Facebook Recommendations carry social graph trust that anonymous Google reviews can't replicate. Here's how local businesses manage, request, and use Facebook reviews as part of a complete reputation strategy.
Facebook Reviews (now formally called Facebook Recommendations) are one of the most underutilized reputation assets for local businesses. While Google reviews rightly get priority attention for Maps Pack rankings, Facebook has distinct advantages that make it worth maintaining alongside your Google presence.
This guide covers how Facebook reviews work, why they matter for local businesses, and how to build and manage them effectively in 2026.
For a closely related topic, see our guide to Nextdoor for local businesses.
In 2018, Facebook rebranded its review system from "star ratings" to "Recommendations." The key change: instead of leaving a 1–5 star rating, Facebook users answer the binary question "Do you recommend [business name]?" with a Yes or No.
Users who say Yes can add text, photos, and tags. Users who say No can add context. The result is displayed as a percentage ("95% of X people recommend this") and as individual recommendation posts.
What this means for your Facebook presence:
Who still uses Facebook to find local businesses: Despite Facebook's declining youth demographic, it remains the primary social platform for adults 35–65 in the US. For local businesses targeting homeowners, parents, and established professionals, Facebook is still where your customers spend time, and recommendations on the platform carry real social proof weight within their networks.
Social graph trust: When someone's friend recommends a business on Facebook, that recommendation appears in the friend's feed, a personal endorsement that carries more weight than an anonymous Google review. Your Facebook recommendations appear in the social feeds of people who know and trust your reviewers.
Facebook Local Search: Facebook has its own local discovery feature where users search for businesses near them. The number and quality of recommendations directly affects your Facebook local search visibility.
Google Indexing: Facebook Business Pages are publicly crawlable. Google indexes business information and reviews from Facebook Pages, your Facebook presence creates a citation and can appear in branded searches for your business name.
Cross-platform credibility: Prospective customers researching your business will often check Facebook alongside Google. A Facebook Page with 80 recommendations is a corroborating trust signal to the customer comparing you to a competitor who has no Facebook presence.
Some businesses have recommendations turned off by default. To check and enable:
Step 1: Go to your Facebook Business Page. Step 2: Click "Settings" at the top of the page. Step 3: Click "Templates and Tabs" in the left menu. Step 4: Find the "Reviews" tab and ensure it's turned on.
If you don't see a Reviews tab, click "Add a Tab" and add the Reviews tab to your page.
Facebook Review Settings: You can choose whether to show the star rating in your page header or just the recommendation percentage. Keep both visible, some users still scan for star ratings habitually.
Who to ask: Facebook recommendations work best when they come from people who are actual Facebook users, which means older customers (35+) who are active on the platform are your best targets.
How to ask: Direct message to Facebook connections: "Hi [Name], I wanted to reach out personally, if you've had a good experience with us, it would mean a lot if you'd leave a recommendation on our Facebook Page. It only takes a minute and really helps other [city] residents find us."
Email with a direct link: Include a link to your Facebook Page's reviews section in post-service emails. The direct URL format is: https://www.facebook.com/[yourbusinesspage]/reviews
In-person ask: For businesses with frequent face-to-face customer contact, a verbal request at the time of service paired with a follow-up message works well. "We're on Facebook, if you're happy with [service], a recommendation from you would really help."
QR code for Facebook reviews: Create a QR code linking directly to your Facebook reviews page. Add to receipts, business cards, and in-store signage alongside your Google review QR code.
Respond to every Facebook recommendation, positive and negative. The response is visible to everyone who views your page.
Responding to positive recommendations: Keep it personal and specific. Reference what they mentioned if they left text with their recommendation.
"Thanks so much, Maria! We really enjoyed working with your family on the kitchen renovation. Looking forward to seeing the finished photos if you share any!"
Responding to negative recommendations: Facebook's binary system means a "Not Recommended" without text is harder to address. When there's text, treat it like any negative review:
"Hi [Name], we're really sorry to hear about this. We take every concern seriously. Please reach out directly at [phone/email] so we can make this right. We want to earn your recommendation."
Google's relationship with Facebook data has evolved over time. Currently:
What Google indexes from Facebook:
Citation value: Your Facebook Business Page listing (with consistent NAP) counts as a citation for local SEO purposes. Consistent name, address, and phone across Google Business Profile and Facebook Business Page strengthens your local citation profile.
Facebook in Google Knowledge Panel: For many local businesses, Google's Knowledge Panel shows Facebook links alongside the business website and GBP. This creates a direct path for potential customers from Google to your Facebook reviews.
For Maps Pack ranking, Google reviews have direct ranking influence. Facebook recommendations do not directly affect Google Maps rankings.
Prioritization framework:
Priority 1: Google reviews (direct ranking signal + highest purchase intent traffic) Priority 2: Yelp reviews (high traffic for certain categories, Bing integration) Priority 3: Facebook recommendations (social proof within Facebook ecosystem, brand credibility signal)
Don't neglect Facebook if you have an active Facebook audience, but don't sacrifice Google review effort to build Facebook recommendations.
The practical approach: use the same post-service review request workflow for both. After service completion, send one message with links to both your Google review page and your Facebook recommendations page. Let customers choose the platform they prefer.
Use Flento's Google Review Management Software to monitor Google reviews while keeping Facebook recommendations visible in your reputation dashboard, managing both without logging into separate platforms.
Do Facebook reviews affect Google Maps rankings? Not directly. Facebook reviews don't contribute to your Google Business Profile star rating or your Maps Pack ranking. However, Facebook provides a citation signal (business name, address, phone) that contributes to your overall local authority, and Google indexes Facebook page content.
Can I remove negative Facebook recommendations? You can turn off the Reviews tab entirely (which removes all reviews from your page), but you cannot selectively remove individual negative recommendations that comply with Facebook's Community Standards. Facebook does allow flagging recommendations that violate their policies (hate speech, spam, clearly fake). For legitimate negative recommendations, the best approach is responding professionally and generating additional positive ones.
How do I get more Facebook recommendations quickly? The fastest method is a direct outreach campaign to existing customers who are Facebook users, personal messages asking them to share their experience. This is more effective than broad email campaigns because Facebook users engaged enough to recommend your business typically need a personal prompt to do so.
Is a Facebook Business Page necessary for local SEO? Not strictly necessary, many local businesses rank well without an active Facebook page. However, a Facebook Business Page provides a citation, a Google-indexed brand mention, and a second discovery platform for customers in the 35–65 demographic. The time investment in creating and maintaining a basic page is typically justified.
Facebook recommendations are a second-tier priority behind Google reviews for most local businesses, but they're worth maintaining. The social graph amplification (your happy customer's recommendation appears in their friends' feeds) is a trust signal that generic online reviews can't replicate.
Build a simple workflow: ask for Google reviews primarily, offer Facebook as an alternative in the same message, respond to everything. That approach generates a growing reputation presence across both platforms without requiring separate management systems.
