Should Your Business Turn Off Facebook Reviews Completely?

Per Meta (previously Facebook), recommendations not only help potential customers know more about your business but also make your Page more visible in Meta searches.

So, is it a good idea to disable Meta or Facebook reviews? And if yes, when should you turn off reviews? We answer all these questions and more in this blog.

• Why You Should Say No to Turning Off Reviews on Facebook
• When Should You Turn Off Reviews?
• How To Turn Off Reviews on Facebook

Note: Our take is that businesses should not disable turning off Meta or Facebook reviews completely but only temporarily.

Why You Should Say No to Turning Off Reviews on Facebook

Turning off reviews on Facebook might seem like a safe house to avoid negative online reviews, but in some cases, it could be more damaging to your brand than you think. Without Facebook business reviews, potential customers are more likely to question your business’s authenticity.

So before you disable Facebook business reviews, here are the benefits of welcoming and displaying positive reviews and even not-so-stellar ones:

Consumer Decision-Making

Having no reviews can deter prospects as they often look at reviews when deciding whether to use a service or product. Prospects are more likely to believe in the experiences shared by their peers than any of your marketing messages. Your previous customers’ unbiased feedback strikes a chord with potential customers as it portrays a realistic image of what your business offers, setting customer expectations.

Compete With Established Businesses

For small and new businesses, the reality is that many of your competitors may already have a foothold in the market. Good and bad reviews alike can level the playing field by showing potential customers that your new business is trustworthy and capable of delivering quality service or products. Negative feedback conveys transparency, while positive reviews build confidence, persuading prospects to give your offerings a chance.

Customer Engagement

Reviews offer you a platform to engage with your customers. When facing negative online reviews particularly, view it as an opportunity for your business to share its side of the story. Responding professionally and with empathy demonstrates your commitment to customer satisfaction. Remember to apologize and outline steps taken to resolve the issue. And for good reviews, take the time to thank your customers.

In reality, some or most of your reviews will fall short of your expectations. But, displaying good and bad reviews builds trust with your target market, showing you have nothing to hide. What’s more, less-than-good reviews offer valuable insights for improvement, serving as a roadmap to elevate your offerings and, therfore, your Facebook reviews and ratings.

So, you want to consider the benefits mentioned above before disabling your ratings.

When Should You Turn Off Reviews?

Here are a few acceptable reasons why you might be considering disabling Facebook reviews:

Your Business Is Undergoing a Significant Transition

Launching a new product or revamping existing services anticipates some initial hiccups. As a preventive step to protect your online reputation while you iron out the inevitable kinks that come with change, it could be wise to disable reviews temporarily. After some time, you could then re-enable reviews to gather fresh, positive feedback.

Your Business Is in a Rough Patch

Every business goes through ups and downs. If your business is currently undergoing a challenging phase, you might be more susceptible to negative feedback. By temporarily turning off Facebook business reviews, you can zero in on improving your products or services without the added pressure of unwanted public criticism.

You’re Being Attacked by Fake Review Bombers

Unfortunately, the digital age has given rise to “review bombing,” — a scenario where individuals (usually competitors or disgruntled customers) deliberately post a slew of negative reviews to tarnish a business’s reputation. If you’re a victim of this unfair practice, it might be wise to disable reviews until the issue is resolved.

You’re Settling an Isolated Incident

Sometimes, things can go awry due to unforeseen circumstances or isolated incidents. If such an event has occurred that has led to negative feedback, it might be beneficial to turn off reviews. This allows you time to handle the situation appropriately, perhaps resolving the issue with the affected customer before opening up reviews again.

Still, you must remember that you also say goodbye to your chance of receiving good reviews when you disable Facebook reviews. And even the ringing feedback found on your Page would be removed and hidden.

How To Turn Off Reviews on Facebook

It’s important to note that Facebook doesn’t provide an option to remove negative reviews selectively. As long as reviews aren’t inappropriate, obscene or blatantly false, they are likely to remain visible on your Page. In cases where bad reviews violate Facebook’s community standards, you can report it, but even then, the process will take a while.

Through Facebook Help Center, you want to first identify which experience or version your Page is as the instructions vary accordingly.

Classic Pages:

1. To access Pages from your Feed, simply click on the Pages menu located in the left menu.
2. Once you are on your Page, navigate to the bottom left and click on Page Settings.
3. From there, select Templates and Tabs from the left menu.
4. To enable or disable the Reviews tab, click on the toggle button located to the right of it.

Updated or New Pages Experience:

1. To access your Facebook account, log in.
2. Once logged in, locate and click on your profile photo located in the top right corner of the Page.
3. Next, click on See All Profiles and choose the specific Page you wish to switch to.
4. After selecting the desired Page, click on its profile photo in the top right corner.
5. Then, navigate to Settings & Privacy and click on Settings.
6. From there, proceed to Privacy in the left menu and select Page and Tagging.
7. Finally, you can toggle the corresponding setting in ‘Allow others to view and leave reviews on your Page?’

Other helpful Facebook links:

• Facebook community standards – You can refer to this link to see if the negative reviews you received are in line with Facebook’s guidelines or if you have to flag them.
• Report a recommendation or review – Once you have identified a review as inappropriate and goes against Facebook’s community standards, you can follow the steps to report.

But again, unless inappropriate, you don’t have to remove negative reviews. With proper review monitoring and reputation management services, you can find the silver lining (marketing opportunities) in negative online reviews on Facebook.

Boost Brand Reputation Rize Reviews’ Facebook Review Monitoring and Reputation Management Services

An overall less-than-perfect star rating is the new 5-star rating. Instead of fearing negative reviews, change your perspective and see them as an opportunity to showcase transparency to customers and gain actionable insights to scale your business.

Should you decide to temporarily disable Facebook reviews but need help in doing so, Rize Reviews is here for you. If you want to keep your reviews but want to better your reputation on Facebook, we can do that too. Rize Reviews is a team of reputation experts specializing in Facebook reputation management.

We also offer white-label solutions for businesses and agencies needing our expertise. Talk to our team and learn how your brand can benefit from our services.