Is Facebook removing your Grey Badge?

You may have noticed this pop up on your business Facebook page over the past few days… but what does it actually mean?

What is the Grey Badge?

The ‘Grey Badge’ is a stamp of authenticity to help recognise small businesses on Facebook. 

This helps small businesses show users that their page is legitimate in the crowded space of Facebook pages. The badge is applied for by a business and awarded once proof of ownership and authenticity is verified by Facebook.

The scheme has been running since 2015 but is due to end from 28th October 2019, with Pages having their grey badges phased out.

Why are they removing it?

The official line is that Facebook has decided to remove the badge as they feel that they actually cause confusion for users (it seems that the majority of FB users don’t actually know what it means). Unlike the ‘Blue Tick Badge’ which shows a Page belonging to a celeb, network or public figure which is immediately recognisable across the three main social media platforms.

One interesting thought is that, as Facebook becomes more crowded, they want Pages to work that bit harder to prove their authenticity by building trust with their followers, in the form of engaging, relevant content and meaningful interactions (luckily veterinary practices are good at this!).

This will then help support their crackdown on spam and viral Pages.

Is there anything I need to be aware of as Facebook Business Page owner?

As the badge shows that you are legitimately representing your business on Facebook, without this badge, it could be easier for other users to create fake Pages or impersonate your business. To be honest, unless you’re a celebrity, I don’t think users will want to impersonate your Page! 

But just to be on the safe side, it’s worth doing a search now and then with your practice name to see if anything crops up. I always recommend periodic searches on Google and social media platforms as good housekeeping to help keep an eye on anything that could impact negatively on your online presence.

Facebook is encouraging Page owners and Admins to make sure that their profile section, profile and cover photos, business information and contact details are kept up to date. In addition to this, one of the most important steps to take is posting regular updates to your Page to show that you are an active business and engaging your followers.

It’s worth noting that Facebook advises us that the removal of the badge will not directly affect your Page’s reach/engagement or search position.

As always with Facebook, there is something else in the pipeline, no one knows quite what that is yet but I’ll keep you posted!

“Based on feedback, we’re removing the gray badge and focusing on other ways for businesses to show their authenticity on Facebook,” Facebook Spokesperson.

If you need a bit of extra Facebook help or just some advice about your practice’s social media presence, drop me an email claire@vetsdigital.com or call me on 02382 250 102.