Facebook Page recommendations: how the rating works and why some Pages don’t show one

Facebook Pages used to be rated with stars. Since 2018 the question has been different: would you recommend this business — yes or no, plus a few words. Those answers make up the Page’s rating, which people often see before they ever message you. And there are a few rules most people don’t know about.

1 / 4How the rating is calculated

1. 01
   Public only

   According to Facebook’s Help Center, only recommendations shared publicly count toward a Page’s overall rating.

2. 02
   Five is the minimum

   Until a Page has at least five recommendations, no overall rating is shown. That’s why new Pages have recommendations but no number.

3. 03
   Different people, different numbers

   A recommendation the author shared with friends only is visible only to them. So the number of recommendations can differ from person to person.

4. 04
   Spam gets removed

   Facebook removes recommendations that break its spam rules — and the Page’s rating can change as a result.

2 / 4How to ask for a recommendation

1. 05
   At the right moment

   Ask when the customer is happy: when they pick up their order or right after they thank you.

2. 06
   Show them the way

   Here’s how to leave one: the Page › Details › Reviews › yes or no › text › Share. Send the customer a link to your Page along with these short steps.

3. 07
   Specific words

   Facebook suggests writing about the product or service and your own experience. A recommendation like that helps other people more, too.

4. 08
   Publicly

   If the customer doesn’t mind, ask them to share it publicly: only public recommendations count toward the rating.

3 / 4What’s not allowed

1. 09
   On your own Page

   Under Facebook’s rules, people involved in managing a Page shouldn’t recommend it.

2. 10
   Fake recommendations

   Facebook doesn’t check whether someone actually bought anything, but it removes recommendations it considers spam. A fake one may simply drop out of your rating.

4 / 4What a Page owner can do

1. 11
   Turn them on or off

   Recommendations are turned on and off in your Page settings. It’s better to keep them on: for a new customer, they’re one of the first signs that people trust the Page.

2. 12
   Report a violation

   If a recommendation breaks Facebook’s rules, you can report it.

3. 13
   Reply

   A thank-you for a good recommendation and a calm reply to a bad one tell a new customer more than the number itself.

✓The bottom line

The rating only counts public recommendations and doesn’t appear at all until there are five. So asking five happy customers for a recommendation is one of the most useful things you can do for your Page.

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