How to Activate Reviews on a Facebook Page

Wondering how to get those powerful star ratings and customer testimonials to show up on your business page? You’re in the right place. Activating reviews on your Facebook Page is a simple toggle, but understanding how to manage them is what truly builds trust and community. This guide will walk you through the exact steps to enable reviews (now called Recommendations), troubleshoot common issues, and give you a simple strategy for making the most of your customer feedback.

First, A Quick Change to Know: Reviews are Now Recommendations

Before we go any further, it's important to understand a key change Facebook (now Meta) made. The feature traditionally known as "Reviews" has been updated and is now called "Recommendations." From a user’s perspective, the function is largely the same, but the language has shifted. Instead of just leaving a star rating, customers are asked if they "recommend" your business and can then add tags, photos, and text to support their opinion.

While people still search for "how to activate Facebook reviews," the setting you'll be looking for inside Facebook often uses the term "Recommendations." Functionally, they serve the same purpose: providing social proof for your business. We’ll use both terms, but just know that "Recommendations" is the official setting you're looking to enable.

Why Activating Facebook Recommendations is a Smart Move

In a world of sponsored ads and polished marketing messages, genuine customer feedback cuts through the noise. Social proof is one of the most powerful tools a business has for building credibility. When a potential customer sees that others have had a positive experience with your brand, it instantly lowers their hesitation and builds trust.

Here’s why you shouldn't ignore this feature:

• Builds Instant Trust: A page with positive, authentic recommendations feels more legitimate and trustworthy than one without. It shows you’re an active business with real customers and you're confident enough to let them speak for you.
• Boosts Local SEO: Search engines like Google take signals from multiple platforms. Your Facebook reviews can appear in search results for your business name, enriching your brand's presence and providing another positive touchpoint for prospective customers.
• Provides Invaluable Feedback: Recommendations aren’t just for show. They are a direct line to your customers. You learn what you're doing right and, just as importantly, where you can improve. Negative feedback, when handled correctly, can be a tool for growth.
• Increases Engagement: Responding to reviews - both positive and negative - is a form of public customer service. It shows you’re listening and that you care, which fosters a stronger community around your brand.

How to Activate Reviews on a Facebook Page: A Step-by-Step Guide

Facebook is always changing its interface, and the steps can differ slightly depending on whether your page is using the "New Pages Experience" or the older "Classic Pages" layout. We'll cover both scenarios so you can get this done in just a few clicks.

For the New Pages Experience (The Most Common Layout)

If your page has a clean, minimalist design and you switch between your personal profile and your page in the top-right corner, you're likely on the New Pages Experience. Here's how to turn on recommendations:

1. Switch to Your Page Profile: First, navigate to Facebook and make sure you're operating as your Page. You can do this by clicking your profile picture in the top-right corner and selecting "See all profiles," then choosing your business page.
2. Go to Your Professional Dashboard: Once on your Page's main feed, look for the Manage button near your cover photo, or find the "Professional Dashboard" link in the left-hand menu. Click it.
3. Access Page Settings: Inside the Professional Dashboard, scroll down the left-side menu until you find "Your Page" settings. Click on Page settings. Sometimes you might need to find "Page Access" first and then navigate to Settings from there.
4. Find Your Privacy Settings: On the new Settings page menu in the upper-left, click on the Privacy tab.
5. Go to Page and Tagging: Inside the Privacy settings, you should see an option that says Page and tagging.
6. Turn on Recommendations: This is the final step! You'll see an option that says, "Allow others to post on your Page?" and a similar option that says "Allow others to view and leave recommendations on your Page?" Make sure this toggle is switched to the "On" position (it will turn blue).

That's it! Your Recommendations tab is now active. It may take a few moments to appear publicly on your page. It typically shows up in the tabs section underneath your page's cover photo, often accessible via a "More" dropdown.

For Classic Pages (The Older Layout)

If your page still has the more traditional layout with a prominent left and right sidebar and a "Settings" link in the corner of a top navigation bar, you're likely on a Classic Page. The process is a bit different here, focusing on page templates.

1. Go to Page Settings: From your Page's main view, look for the Settings link, usually located in the top-right corner of the management tools. Click it.
2. Select Templates and Tabs: In the left-hand menu of the Settings page, find and click on Templates and Tabs.
3. Check Your Current Template: Facebook applies a template to your page based on your business category (e.g., Services, Restaurants & Cafes, Business, Shopping). Some of these templates have the Reviews/Recommendations tab enabled by default, while others don't. The "Services" and "Restaurants & Cafes" templates usually do. If you think your template might be the problem, you can click "Edit" to browse other options that better suit your business. The "Business" template is a good general-purpose option with recommendations included.
4. Add or Enable the Reviews Tab: In the "Tabs" section, scroll down the list to see all the available tabs on your page. Look for a tab named Reviews or Recommendations. If it's already there but toggled off, simply click the switch to turn it on (it will appear blue). If you don’t see it, scroll to the bottom and click the Add a Tab button, then add "Reviews" or "Recommendations."
5. Reorder Your Tabs (Optional): Once the tab is enabled, you can click and drag the three horizontal lines next to the tab name to move it up or down in the list. To make it more visible, we recommend dragging it closer to the top, so it appears without users having to click "See More."

After following these steps, navigate back to your main page view, and the Recommendations tab should now be visible.

Strategies for Getting and Managing Facebook Reviews

Simply activating the feature is just the beginning. The real value comes from actively encouraging and managing the feedback you receive. Here are some actionable tips to make your Recommendations tab a powerful asset.

1. Don't Be Afraid to Ask Happy Customers

The simplest way to get reviews is to ask for them. The best time to ask is right after a positive interaction or a successful transaction, when the good experience is still fresh in your customer's mind. You can:

• Send a gentle follow-up email: After a purchase, send an email saying, "Thank you for your business! If you're happy with your experience, we'd love for you to share a recommendation on our Facebook page. It really helps others discover us!"
• Create a direct link: You can create a direct link to your Recommendations tab by going to your page, clicking the tab, and then copying the URL from your browser's address bar. It will look something like this: https://www.facebook.com/YourPageName/reviews. Put this link in your email signature, on your website, or in your follow-up messages.
• Use in-store signage: For brick-and-mortar businesses, a small sign at the checkout counter with a QR code that links directly to your reviews tab can be very effective.

2. Respond to Every Single Recommendation

This is non-negotiable for excellent community management. Responding shows you're engaged, appreciative, and that a real person is behind the brand.

• For positive feedback: A simple acknowledgment and thank you is all it takes. "Thanks so much, Jane! We're so glad you enjoyed the [product/service]. We hope to see you again soon!" This small effort validates the customer's time and effort.
• For negative feedback: This is an opportunity, not a crisis. Your public response shows other potential customers how you handle issues. Follow a simple framework:
  • Acknowledge and Apologize: Start by thanking them for the feedback and apologizing that their experience wasn't what they expected. "Hi Mark, thank you for bringing this to our attention. We're truly sorry to hear that your experience didn't meet your expectations."
  • Take It Offline: Avoid a lengthy public back-and-forth. Offer a solution to move the conversation to a private channel. "We want to make this right. Could you please send us a Direct Message with your contact information so a manager can reach out to you directly?"
  • Never Get Defensive: Even if you feel the review is unfair, a public argument only makes the business look bad. Stay professional, empathetic, and focused on resolution.

3. Showcase Your Best Feedback

When you receive a particularly glowing recommendation, share it! Take a screenshot of the review and create a new post on your page, thanking the customer (you can tag them if you think they’d be comfortable with it). This not only serves as great content but also subtly encourages others to leave their own feedback.

Troubleshooting: "My Facebook Reviews Are Not Showing Up!"

If you've enabled the setting but recommendations still aren't visible, one of these common issues might be the cause:

• Incorrect Page Category or Template: As mentioned in the classic page guide, some page templates have reviews disabled by default. Go back to Settings > Templates and Tabs and either add the tab or switch to a template like "Business" or "Services."
• Reviewer's Privacy Settings: If a specific person says they left a recommendation but you can't see it, their post's privacy might be set to "Friends" instead of "Public." Only public recommendations will appear on your Page for all visitors.
• You Have Page Restrictions: If your Page has age or country restrictions enabled, users who don't meet those criteria won't be able to see your page or leave a review. Check this under Settings > General > Country Restrictions or Age Restrictions.
• Facebook Moderation: Sometimes a review might get automatically flagged by Facebook's spam filters if it violates community standards or seems inauthentic. In these rare cases, the review won't appear, and this is generally outside of your direct control.

Final Thoughts

Turning on Facebook Recommendations is a simple setting that opens up a powerful channel for building customer trust and gathering valuable feedback. By following the steps for your Page version and actively managing the responses you receive, you can transform a simple feature into a cornerstone of your brand’s reputation.

Once you’ve got those recommendations flowing in, managing all the new comments and messages that come with them can become a task in itself. We built Postbase with a unified social inbox for exactly this reason. It brings all your DMs and comments from Facebook, Instagram, and your other profiles into one simple stream, so we can help you stay on top of every conversation and reply to every customer without constantly switching between apps.