Your Step-by-Step Guide to Get Verified on Facebook

Be honest. You want that blue checkmark, don’t you? No matter the platform, getting verified is one of the best ways to establish credibility on social media. With social media filled to the brim with fake accounts and bots, it just makes sense that social media platforms let brand accounts get verified so users know they’re legit. In this article, we’re going to share the steps you can take to get verified on Facebook.

A couple of years ago, Facebook offered both blue and gray checkmarks as a way to signal the authenticity of smaller, local brands. They’ve done away with the gray checkmark, but the blue checkmark is still available to businesses on the platform who are interested in getting verified.

Does the blue checkmark really matter? Let’s take a look at why you should get verified on Facebook before diving into the requirements and how you can do it.

Your Step-by-Step Guide to Get Verified on Facebook:

Why Get Verified on Facebook?

What does it mean to get verified on Facebook? And why does it matter?

As we touched on earlier, brands, businesses, and public figures can easily run into copycats trying to imitate them. This doesn’t have to be for nefarious purposes, either. How many times have you been excited to see that some celebrity or another liked your online content only to find that it was actually a fan page and not the real deal? Even if the intent is good, there’s still a risk to you, your brand, and your online reputation if other users think they’re dealing with you and they aren’t.

When you get verified on Facebook and other social media platforms, it gives your official Page credibility and makes it less likely that other users will mistake you for an imposter.

Plus, Facebook gives priority to verified accounts and Pages in search results. This means that getting verified on Facebook could increase your reach by showing your official content at the top of the search results.

When other users see that you’re verified, they know that they can get customer service, shop, and engage with you and your brand without worry.

Facebook Verification Guidelines

Not just anyone can get verified on Facebook. There is a set of verification guidelines that your Page has to meet and follow to be eligible for verification. There are four verification guidelines that are particularly important, if highly subjective.

Authenticity

Your Facebook Page has to represent a registered business or entity, or a real public figure.

Completeness

Your Page or account has to have an active presence. This means a complete About section, profile and cover photos, and at least one post.

Notability

Your brand has to be a well-known brand, entity, or person. Facebook reviews accounts that get mentions online (and paid mentions don’t count).

Uniqueness

You can only have a single account for your brand or person unless you run multiple language-specific accounts. It’s important to note that “general interest” accounts don’t typically get that coveted blue checkmark.

If you’re verifying a Page or profile belonging to a law enforcement agency, elected official, politician, or city government, Facebook may have other requirements you have to meet before they hand over that blue checkmark.

These requirements are the very least Facebook expects and even if you meet all of the eligibility requirements, there’s no guarantee that Facebook will verify your account. The best you can do is take steps to make your account look as credible as possible. This means posting on Facebook regularly and often, as well as posting high-quality content that gets engagement from other Facebook users.

Let’s talk a little more about how you can best position yourself for easy verification on Facebook.