If your business runs a Facebook page, either to update your customers on new products and services or to simply connect with them, you may be affected by changes in the upcoming weeks. Page owners may notice that their “like” count may drop slightly, but it’s probably not because of something you have done wrong.
Last month, we updated you on Facebook’s new legacy contract and the fact that the network now allows users to select another person to take care of their account if they die. Due to this, Facebook have decided to change the way that they count likes and are adapting their algorithm to complement this. Any users that have liked your page, but have died or deactivated their account, will be subtracted from your total “like” count, resulting in a possible change in numbers.
Facebook have said that the change is designed to make audience data for businesses more meaningful and accurate. By offering a way for businesses to see how many people are actually engaging with their page, it helps them to understand their demographics better and provide better overall service.
From around the 12th of March, pages will start to see their like counts decrease. Some may see a small decrease while others may see a larger one; it completely depends on the number of inactive likes your page currently has. However, it is important to remember that even though the numbers may decrease, these are users who are already inactive on the site, and are being removed due to no fault of your own. Should a deactivated account become active again, they will be re-added to the like count of your page.
For those who run a business page, this change should be welcomed. The new algorithms will help your business out in the long term by providing quality engagement and ensuring that you can gain an accurate picture of how users engage with your business page.