Facebook’s review feature allows users to rate and review businesses and locations they have visited. This can be useful for discovering new places or seeing what experiences others have had. However, not all business owners want the option for customers to leave reviews on their Facebook page. Fortunately, Facebook provides a way to remove the review feature.
What is the Facebook review option?
The Facebook review option allows users to rate a business or location on a scale of 1 to 5 stars. Users can also leave more detailed written reviews describing their experiences. These reviews are then visible on the business’s Facebook page on the Reviews tab. It provides a platform for customers to share feedback, both positive and negative.
For businesses, reviews can be a valuable way to get feedback and promote positive experiences customers have had. However, sometimes business owners find the review feature unhelpful or would prefer to deactivate it. Thankfully, Facebook does give page administrators control over whether reviews can be left on their page.
Why would I want to remove Facebook reviews?
There are a few reasons a business may want to prohibit reviews on their Facebook page:
- Avoid negative reviews – If a business has received several bad reviews, it may want to remove the feature to prevent further negative feedback.
- Control over messaging – With reviews enabled, the business loses some control over the messaging on their page. Removing reviews allows them to maintain complete control.
- Reduced emphasis on reviews – The business may want fans and visitors to instead focus on other content on the page rather than reviews.
- funneling reviews to other sites – Businesses may want to funnel reviews only to sites they officially manage rather than have them fragmented across the web.
Whatever the reason, the business has the right to decide if reviews should be allowed on its Facebook presence or not.
How to remove the reviews option on Facebook
The process to remove reviews from a Facebook page is simple but not immediately intuitive. Here are the steps:
- Go to your Facebook page and click “Settings” at the bottom of the left sidebar.
- On the General page that opens, click “Page Moderation” in the left column.
- About halfway down the Page Moderation page you will see a checkbox labeled “Allow Reviews”. Uncheck this box to disable reviews.
- Click “Save Changes” at the bottom to apply the settings change.
Once you uncheck Allow Reviews and save the changes, users will no longer have the option to leave reviews on your page. Any existing reviews will remain visible, but no new ones can be added.
What happens when reviews are removed?
When you disable reviews on your Facebook page, here is what will happen:
- The Reviews tab will disappear from your page’s left sidebar
- Visitors will no longer see a Review button or option when viewing your page
- The ratings and reviews you had will remain visible, but will not update
- Your page’s overall star rating will remain as it was when reviews were disabled
So in summary, existing reviews will still show, but users will not be able to interact with them or leave new ones. Your page’s past review data is preserved, but frozen going forward.
Can you moderate or respond to existing reviews?
Even with reviews disabled, you can still moderate or respond to reviews that were left in the past:
- To hide or delete a review, click the three dots at the top right of the review and select Hide or Delete.
- To respond to a review, click Reply below it and type your response comment.
Moderating past reviews can help clean up your page’s review section after you’ve disabled new reviews from being added. Responding shows users you still engage with and care about feedback, even if reviews are now turned off.
What if you change your mind later?
If down the road you decide you want to reactivate reviews on your Facebook page, you can enable them again in your Page Settings:
- Go back to your page’s Settings > Page Moderation
- Check the box next to Allow Reviews
- Click Save Changes
This will make the Reviews section visible again and allow new reviews to be submitted by visitors to your page. The old reviews will still be present unless you deleted them.
Pros and cons of allowing Facebook reviews
Before disabling reviews, think carefully about the pros and cons:
Pros
- Reviews showcase customer experiences and social proof
- Star ratings can enhance your reputation and trustworthiness
- Feedback helps you improve products, services or operations
- Customers like having a public platform to share their opinions
Cons
- Negative reviews can damage your brand image
- It’s a channel you can’t completely control or moderate
- Some fake or unfair reviews may be submitted
- More emphasis on reviews rather than core business messaging
Weighing the pros and cons can help decide if accepting Facebook reviews is right for your business currently. You can always change settings later.
Best practices if keeping reviews enabled
If enabling reviews provides more benefits than downsides for your business, here are some best practices:
- Prompt happy customers to leave positive reviews after good experiences
- Politely respond to negative reviews explaining improvements or addressing issues
- Monitor for and delete any fake or offensive reviews
- Use reviews in your marketing to highlight great customer feedback
- Share reviews on other platforms like your website to maximize exposure
Proactively managing your review presence and leveraging positive feedback can help maximize the benefit of Facebook reviews.
Should businesses encourage reviews elsewhere?
If you disable Facebook reviews, you may still benefit from reviews on other third-party sites like Yelp, Google My Business, industry forums, etc. Some considerations:
- Reviews on authority sites get high visibility in search engines and maps listings
- Industry review platforms cater to your specific business type
- Your customers may use certain sites more than Facebook to search and review
Having an active presence on relevant third-party review platforms complements disabling Facebook reviews. Customers can still share their feedback in influential places.
Conclusion
While Facebook reviews provide a popular platform for customer feedback, businesses have full control over whether to enable them. Removing the review feature prevents any further ratings or reviews from being posted on your Facebook page. However existing reviews will remain visible. Weigh the pros and cons carefully to decide if accepting Facebook reviews currently benefits your business goals and branding. With the steps provided, you can easily make changes in Page Settings at any time.