Facebook Launches Business Page Verification

Facebook has launched a Business Page Verification service which will give you an official check mark of approval. The grey checks are then displayed next to your business name, and will apparently help you to appear higher in Facebook search results.

It's a useful service as there are now 45 million business pages on Facebook, and there are often duplicates and multiple entries confusing people who might be trying to find your company. Currently the option is rolling out to companies who list and display a physical location on their Facebook page, but it will eventually be accessible to all businesses.

How to Verify Your Facebook Business Page

The business page verification is now available in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. You can find the option by going to the Settings for your page, and it's near the top of the General settings menu.

When you click to Verify, you can choose for Facebook to place an automated phone call to your publicly listed business number. If that's not appropriate, then you can choose to upload an official document from the following list;

• Business utilities or phone bill
• Business licence
• Business tax file
• Certificate of formation
• Articles of incorporation

The important thing is that you scan the document including your business name and address, and then upload it via the Business Documentation option. Using this method does take a little longer - Facebook estimate it could be up to several days for your business page verification check mark to appear.

The Facebook help pages have already been updated to include information on business verification, and celebrities, sports teams, media and entertainment brands will continue to be verified with a blue badge, as opposed to the new grey option for other businesses.

It's worth getting verification organised as Facebook has already rolled out Business Page Improvements for Mobile, and is sure to continue to evolve the options available for small and medium-sized businesses in particular. It's a key area in which they can potentially compete with Google and increase the usage/revenue they get from a large number of companies.

Facebook has stated than more than 1 billion people visit Pages every month, and many of them are looking for specific businesses on a mobile device. And the direct Buy options being made available mean that customers can now purchase from your business from within Facebook.

So being verified, and making sure your Facebook Business Page is optimised has never been more important.