Gray Verification Badges Will Be Removed On October 30

Facebook will remove gray verification badges from its Pages beginning October 30. 

As of 2019’s second quarter, Facebook has become the home of 2.41 Billion monthly users. This audience has always relied on verification badges to identify whether Facebook pages were authentic. Additionally, viewers understood that having a badge displayed meant that the official company runs the page. There are two kinds of badges—the blue and the gray.

Being Verified: A Status Symbol

Having verification badges on any social media platform can be a huge advantage. Without a doubt, you have now proven that your page has exceeded a more than average amount of followers. It shows your potential customers that your business embodies competence, excellence, and trustworthiness.

Facebook has always confirmed and verified public figures, media companies, and brands before by giving them blue badges. On the other hand, it only introduced the gray badges in 2015 to serve as a symbol  that a business or organization page is authentic. 

Gray Verification Badge Removal From Facebook Pages

Facebook made a decision to remove the gray verification badges to address the feedback they received which said that its purpose was unclear. They also called the feature “more confusing than helpful” in their messages to the pages with gray verification badges. 

Select individuals, entertainment, media, brands, and government Pages are pages eligible for blue badge verification. Facebook states that business Pages can prove their authenticity to their target market by using other techniques. You can do this by completing your profiles, including a profile picture and the right contact information, and adding up-to-date information.

Despite the removal of the gray verification badges, the change will not influence how you appear in Facebook’s search results. Instead, the social media giant urge Page owners and Social Media Marketing Experts to improve their Page visibility and follower engagement by following best practices found on its Facebook Business Ads Help Center.

About Axel May Rivera

Axel is an avid fan of many dramas and songs. She is always eager to explore and discover more when it comes to movies and entertainment, especially in Korean and Filipino culture. In her free time, she enjoys reading books and playing badminton.