Did you know that having unofficial or unmanaged Facebook pages can harm your business's online reputation? These duplicate pages can confuse 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 pages on Facebook, 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, reclaim, and merge these duplicate pages, ensuring complete control of your brand and an optimized user experience.
Why is claiming duplicate pages on Facebook important?
Duplicate pages can appear on Facebook unintentionally, often when users "check in" at 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:
- Confusing consumers, who may end up following or interacting with the wrong pages;
- Damaging your brand's reputationby displaying outdated or incorrect information;
- It could hinder your SEO strategy, as Facebook is an important platform for improving your company's ranking in online searches.
By claiming and unifying your pages, you ensure that your company has a single official presence on Facebook, with centralized and consistent information, and you also 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 identify it correctly. To do this, follow these steps:
- Search for your company name on Facebook: Use the Facebook search bar and enter your company name. Check if there are multiple pages listed with the same name or variations thereof.
- Check the Category and Information for Each Page: Duplicate pages often have incorrect categories or outdated information, such as old addresses, phone numbers that are no longer in use, or inaccurate hours of operation.
- 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 pages on Facebook?
If you've identified a Facebook page for your company that isn't being managed—so-called "unofficial pages"—it's important to act quickly to avoid confusion and ensure your brand is correctly represented. Facebook offers two solutions: reclaim ownership of the page or merge 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 will see the phrase "Is this your company?" Click on that option.
- 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 the publicly listed business number.
- Enter your company number and, if applicable, the extension.
- Choose your preferred language for the call.
- Click on “Call now” and write down the 4-digit verification code.
- By proceeding with this process, you agree to receive an automated call and accept any potential charges from your phone carrier.
Verify via Email or Official Document:
- Email: Make sure your company's corporate email is linked to your Facebook account. If it isn't, add it and confirm the link sent by Facebook.
- After confirmation, select the corporate email and click "Send".
- Documentation: If you prefer verification by document, take a photo or scan an official document that proves your company's name and address (e.g., phone bill, business license, tax return, or training certificate).
- Upload the file to Facebook by clicking "Choose file" and then "Upload".
By claiming ownership of the page, you centralize the management of your company's online presence, ensuring clear and consistent communication with your customers.
Pages that you cannot claim ownership of
It's very common for people to check in at places that don't yet have a page; in that case, Facebook will create an unmanaged page to represent that location. Your company can and should claim ownership of this type of page.
However, a page can also be created using a Wikipedia article, but you cannot claim ownership of that page. The same applies to pages representing geographic locations such as the city of Rio de Janeiro, Coral Beach, etc.
Whenever a page is generated by Wikipedia, you will see a Wikipedia logo at the bottom of the left-hand column. If a page is not managed, you will see "Unofficial page" below the cover photo. This allows you to claim the page and become the administrator, or merge the page with a page from your company that 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 the official page. This process helps consolidate your brand presence and prevents customers from getting confused by encountering multiple pages.
Step-by-Step Guide to Merging Facebook Pages:
- Ensure you have administrator permissions: You must have administrative access to both pages you want to merge.
- Check the similarity of the pages: The pages should have the same name and represent the same business or entity. If your pages have physical locations, check that the addresses are identical.
- Review active campaigns: Confirm that there are no advertising campaigns directing traffic to the page that will be deleted.
- Access the Facebook merge page: Go to facebook.com/pages/merge and select the two pages you want to merge.
- Request a 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 merging option will not 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 look like the "official" page. This link shows you how to edit the page URL.
- If it's a business with a physical location, make sure the same address is on both pages.
- Make sure the pages are categorized in the same category
- Report the duplicate page to Facebook. Follow these steps:
- Visit the official page;
- Next to the Like button, click on the three dots “…”.
- Choose “view as a page visitor”;
- Click again on the three dots “…”
- Next, click on “suggest edits”.
- Find "report duplicates of this location".
- Click on “add a duplicate URL”. Copy the URL of the “unofficial” page you want to merge and paste it into the indicated field.
- Click on “save”.
Important: Fans and check-ins from the "unofficial page" will be added to the "official page," however, posts, photos, reviews, and usernames 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 likes and check-ins merged from the other page.
How do I keep my page updated after merging?
After claiming and merging duplicate pages, it's crucial to keep your Facebook page updated and optimized. Here are some tips:
- Verify Data Accuracy:
Regularly review the information on your page, such as address, phone number, and hours, especially if there are changes to your business. - Respond to Reviews and Comments:
Engaging with your customers by responding to reviews and comments is a great way to increase trust and create a closer relationship with your audience. - Use High-Quality Visual Content:
Publish professional photos and videos that showcase your products, services, or environment, improving engagement and attracting new customers.
Sharing page management and adding business locations on Facebook
Facebook offers different permission levels for managing business pages, distributed across 6 roles that follow a hierarchy, with administrator being the highest level. Knowing how to delegate these functions can optimize the management of your fan page(s) and ensure more effective administration of your company's digital presence.
Management functions on Facebook:
- AdministratorThe administrator has full control of the page. They can perform actions such as:
- Send messages and post as the page;
- Reply to and delete comments;
- Create ads and view metrics;
- Manage Instagram interactions linked to the page;
- Assign roles and edit page details.
- EditorYou can perform almost all administrator tasks, except assign roles. Key functions include:
- Send messages and post as the page;
- Manage comments and replies on Facebook and Instagram;
- Create ads and view performance information.
- ModeratorFocused primarily on user interaction, the moderator can:
- Responding to and deleting comments on Facebook;
- Send messages like the page;
- Create ads and manage comments on Instagram.
- AdvertiserAs the advertiser responsible for advertising campaigns, they can:
- Create and manage ads;
- See which administrator created a post or comment;
- View page metrics.
- AnalystFunction limited to information visualization. The analyst can:
- See who created posts or comments;
- View data and insights about page performance.
- Employment ManagerFocused on selection processes, it can:
- Publish and manage job openings;
- View and manage applications;
- Create job-related ads.
Distributing these functions according to your company's needs can optimize the management of your Facebook, ensuring that each team member only has access to the functions they need to perform their tasks.
How do I add collaborators to my Facebook fan page and share page management?
Only the administrator has the ability to assign roles and positions to other collaborators on Facebook, allowing different team members to manage the page according to their responsibilities.
Step-by-Step Guide to Adding Collaborators:
- Go to your company's page and select "Settings" from the top menu.
- In the left-hand sidebar menu, click on “Administrative Functions”.
- On the next page, enter the email address of the person you want to add. If the colleague is already your friend on Facebook, simply enter their username.
- Next to the email field, there is a selection box. Click it to choose the role you wish to assign (Administrator, Editor, Moderator, etc.).
- A brief description of the responsibilities associated with the selected role will appear below.
- After verifying the name/email and the role, click "Add".
- Repeat the process to add more collaborators as needed.
All added collaborators will appear in a list just below the page administrator's name. If you wish to change a collaborator's role or remove them, simply click "Edit" next to their photo, make the desired changes, and click "Save".
This process allows for the efficient distribution of fan page management responsibilities, ensuring that the team has the necessary access to perform their tasks while ultimate control remains with the administrator.
The importance of adding and editing your company's various business locations
For businesses with multiple locations, adding each business location to Facebook helps customers find you. Each location can have its own page, increasing visibility in local searches and allowing for the collection of reviews specific to each establishment.
Benefits of merging duplicate pages on Facebook
Claiming and merging duplicate pages brings a number of advantages to your business:
- Greater Consumer Confidence:
Having a single, official, up-to-date, and verified page conveys more credibility to customers, who become certain that they are interacting with the brand's official profile. - SEO Improvement:
Facebook plays an important role in local SEO. Having a well-managed and established official page improves your search ranking both within the platform and in 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 quick and efficient responses. - Greater Information Control:
By consolidating pages, you ensure that all information about your company is consistent, including phone number, address, website, and hours of operation.
Conclusion
Claiming and unifying duplicate Facebook pages is essential for any business that wants 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 interaction with customers. Follow the steps in this guide to eliminate confusion and ensure your business is always well-represented on social media.