No need to panic; Facebook always keeps us on our toes, and this is just one of the changes they've introduced without much fuss.
Your Facebook Page ratings that you've collected aren't gone, don't worry. They are all still here; they just look different. Read on to see why this is a good thing in the long run. But first, let's take a little trip back in time....
Do you remember 2016, when people suddenly started "asking for recommendations"?
This handy little extension that you can add to your post helps users get recommendations for places or services. It's so simple that many intuitively ask for recommendations.
Well, it turned out that Facebook had something else in mind when they implemented this change. It wasn't just about making it easier for users to get recommendations for restaurants, hairdressers, city trips, etc.
Starting this month, Facebook Page ratings will also be composed of these recommendations.
The answers to these recommendation questions will now automatically be incorporated as Facebook Page ratings. Additionally, sharing a Facebook Page can now also be considered a recommendation.
Furthermore, you can, of course, also leave a review directly on the page – now with a thumbs up 👍 or down 👎 instead of five stars.
So, there are three ways to rate a page:
Rating directly on the Facebook Page.
Recommendations from friends.
Sharing a Facebook Page.
Important: Reviews are only counted if your privacy settings are set to "Public".
What does all this mean for your business?
When people recommend (or criticize) a business on their personal News Feed, it's more likely to be an honest assessment. And now, these very honest assessments are what Facebook business reviews are primarily based on.
Now, business ratings are one step closer to truly being earned. The new reviews:
Require at least 25 characters
They can include a variety of tags (so businesses can now understand what they are known for and identify trends)!
They can include media (photos)!
But are all star ratings truly gone?
Facebook Reviews for Pizzeria Il Giardino Urbano in Basel
...And what is that small blue circle with a number on it? Good question! Instead of the old star ratings we're used to seeing on every review platform from Yelp to Foursquare, Facebook page ratings have disappeared and been replaced by "Recommended" or "Not Recommended". This means:
Old 1- and 2-star ratings are now "Not Recommended".
Old 3-star ratings are now displayed as "Reviewed".
Old 4- and 5-star ratings are now "Recommended".
You can find Facebook's official guidelines here.
All of this raises the question: what will they do with the other extensions? The polls, the lists, etc.? There's only one thing to do: keep your eyes open and stay informed :)