How long does it take for Facebook reviews to show up

If you’ve noticed that your business’s page reviews haven’t been visible lately, you aren’t alone. This can be an alarming problem for small businesses that rely on reviews to bring customers in. Facebook accounts for 19% of all customer reviews online, putting it right up there with Google as a review amplifier.

In a 2018 update, Facebook decided to begin changing its review system to recommendations. The aim was to allow business pages to appear when users would post asking for recommendations. While their intention of better serving users seemed like a noble one, it hasn’t exactly been a smooth transition for business owners.

So, if you’ve returned to your Facebook business page after a break, you may find things have changed. There are no more stars — customers simply answer the yes or no question “would you recommend this business?”

Is this thing on?

One of the most common Facebook FAQs ‘Why aren’t my reviews showing?’ The most common answer? Because they aren’t switched on!

So, before getting started, you should make sure that you have your recommendations turned on. Just because you didn’t switch them off, doesn’t mean that it hasn’t happened. You will also need to make sure your business has claimed its Facebook page.

All you have to do is to navigate to your Facebook business page. From here you will click on Page Settings> Templates and Tabs> and click to the right of the ‘Reviews’ tab, to toggle it on. Check out Facebook’s Help Centre for full instructions.

Claim it and name it

Claiming your Page for your business is done using the Facebook Business Manager, which allows you to either add an existing page to your business manager account or ask to access a page owned by another person. Your business must claim your Facebook page because this allows you to enable reviews.

1. Go to the homepage and click on the gear icon to open the business manager’s settings.

2. Click ‘Accounts’, then ‘Pages’ and then ‘Add’. This is where you will be asked if you wish to choose between adding an existing page or claiming somebody else’s page. Either way, you will have to enter the page name or URL.

With your business page claimed and reviews turned on, you will be able to reap the rewards of one of the biggest review banks on the web.

The benefits of recommendations for small, locally-based businesses

In the world of modern business, the review is now king. Seeing as one in three Facebook users use the platform to ask for recommendations, it is important to make sure that you are on top of your review game.

As a small to mid-sized and locally-based business, you are privy to some preferential treatment when it comes to Facebook’s review system. That’s right people, for once, things are geared up to suit local, brick-and-mortar businesses. Hurrah!

Between the ‘Nearby Places’ feature on the mobile app, the ability to see reviews from Facebook friends, brick and mortar businesses that rely on local customers stand to benefit hugely from getting good Facebook reviews.

The best strategy for getting reviews

With a good review strategy, businesses can gain more clout online, driving growth and brand awareness — but how do you encourage customers to give you reviews? The best way it turns out is to just ask them. How you do that is up to you.

As it turns out, people love to give their opinion about services they have experienced. Asking a customer to leave a review as part of your company’s customer experience is not only valuable to you, it makes the customer feel acknowledged and appreciated. Don’t be afraid of a negative review either – it is an opportunity to learn, provide excellent customer service and show Facebook users (all 2.7 billion of them) what your business is about.

In short

Making sure that your business is asking for and acknowledging feedback is the industry standard for local businesses in the modern world – especially on a platform like Facebook. Listening to what your customers have to say will bring you more customers.

Facebook reviews are valuable to businesses. Customers value reviews from genuine patrons who can provide details about their experience, as it helps them build trust in your company.

An essential element of brand reputation management and online marketing, Facebook reviews are important to have on your business page. But if those reviews don’t show up, you’ll miss out on the benefits they could offer your business. Fortunately, there are several ways to fix that issue.

Does my business need Facebook reviews?

If you have a Facebook Business Page, then encouraging your customers to review your business maximizes the value you get from that page and the return on the time you’ve invested in your social media marketing.

Customer reviews add authenticity to a business page and help potential customers make buying decisions. Positive reviews may prompt a Facebook user following your page to stop into your store or make their first purchase on your website, converting that lead into a paying customer.

Even responding to negative reviews allows you the chance to demonstrate that you value your customers and are invested in customer satisfaction.

Why aren’t my Facebook reviews showing up?

There are several reasons you may not see your Facebook reviews. The first is that Facebook has transitioned from reviews to recommendations. Facebook is no longer using the star ratings that customers relied on for years. Instead, when leaving a review, customers are asked whether they would or would not recommend a business.

While Facebook has done away with star ratings, the meat of the reviews — the comments — are still there. With Facebook recommendations, customers can continue to leave detailed feedback about your business. The star ratings you received are still used and factor into your business’s overall rating.

Keep in mind that there is a delay between when a customer leaves a review and when it posts on your business page. A customer might leave a review while still in your store, but it may not show up for several hours.

If you do not see any reviews or page ratings, and your customers can’t find a way to leave ratings for you, you may need to turn on your reviews. If your review section is hidden, it will be difficult for customers to figure out how to review your business.

How to fix missing Facebook reviews

If you do not see reviews because your Facebook reviews are off, you can fix the issue in just a few minutes.

Facebook gives businesses the option to turn their reviews off, which will hide your existing reviews and prevent followers from being able to leave new reviews. This can be helpful if you’re experiencing problems with spam or fake reviews, or if you’ll be away from your business temporarily and won’t have time to monitor reviews.

When you turn your reviews off, Facebook will save your existing reviews. You can enable reviews in the future, and your old reviews will be visible again.

To turn your business reviews on:

1. Log into your Facebook account and go to your business Facebook page.
2. Under your “Manage Page” section, click on the “Settings” button. You will see a menu on the left-hand side of the page and should click on the “Templates and Tabs” section.
3. Look for “Reviews” and toggle the option to “On.”

Your reviews tab will now be visible, and customers will be able to leave new reviews and see the previous page reviews.

How to get more Facebook reviews for your business

Once you’ve turned your Facebook reviews on, you will need to encourage customers to leave testimonials about your business. You can do that in several ways.

Share reviews on your website

Embedding some Facebook reviews on your website not only builds buyer confidence in your business, but also reminds them that they can leave a review. Include a call to action on your site, asking customers to take a few minutes to write a review. Provide the link to your business Facebook profile, so it’s easy for them to get to your page.

Encourage new customers to leave a review

If you engage with new customers in person at your store, thank them for their business and ask them to leave a review at the end of the checkout process. If you don’t see new customers in person, follow up with a thank-you email or SMS message and include a link to your Facebook page so they can quickly leave a review.

Reach out to your entire social network

Periodically post on your social media profiles and ask customers to leave a review. Explain how critical reviews are for small businesses, and remind them that it only takes a few minutes. Direct them to your Facebook profile with a link, and thank them for taking the time to support your business.

Manage your social media with Broadly

Facebook is critical for businesses, and online reviews are crucial to your small business’s digital marketing and reputation management. Broadly can help you gather more Facebook reviews and monitor what people say about your business online.

Why are my reviews on Facebook not showing?

How do I get my reviews to show up on Facebook?

Do Facebook reviews have to be approved?