How to Get Ratings on a Facebook Business Page

Getting more positive recommendations on your Facebook Business Page can feel like a game-changer for building trust and attracting new customers. But waiting for them to trickle in on their own is a slow-growth strategy. This guide breaks down exactly how to proactively earn those valuable reviews - from setting the stage with an amazing customer experience to making it simple for your happy clients to share their feedback.

First Things First: Understanding Facebook's Switch from "Ratings" to "Recommendations"

You might still be thinking in terms of the old 5-star rating system, but Facebook made a significant change a few years ago. They replaced star ratings with Recommendations. Instead of choosing a number of stars, customers are now asked a simple question: "Do you recommend [Your Business Name]?"

Their answer is a straightforward "Yes" or "No."

Here's what that means for your page:

• The Yes/No System: It's a simple, binary choice. This makes it faster for customers to leave feedback.
• Tags and Photos: After saying "Yes" or "No," users are prompted to add more context through rich text, photos, and tags. These tags help highlight what your business does best (e.g., "good for groups," "friendly staff," "healthy options").
• Your Page's Score: Your overall Page Rating is a score out of 5, calculated based on the number of "Yes" and "No" recommendations you've received, along with any legacy star ratings your page might still have from before the change.

Even though the system has changed, the goal remains the same: prove to potential customers that you’re a trustworthy business worth choosing. Now, let’s get into how you can make that happen.

Why You Need More Recommendations (It's More Than Just a Score)

Before asking customers for their time, it helps to be clear on why this effort is so important. Facebook recommendations aren't just for vanity, they're a powerful business-building tool that directly influences your bottom line.

Builds Unbeatable Social Proof

According to research, nearly 9 out of 10 consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. Each "Yes" recommendation acts as a digital word-of-mouth referral. When a new visitor lands on your page and sees dozens of people vouching for your business, their confidence in you skyrockets. It removes friction and doubt, making them more likely to take the next step, whether that's making a purchase, scheduling an appointment, or walking through your door.

Improves Your Visibility

Facebook isn't just a social network, it's also a local search engine. When someone searches for "best coffee shop near me" or "reliable plumber," Facebook’s algorithm considers business pages with higher ratings and more recommendations to be more reputable. Consistent positive feedback can help your page rank higher in those local search results, driving organic traffic from people who are actively looking for the services you provide.

Provides Invaluable Feedback

Recommendations offer a direct line to your customers' thoughts. The tags and comments they leave are a goldmine of information about what you're doing right and where you can improve. Is everyone mentioning your "lightning-fast shipping"? Double down on that in your marketing. Did someone note that your checkout process was confusing? That's actionable feedback you can use to fix a problem you may not have known existed.

The Foundation: What to Do Before You Ask

You can't build a great reputation on a shaky foundation. Before you start sending out requests for recommendations, make sure your house is in order. Asking for a review when you're not ready will only lead to disappointment.

1. First, Enable Recommendations on Your Page

This sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised how often it's overlooked. If customers can't find where to leave a review, they won't. Here's a quick check:

• Go to your Facebook Business Page.
• Click Manage, then find Page access under Your tools.
• Select Page settings, then click on Privacy followed by Page and tagging.
• Look for the setting that says "Allow others to view and leave reviews on your Page." Make sure it's turned on.

2. Complete Your Page Profile

An incomplete profile looks unprofessional and untrustworthy. Make sure every section is filled out accurately: your business address, hours of operation, phone number, website link, and a compelling "About" section. Use a high-quality profile picture (usually your logo) and an engaging cover photo. Treat your page like a digital storefront, it should be clean, professional, and inviting.

3. Deliver a Recommendation-Worthy Experience

This is the most important step. No marketing trick or clever tactic can make up for a poor customer experience. The easiest way to get amazing recommendations is to consistently provide amazing service, products, and support. A genuinely happy customer is already primed to say good things about you, all you have to do is make it easy for them.

8 Proven Strategies to Get More Ratings on Your Facebook Page

Once your foundation is solid, you can start proactively encouraging customers to leave their feedback. Here are eight effective strategies to try.

1. Create and Share Your Direct Reviews Link

Don't make customers hunt for your reviews tab. Make it incredibly easy by giving them a direct link. You can find yours by going to your page and appending /reviews to the end of your page's URL.

For example: www.facebook.com/[YourPageName]/reviews

Keep this link handy. You can add it to your email signature, share it in messages, or turn it into a QR code.

2. Just Ask! The Simple and Direct Approach

Sometimes, the fear of rejection stops us from doing the simplest thing: asking. Coach your team to identify happy customers and make a request at the peak of their satisfaction. The best time to ask is right after they've had a positive experience.

• For service businesses: After completing a project and the client expresses gratitude. "I'm so glad you're happy with the results! If you have a moment, sharing your experience on our Facebook page would help us immensely."
• For retail businesses: After a customer raves about a product they just bought. "That's fantastic to hear! We live for feedback like that. If you'd be willing to share that thought on our Facebook page, it would mean the world to our team."
• For restaurants: When clearing a clean plate and a smiling customer tells you how much they enjoyed the meal.

3. Use Email Marketing to Automate the Process

Waiting to ask in person isn't always scalable. Use email marketing to automate your requests. Set up an automated email that goes out a few days after a customer has made a purchase or used your service. This gives them time to experience your product before you ask for an opinion.

Frame your email around asking for "feedback," not just a "review." It feels less transactional. For example:

"Hi [Customer Name],
Thanks again for your recent order! We'd love to hear your thoughts on your experience. Could you take 30 seconds to leave us feedback on our Facebook page? It helps us improve and lets others know what to expect."
And link directly to your reviews page!

4. Leverage QR Codes for Offline Businesses

If you have a brick-and-mortar location, QR codes are your best friend. Create a QR code that sends people directly to your Facebook reviews page. You can place it on:

• Receipts
• Business cards
• Table tents in a restaurant
• Flyers included in shopping bags
• Stickers on your front door or counter

This bridges the gap between the offline and online experience, capturing feedback while the good feelings are still fresh.

5. Add a Call-to-Action to Your Website

Your website is another key touchpoint. Add a permanent call-to-action inviting visitors to check out or leave reviews on your Facebook page. You can place this in your website's footer, on your contact page, or even create a dedicated "Testimonials" page that features your Facebook reviews and includes a link for customers to add their own.

6. Engage with Every Single Recommendation

When someone takes the time to leave you a recommendation - good or bad - respond to it. This shows you're listening and that you value customer feedback. For prospective customers, seeing a business owner who actively engages with reviews is a huge trust signal.

A simple "Thank you so much, [Name]! We're so glad you enjoyed the experience and hope to see you again soon" on a positive review goes a long way. And as we'll cover next, responding to negative feedback is even more important.

7. Create a Dedicated Facebook Post

Once in a while, it's perfectly fine to create a post directly asking your followers for their support. A simple graphic with text like "Have we worked with you?" or "Are you a fan of our coffee?" can be very effective.

In the caption, tell them what their feedback means to you and include the direct link to your reviews page. Don't overdo this - once a quarter is plenty.

8. Feature Glowing Reviews in Your Content

Turn your best recommendations into bite-sized content. Take a screenshot of a great review and share it as a post (be sure to tag the customer if they're a regular follower!). This does two things: it provides powerful social proof to your audience and subtly encourages others to leave a review in the hopes of being featured themselves.

How to Manage Negative Recommendations with Grace

No matter how great your business is, negative reviews are inevitable. How you handle them says everything about your company. Don't hide, don't delete (unless it violates Facebook's community standards), and don't get defensive.

1. Respond Quickly and Publicly. Acknowledge the comment promptly so the customer feels heard and others see you're responsive.
2. Apologize and Empathize. Start with an apology for their bad experience. You don't have to admit fault, but you can be sorry that they feel that way. (e.g., "I'm so sorry to hear your experience didn't meet your expectations.")
3. Take it Offline. Offer to resolve the issue privately. Provide a dedicated email address or phone number. "Please contact us at [email] so we can learn more and work to make this right."
4. Actually Follow Up. Use the feedback to improve. Reaching out allows you to solve the customer's problem and potentially turn them into a repeat customer.

Seeing a business handle criticism professionally often builds more trust than a page with only perfect 5-star reviews, which can seem fake.

Final Thoughts

Earning more Facebook recommendations comes down to providing a fantastic experience and making it incredibly simple for satisfied customers to share their thoughts. By proactively asking for feedback, engaging with every review you receive, and handling criticism with professionalism, you can build powerful, authentic social proof that attracts new clients and strengthens your brand's reputation.

A big part of building a great page reputation is being there to engage when customers do leave feedback, which can get overwhelming across multiple platforms. At Postbase, we designed our unified Engagement inbox to solve this. It brings all your Facebook, Instagram, and other social platform comments and DMs into one clean stream, so you never miss an opportunity to thank a fan or manage tough feedback. This helps you show up for your community consistently, which builds the trust that great recommendations are made of.