updated its reviews to include the Recommendations feature.
Star ratings and reviews from the old system appear on business review pages, but the new recommendation system no longer offers the star scale.
The newer recommendations offer more than just a rating. A recommendation indicates that the reviewer has had an overall positive experience and encourages others to have the same. The term “Facebook Recommendations” is commonly used to refer to the remarks made by people who visit a business’s Facebook page.
Why Should You Care about Your Facebook Reviews?
Facebook’s Business Page Reviews are a user-generated assessment and commentary system built into Facebook’s Pages.
The reviews combine detailed feedback and evaluations with a star rating system, making them indispensable tools for businesses active on Facebook to evaluate customer satisfaction, improve credibility, and actively engage with their audience.
Actively managing your reviews and interacting with the people who leave them can help you build a strong online presence, increase your search engine rankings, and attract new clients.
These user-generated reviews on Facebook Business Pages come from your clients, customers, or other stakeholders who have interacted with you in various ways, such as making purchases, visiting your physical locations, or signing up for a trial run of your services.
What they have to say can create a valuable repository of feedback. Over time, that feedback can give you deep insights into product or service quality, customer service responsiveness, pricing considerations, and total satisfaction.
The user-generated reviews and ratings you earn are prominently displayed on your business’s dedicated Facebook Business Page, so any visitor can easily assess them. This visibility can seriously influence your customers’ and visitors’ impressions and buying decisions.
Facebook encourages interaction between businesses and their customers, and you should take advantage of this by replying positively to good and bad reviews.
When you respond to the reviews, express gratitude for positive feedback or address concerns raised in negative reviews. The two-way conversation demonstrates the business’s commitment to client contentment and shaping people’s perceptions.
Step-by-Step: How to Enable Reviews (Recommendations) on Facebook
To turn on Facebook Business Page Reviews, follow these five steps below.
- Navigate to the Account tab. Log in to the Facebook account and go to the Facebook Business Page to enable reviews.
- Select “Settings”. Click on “Show menu” in the top-left corner of the Facebook Page. Showing multiple options, choose “Settings”.
- Click on “Privacy” to access privacy-related settings in the left-hand menu.
- Go to “Page and Tagging”. Under the “Privacy” settings, find and click on “Page and Tagging” to access options related to the Page’s visibility and interaction.
- Enable the “Allow others to view and leave reviews on your Page” Option. Find the setting that says “Allow others to view and review your Page” in the “Page” section of the “Page and Tagging” settings. Check that the switch is set to “on” or “enabled.”
If you need more help, you can find the complete procedures below.
1. Navigate to the Account Tab
Navigate to the account tab or the Facebook Business Page by clicking the business account profile.
2. Select “Settings”
Select “Settings” by clicking “Show Menu” on the top left hand corner of the screen.
3. Click on “Privacy”
Click on “Privacy” to get to the settings where “Page and tagging” is seen.
4. Go to “Page and Tagging”
Go to “Page and tagging” that is shown on the multiple options in “Privacy” settings.
5. Enable the “Allow others to view and leave reviews on your Page” option in the “Page Section”
Enable the “Allow others to view and leave reviews on your Page” option in the “Page Section”. Allowing the business page to receive reviews from customers.
Why can’t I see the reviews on my Facebook page?
A user who can’t see the reviews on the Facebook page has several reasons, such as the disabled “Allow others to view and leave reviews on your Page” option, review privacy settings, and Facebook glitches.
The Facebook Reviews tab on the business page may be disabled, which explains why the Facebook Recommendation is not showing. Navigate to the Account Tab within the Facebook business account settings. Once there, select “Settings” from the available options.
Click on “Privacy,” which grants access to privacy settings related to the page. Within the “Page and Tagging” section, you can find a crucial option labeled “Allow others to view and leave reviews on your Page. ”
Ensure that the option is enabled. Activating the setting grants permission for others to post reviews on the Facebook Page, making them visible to visitors who access the business page.
Facebook’s platform sometimes encounters glitches and errors, particularly when undergoing significant updates or layout changes. These glitches lead to issues where Facebook reviews don’t display correctly or appear missing.
Being patient in these circumstances is best, as the issues subside independently. Consider taking screenshots as a precautionary measure to safeguard the reviews. Staying informed about any updates or announcements from Facebook regarding known issues is a wise practice in such times.
It is crucial to report any issues with one’s Facebook page, including problems with Facebook recommendations not displaying correctly. Reporting helps address concerns and maintain a fair and reliable platform. There are several steps to report such issues.
Access the drop-down box within the personal Facebook account and navigate to the ‘Help and Support’ option at the screen’s top right-hand corner.
Follow the provided prompts to report the problem effectively. The collective effort of reporting issues prompts Facebook to take the necessary actions to resolve them and improve the platform’s functionality.
Enable Your Facebook Reviews and Start Getting More with ReputationStacker
There is an easier and more effective way to get online reviews for your business, not just on Facebook, but also on Google reviews and any of your business’s most important review sites and social media platforms.
Automating the process is easier and much more effective. That’s why thousands of businesses use ReputationStacker, a reputation management software tool that automatically sends review requests to customers using a proven approach to getting more reviews.
Ultimately, creating complex review links or investing time and effort into a manual review marketing strategy is unnecessary when ReputationStacker will handle everything automatically for both large and small businesses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Facebook Recommendations Matter for Your Business
Receiving both positive and negative reviews has benefits for your business; positive reviews will make your business more appealing to customers by offering social proof of your quality.
Positive Facebook reviews can also improve your page’s reach, as they can appear in Google search results and improve the chance of your content appearing in customers’ Facebook feeds.
On the other hand, negative reviews add a layer of authenticity to your Facebook Business page while helping customers make better purchase decisions through the details provided in reviews (a bad point for one customer might be a good point for another customer). Still, positive reviews are better than negative reviews. What’s even better is when a business receives positive reviews regularly.
Why Disable Facebook Reviews?
Turning off Facebook reviews does not delete reviews or business ratings; it only hides them from the public eye. It also prevents customers from posting new reviews.
Why is disabling reviews a feature on Facebook? The simple answer is that a business might disable Facebook reviews to hide a bad rating and the negative customer reviews that caused it. Another reason might be to prevent receiving more bad reviews while any customer service issues are resolved.
Should You Turn Off Facebook Reviews?
Despite the above points, turning off Facebook reviews is not recommended. Hiding your rating and reviews can have a negative impact on your business, as it can be perceived as though your business has something to hide.
It’s natural to want to hide a bad rating, but if reviews are disabled, it will also hide the positive reviews you have received. This leaves nothing for new customers to go by, and as a result, they might assume the worst about your business before looking elsewhere. Whether a customer sees negative or no reviews, the outcome will likely be the same: the customer will consider other options. This means that turning off reviews is not beneficial or even the solution to fix a bad rating.
