Facebook replaced star ratings with Recommendations in 2018. Here's how to turn on Recommendations, ask for them compliantly, respond effectively, and use Facebook's social graph to amplify what satisfied customers say.
By Abhishek Gharat Last updated
A Google review is seen by people searching for a business like yours. A Facebook Recommendation is seen by the reviewer's friends and connections — people who trust the reviewer personally. When someone recommends your business on Facebook, that endorsement appears in their friends' feeds, in local groups, and on your Page simultaneously.
This social amplification means one strong Facebook Recommendation from a local influencer or well-connected community member can drive more immediate walk-in traffic than ten anonymous Google reviews. For community-driven businesses — local restaurants, family-run retail, neighbourhood services — Facebook Recommendations are often the highest-converting review source.
Recommendations are not on by default for all Facebook Pages. To enable them:
If you are using Meta Business Suite and managing a new-style Page, look in Manage Page → Page Settings → Content Controls for the Reviews toggle.
Your Facebook review link is: facebook.com/YourPageUsername/reviews
The highest-converting places to share it:
The phrasing that works best for Facebook Recommendations is social, not transactional. Customers are more likely to post when they feel they are helping a business they like, not completing a task.
The most common reason customers don't leave a recommendation is the blank-page problem — they don't know what to say. Help them by sharing 2–3 guiding questions in your message:
Responding to recommendations is more important on Facebook than on most other platforms because your response is visible to the reviewer's entire friend network. When someone recommends you and you respond warmly, their friends see the exchange in their feed — turning one recommendation into a referral signal.
Keep responses genuine, brief, and personal. Using a customer's name if it is visible, mentioning what they came for, and ending with an invitation to return is the formula that builds the most goodwill.
A negative Facebook Recommendation is public to the reviewer's network. Respond promptly, professionally, and without arguing. Acknowledge the concern, offer a direct contact to resolve it, and invite the customer to return for a better experience. Future readers care far more about how you handle criticism than about the criticism itself.
If the recommendation contains false information or violates Facebook's Community Standards, use the three-dot menu to report it. See the full guide: How to remove fake Facebook reviews →
For most businesses, Google should be the primary review platform because Google reviews directly affect your local search ranking and Map Pack visibility. Facebook Recommendations should be secondary — but they matter more than Google for businesses where the customer base is active on Facebook and where social proof within a community is the primary trust mechanism.
The ideal strategy uses Saint Aura for a consistent Google review collection flow, then adds a secondary request for a Facebook Recommendation in follow-up messages to happy customers.
Facebook replaced its traditional star-rating system with a Recommendations system in 2018. Instead of leaving a star rating, visitors to your Page can recommend (or not recommend) your business and add a written reason. The recommendation appears as a thumbs-up or thumbs-down with optional text. Facebook still displays an average score based on these recommendations, but the input format is yes/no plus text rather than 1–5 stars.
Go to your Facebook Page and open Settings → Templates and Tabs. Ensure the Reviews tab is enabled. If you are using a newer Meta Business Suite Page template, look in Page Settings under the Content controls for the Reviews/Recommendations toggle. Once enabled, a Reviews tab appears on your Page and visitors can leave a recommendation.
Yes. Facebook allows businesses to invite customers to recommend them. You can share your review link (facebook.com/YourPage/reviews) in messages, emails or on receipts. Unlike Yelp, Facebook does not algorithmically filter solicited recommendations.
Your review link follows the pattern facebook.com/YourPageUsername/reviews. Open your Facebook Page, click the Reviews tab, and copy the URL from your browser. If your Page does not have a custom username, the format will use your Page ID: facebook.com/PAGEID/reviews.
Hover over the recommendation, click the three-dot menu, and select 'Report Recommendation'. Choose the appropriate reason — spam, fake account, or violation of Community Standards. Facebook reviews flagged content against its guidelines. For a coordinated attack from multiple fake accounts, you can also report through Meta Business Support for faster escalation.
Navigate to your Facebook Page's Settings, then select Templates and Tabs. Find the Reviews tab in the list and ensure the toggle is switched to ON. If you use Meta Business Suite, the setting may be under Page Settings → Content Controls. Once enabled, the Reviews tab will be visible on your Page.
No. Buying Facebook reviews, recommendations, or ratings is a direct violation of Meta's Community Standards on spam and inauthentic behavior. Accounts and Pages caught buying or selling reviews face penalties, including permanent removal from the platform. Fake recommendations also erode customer trust and are often easy for potential customers to spot.
If you don't see a 'Reviews' or 'Recommendations' tab on a business's Facebook Page, it means the Page administrator has not enabled the feature. Businesses have the option to turn recommendations on or off in their Page settings.
A Facebook Recommendation is for a Business Page and involves a public 'Yes' or 'No' endorsement with optional text, contributing to an overall Page score. A Marketplace rating is for a specific transaction between a buyer and a seller on Facebook Marketplace. It uses a 1-to-5 star system and is private to the buyer and seller profiles until both have submitted a rating.
After a transaction, go to your Marketplace purchase history. Find the item and the seller you want to rate. You will see an option to 'Rate Seller' or 'Rate Buyer'. You can assign a 1-5 star rating and choose from pre-selected tags to describe the experience.
Facebook Marketplace uses a separate rating system from Business Pages. While Page Recommendations are for the business as a whole, Marketplace ratings are for specific buyer-seller transactions.
A business that sells on Marketplace will have both a Page score (from Recommendations) and individual seller ratings (from Marketplace transactions).
Losing access to your Facebook account or Business Page prevents you from managing your online reputation, including responding to Recommendations. This typically happens due to perceived violations of Facebook's Community Standards or Advertising Policies.
If your access is restricted:
Resolving account issues can take time. This is a process managed entirely by Meta, and Saint Aura cannot intervene or expedite it. Regularly checking your Account Quality page is the best way to monitor your status.
Saint Aura generates a guided review flow, QR code, and SMS/WhatsApp message for any review platform — with AI-assisted drafts in 20+ languages so your customers never face a blank page. Set it up once, collect reviews automatically after every visit.
