Facebook likes are an important metric for businesses and influencers to gauge engagement and reach. However, many users have noticed their Facebook likes seem to be decreasing over time. There are a few key reasons why Facebook likes may be low.
Lower organic reach on Facebook
Over the past several years, Facebook has reduced the organic reach of Page posts in users’ News Feeds. This means posts from Pages you follow are less likely to appear in your feed unless you actively engage with that Page. With fewer users seeing posts organically, there are fewer opportunities for likes.
According to experts, the average organic reach for Facebook Pages has dropped from 16% in 2012 to just 6.5% in 2021. That’s a massive decrease in the number of people who see Page content in their feed without paid promotion.
Shift to algorithmic News Feed
Facebook originally displayed posts in chronological order. In 2013, they introduced an algorithmic News Feed that attempts to show users the most relevant and interesting content. This algorithm, which has been updated many times since, makes it much harder for Pages to get reach organically.
The algorithmic feed ranks every piece of content based on factors like the post’s quality, the user’s interests, and engagement metrics. Unless a post really stands out, fewer users will see it in their customized feeds. This also leads to lower like counts.
More competition and noise
User numbers have grown massively since Facebook’s early days. There are billions more active users now than a decade ago. At the same time, users are connected to far more friends, Pages, and Groups than before.
With so much content flooding the News Feed from all directions, it’s simply harder to stand out. Even great content can easily get lost in the noise. Plus, businesses have caught on and are publishing much more content across all platforms including Facebook. The competition has become fierce when it comes to getting engagement.
Shift to ephemeral content
Facebook and Instagram have introduced Stories and other ephemeral content options like Reels. These disappearing posts tend to get more views than regular feed posts. Users seem to prefer this more casual, authentic content style.
As users engage more with Stories, they have less reason to scroll through the main News Feed where likes happen. Likes require an extra step compared to just viewing a Story. So Stories siphon away traffic from places where likes occur.
Younger users moving to other platforms
Gen Z users especially have been migrating to platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. These platforms are seen as more modern, authentic and youth-oriented. As younger audiences shift time and attention to other apps, they have less presence on Facebook to like posts.
Here is a breakdown of the % of 13-17 year olds in the U.S. who use leading social platforms:
| Platform | Percentage of teens who use |
| YouTube | 95% |
| 72% | |
| Snapchat | 69% |
| TikTok | 67% |
| 32% |
As you can see, Facebook lags far behind other platforms in adoption among young users. With fewer teens and young adults active on Facebook, overall likes decrease.
Rise of Facebook Groups
Facebook Groups have taken off in popularity. There are now over 1.8 billion monthly active users in Groups. These semi-private spaces allow for deeper connections and discussions.
As users spend more time interacting in Groups, they have less time to browse the News Feed and like Page posts. Even when they do scroll the main feed, they often prefer to engage with Groups they are members of.
Push for more meaningful interactions
Facebook has been making an effort to drive more meaningful engagement vs. passive consumption on their platform. For example, they began urging users several years ago to make comments on posts rather than just liking them.
Comments represent a deeper, more valuable type of interaction. Facebook likely beliefs that prioritizing the News Feed for comment-generating content is better long-term for building community. But this focus on comments also results in fewer likes.
Rise of Paid Ads
As organic reach has declined on Facebook, businesses have turned to ads to reach their audiences. Facebook makes the vast majority of its revenue from ads, so they have strong incentives to push companies to advertise.
Pages that heavily promote posts through Facebook’s advertising tools can still achieve strong reach. But the dynamics are different. Ad views don’t always translate to post likes, since they are in a separate feed. So paid promotion has less impact on likes even as it drives reach.
Conclusion
In summary, Facebook likes are decreasing due to factors like lower organic reach, shift to algorithmic feeds, more competition, the rise of ephemeral content, younger users moving to other platforms, increased Group usage, push for meaningful interactions, and the prevalence of ads.
For businesses and influencers, the takeaway is not to obsess over Facebook likes. Focus on providing value through your content and building genuine communities. Consider expanding your presence to other platforms that are attracting younger audiences.
And leverage other KPIs beyond likes to measure engagement and success on Facebook, such as shares, clicks, and especially comments. Quality interactions matter much more than raw like counts these days.
The Facebook landscape is constantly evolving. By staying flexible and diversifying beyond just likes, brands can continue reaching people who will engage with and value their content.
Despite the decline in raw likes, Facebook remains a key platform with billions of users. By understanding what is driving the decrease in likes, businesses can adapt and build effective Facebook strategies.
There are still ample opportunities to connect with audiences old and new. But it requires going deeper than surface-level likes into the types of connections and communities that boost brand affinity over the long-term.
While reduced likes may seem concerning initially, they do not necessarily indicate less meaningful engagement. The quality of interactions trump the quantity of passive likes from years past.
Facebook remains a powerful way to build community, foster meaningful conversations, and ultimately drive value. Businesses should stay focused on those long-term relationship-building KPIs. With an updated approach, brands can still thrive and succeed on Facebook even as raw likes decline.
The key is embracing the shift away from passive mass engagement towards deeper community connections. By providing value through content and features like Groups, Pages can continue engaging meaningfully with target audiences.
The world and how people use social media to interact is changing rapidly. But compelling content and genuine human connections will never go out of style on a platform like Facebook, even as specific metrics and algorithms evolve.
Staying nimble, diversifying channels, and doubling down on quality over quantity will position organizations for success. Brands that adapt to Facebook’s reality in 2023 and beyond will continue cultivating communities and driving results on one of the world’s largest networks.
So while the raw number of likes may be decreasing, there are still bright days ahead on Facebook for brands that embrace the shift and focus on more meaningful community engagement.