Did you know that having unofficial or unmanaged Facebook pages can harm your business's online reputation? These duplicate pages can cause confusion among customers and dilute your company's digital presence. Without careful management, it's easy to end up with multiple duplicate or unmanaged pages, creating an inconsistent image.
If you've ever encountered duplicate Facebook pages, either created by users or automatically by the platform, it's crucial to consolidate your digital presence. Claiming ownership of these pages allows you to centralize information management, avoid customer confusion, and ensure your business is represented clearly and professionally.
In this guide, we'll show you how to locate, claim, and merge these duplicate pages , ensuring full control of your brand and an optimized user experience.
Why is claiming duplicate Facebook pages important?
Duplicate pages can appear on Facebook unintentionally, often when users check in to a location that doesn't yet have an official page or due to errors in profile creation. Regardless of the reason, these unofficial profiles can:
- Confuse consumers , who may end up following or interacting with the wrong pages;
- Harm your brand reputation by displaying outdated or incorrect information;
- Disrupt your SEO strategy , as Facebook is an important platform for improving your company's positioning in online searches.
By claiming and unifying Pages, you ensure your business has a single official presence on Facebook, with centralized and consistent information, and make it easier to manage reviews, comments, and engagement.
How to identify duplicate pages on Facebook:
Before claiming a duplicate page, it's important to correctly identify it. To do this, follow these steps:
- Search for your business name on Facebook: Use the Facebook search bar and enter your business name. Check to see if there are multiple pages listed with the same name or variations.
- Check Each Page's Category and Information: Duplicate pages often have incorrect categories or outdated information, such as old addresses, phone numbers that are no longer in use, or inaccurate business hours.
- Check User Interaction: Some duplicate pages may have customer interactions, such as check-ins and comments. This is an opportunity to identify which pages are most relevant for unification.
How to claim ownership of duplicate Facebook pages?
If you've identified an unmanaged Facebook page for your business—known as "unofficial pages"—it's important to act quickly to avoid confusion and ensure your brand is properly represented. Facebook offers two solutions: claiming ownership of the page or merging the unofficial page with the official page .
Option 1: Claim Ownership of a Duplicate Facebook Page
- Locate the unofficial page: Below the cover photo, you'll see the phrase "Is this your business?" Click on it.
- Choose your verification method: You can choose to verify your identity by phone, email, or through an official company document.
Verify by Phone:
- Facebook will make an automated call to your publicly listed business number.
- Enter your company number and, if applicable, extension.
- Choose your preferred language for the call.
- Click “Call Now” and write down the 4-digit verification code.
- By continuing this process, you agree to receive an automated call and accept any possible charges from your telephone provider.
Verify by Email or Official Document:
- Email: Make sure your company's corporate email address is linked to your Facebook account. If not, add it and confirm the link sent by Facebook.
- After confirmation, select the corporate email and click “Send”.
- Documentation: If you prefer document verification, take a photo or scan an official document that verifies your company name and address (e.g., phone bill, business license, tax return, or certificate of formation).
- Upload the file to Facebook by clicking “Choose file” and then “Upload”.
By claiming ownership of your page, you centralize the management of your company's online presence, ensuring clear and consistent communication with your customers.
Pages you cannot claim ownership of
It's very common for people to check in to places that don't yet have a Page. In this case, Facebook will create an unmanaged Page to represent that location. Your business can and should claim ownership of this type of Page.
However, a page can also be created through a Wikipedia article; you won't be able to claim ownership of the page. This applies to pages representing geographic locations such as Rio de Janeiro, Praia dos Corais, etc.
Whenever a page is generated by Wikipedia, you'll see a Wikipedia logo at the bottom of the left column. If a Page isn't managed, you'll see "Unofficial Page" below the cover photo. This allows you to claim the page and become the administrator, or merge the page with a company page you manage.
Option 2: How to Merge Duplicate Pages on Facebook
If your company has two or more Facebook pages representing the same business, an effective solution is to merge these pages with your official page . This process helps solidify your brand presence and prevents customers from becoming confused when encountering multiple pages.
Step by Step to Merge Pages on Facebook:
- Ensure admin permissions: You must have administrative access to both pages you want to merge.
- Check page similarity: Pages should have the same name and represent the same business or entity. If your pages have physical locations, make sure the addresses are identical.
- Review active campaigns: Confirm that there are no ad campaigns driving traffic to the page you want to delete.
- Access the Facebook merge page: Go to facebook.com/pages/merge and select the two pages you want to merge.
- Request the merge: After selecting the pages, click “Continue” and then “Request Merge”.
Observation:
If your pages are linked to Business Manager , the merge process must be done through Business Manager .
What to do when there is no option to merge Facebook pages?
In some cases, the Page merge option won't be available, especially when the duplicate Pages were created by users or by automatic Facebook check-ins. If this happens, you can try other approaches:
- Make the URL of the "unofficial" page similar to the "official" page. This link teaches you how to edit the page URL .
- If you have a physical business, make sure the same address is on both pages.
- Make sure the pages are classified in the same category
- Report the duplicate page to Facebook. Follow these steps:
- Access the official page;
- next to the Like button, click on the three dots “…”.
- Choose “view as page visitor”;
- Click on the three dots again “…”
- Then click “suggest edits”.
- Find “report duplicates from this location”.
- Click "Add a duplicate URL." Copy the URL of the "unofficial" page you want to merge and paste it into the field provided.
- Click “save”.
Important : Fans and check-ins from the “unofficial page” will be added to the “official page”, however, posts, photos, reviews and username will be permanently deleted.
The "unofficial Page" will be removed from Facebook, and you will NOT be able to undo the merge. The "official Page" will not undergo any changes, except for the addition of merged likes and check-ins from the other Page.
How to keep your page up to date after merging?
After claiming and merging duplicate pages, it's crucial to keep your Facebook page up-to-date and optimized. Here are some tips:
- Check Data Accuracy:
Regularly review your page information, such as address, phone number, and hours, especially if your business changes. - Respond to Reviews and Comments:
Engaging with your customers by responding to reviews and comments is a great way to build trust and build a closer relationship with your audience. - Use Quality Visual Content:
Post professional photos and videos that showcase your products, services, or environment, improving engagement and attracting new customers.
Sharing Page Management and Adding Business Points on Facebook
Facebook divided into six hierarchical roles, with administrator the highest. Knowing how to delegate these roles can optimize the management of your fan page(s) and ensure more effective management of your company's digital presence.
Management functions on Facebook:
- Administrator: The administrator has full control over the page. They can perform actions such as:
- Send messages and post as the page;
- Reply and delete comments;
- Create ads and view metrics;
- Manage Instagram interactions linked to the page;
- Assign roles and edit page details.
- Editor: Can perform almost all administrator tasks except assigning roles. Main functions include:
- Send messages and post as the page;
- Manage comments and responses on Facebook and Instagram;
- Create ads and view performance information.
- Moderator: Focused primarily on interacting with users, the moderator can:
- Reply and delete comments on Facebook;
- Send messages like the page;
- Create ads and manage comments on Instagram.
- Advertiser: Responsible for advertising campaigns, the advertiser can:
- Create and manage ads;
- See which administrator created a post or comment;
- View page metrics.
- Analyst: Function limited to viewing information. The analyst can:
- See who created posts or comments;
- View data and insights into page performance.
- Employment Manager: Focused on selection processes, it can:
- Post and manage job openings;
- View and manage applications;
- Create job-related ads.
Distributing these roles based on your company's needs can streamline the management of your Facebook , ensuring each team member has access to only the functions they need to perform their tasks.
How do I add collaborators to my fan page and share management of my Facebook page?
Only the admin has the ability to assign roles and positions to other contributors on Facebook, allowing different team members to manage the Page according to their responsibilities.
Step by Step to Add Collaborators:
- Go to your company page and select “Settings” from the top menu.
- In the left side menu, click on “Administrative Functions” .
- On the next page, enter the email address of the person you want to add. If the collaborator is already your Facebook friend, simply enter their username.
- Next to the email field, there's a checkbox. Click it to choose the role you want to assign (Administrator, Editor, Moderator, etc.).
- A brief description of the responsibilities associated with the selected role will appear below.
- After checking the name/email and role, click “Add” .
- Repeat the process to add more collaborators as needed.
All added collaborators will appear in a list just below the Page admin's name. If you want to change a collaborator's role or remove them, simply click "Edit" next to their photo, make your desired changes, and click "Save .
This process allows you to efficiently distribute fan page management responsibilities, ensuring that staff have the necessary access to perform their tasks while the administrator retains ultimate control.
Importance of adding and editing your company's various points of sale
For businesses with multiple locations, adding each location to Facebook helps customers find you. Each location can have its own page, increasing visibility in local searches and allowing you to collect reviews specific to each establishment.
Benefits of merging duplicate Facebook pages
Claiming and merging duplicate pages brings a number of benefits to your business:
- Greater Consumer Confidence:
Having a single, updated, and verified official page conveys greater credibility to customers, who are now confident they are interacting with the brand's official profile. - Improved SEO:
Facebook plays an important role in local SEO. Having a well-managed and established official page improves your search rankings both within the platform and on external search engines like Google. - Simplified Management:
With all interactions concentrated on a single page, it's easier to monitor customer reviews, comments, and direct messages, ensuring fast and efficient responses. - Greater Information Control:
By consolidating pages, you ensure that all information about your business is consistent, including phone number, address, website, and hours of operation.
Conclusion
Claiming and merging duplicate Facebook pages is essential for any business looking to improve its digital presence and solidify its image with consumers. With a centrally managed official page, you ensure consistent information, improve your local SEO, and facilitate customer interaction. Follow the steps in this guide to eliminate confusion and ensure your business is always well-represented on social media.
