Facebook has made some big changes to business Pages in order to better support small and local businesses.

Over 80 million businesses use Facebook Pages, with more than 1.6 billion people around the world are connected to them. And each week, two out of three people on Facebook visit a local business Page or an Event Page.

So it’s clear that business Pages are an incredibly important part of the Facebook ecosystem. However, as Page reach and engagement continues to dip for brands, Facebook has made some updates to help deliver value to businesses through Pages beyond just News Feed distribution.

Let’s dive in.

How Facebook is updating pages to battle declining reach and engagement

For years, Pages were essentially hubs for content that businesses wanted to distribute to the News Feed.

Now, though, as most content from Pages struggles to gain any traction in the News Feed, Facebook has taken steps to create additional value for business Pages by making it easier for people to interact with businesses and find the information they need the most.

Essentially, the Facebook Page is becoming more like a website for your business — a destination people will come to when they want information, or even make a purchase or booking, as well as a place to engage with great content.

Here are some more details on the updates…

Recommendations

Recommendations and reviews on sites like Yelp and TripAdvisor have become incredibly important to local businesses.

And when it comes to finding a spot to eat, drink or hiring a service like a plumber or a hairdresser, people often look for the recommendations of others — especially their friends and families.

With this update, Facebook has made it easier for people to recommend your business by bringing Recommendations to your Page. As shared by Facebook:

People will now be able to post a Recommendation for your business including text, photos and tags directly on your Page. And Recommendations will…