Facebook used to have star ratings on Pages. It has since replaced them with Recommendations — a yes-or-no question and an optional comment. The result is a review-shaped feature attached to a social network, with all the strengths and weaknesses that implies.
On a business's Facebook Page, visitors can answer "Yes" or "No" to the question "Do you recommend [Business]?" and add an optional comment. Recommendations are public on the Page and may surface in friends' feeds. Pages display the proportion of positive recommendations rather than a star rating.
The proposition is simple and free: claim the Page, post regularly, respond to recommendations. There is no paid review tier. Facebook ads are a separate product that can amplify the Page's reach but do not directly affect recommendation outcomes.
Facebook Recommendations is the platform where you can find a glowing endorsement of a Brighton sandwich shop written by an account that joined Facebook last week, has three friends, all of whom are also accounts that joined Facebook last week, and whose profile picture is suspiciously similar to a stock photograph. It is also the platform where your auntie Linda, who has known the owner since 1987, will leave a recommendation that is genuinely the most useful sentence ever written about that sandwich shop. Both things live on the same Page.
Facebook Recommendations is most useful for local consumers who can read the recommender's profile and judge the source. It is least useful as a top-of-mind comparison tool for unfamiliar businesses. For UK consumers, treat it as supporting evidence rather than a primary source — particularly for businesses where higher-rigour platforms (Trustpilot, Google, Which? Trusted Traders) are also available.
Yes. The system was changed to a yes-or-no Recommendations format.
They are tied to a Facebook account but not to a transaction.
Only when they break Facebook's community standards. Disputed recommendations can be reported, with mixed outcomes.
Ads can increase Page visibility and traffic. They do not directly change which recommendations appear or how they're ranked.
For some local businesses, yes — particularly those with active community Pages. For most categories, it sits alongside higher-rigour platforms rather than replacing them.