How to Claim and Merge Duplicate Facebook Pages

Last updated: Digital Marketing 4 min read

If you have a new business or if your business has been established for some time, it’s possible that you have an unclaimed Facebook Business page. This happens when people show interest or check into your establishment before you’ve set up your official Facebook business page or possibly searched for your business under a misspelling.

This can be frustrating because you have to figure out how to claim, delete, or even merge duplicate Facebook Business pages. It turns out that duplicate Facebook Business pages are common — checking into and mentioning businesses in Facebook posts is very popular.

Here’s an example of an unclaimed Facebook Business page:

Merge & Claim Duplicate Facebook Pages

Frustrating as this may be, there is a way to take control of your pages so you can maintain ownership.

Fixing Duplicate Pages When You Don’t Have a Facebook Page

If you don’t have an existing Facebook page and are creating a new one but find there are multiple pages with your business name, you will need to prove ownership. Here’s how to do that:

On the top, right just under the cover image as shown below, click on, “Is this your business?”

Request Ownership of Facebook Business Page

If you have access to the business phone line, the first option, “Verify by Phone,” is the easiest way to claim your unofficial Facebook business page. This is an automated call that Facebook will make to your business phone number to verify that you have access to the business’ phone number and that someone authorized to represent the business is claiming the page. The call from Facebook will give you an authorization code to enter.

Verify Facebook page by phone

If you do not have access to the business phone number to be able to take an automated call from Facebook to verify ownership of the page, you are welcome to verify the Facebook business page with business documents. All you have to do is either scan or snap a picture and upload of one of the following documents:

  • Utility Bill/Phone Bill
  • Business License
  • Business Tax File
  • Certificate of Formation
  • Articles of Incorporation
Verify Facebook Page with Documents

Once you’ve submitted the documentation that satisfies Facebook requirements for ownership, Facebook will review your case and decide whether or not to grant you ownership.

Fixing Duplicate Pages When You Have a Facebook Page

It can happen the best businesses: you hired somebody to manage the Facebook business page but now that person no longer works for you and they were the only person who admin access to that page.

If you’ve found one page or more that exist with your business name, you’ll need to visit each page and claim ownership. You can report each page which should be under your control very easily:

1.) Go to the bottom left corner of the Facebook business page cover you want to report, where it says “Like”,”Follow”,”Message” — just to the right of this you’ll see a button with three dots (…). Click on that button.

2.) Scroll down and click on the “Report Page” option.

Reporting a duplicate Facebook page

3.) A new pop up will appear. Select the last option which reads “I think it’s an unauthorized use of my intellectual property” and click Submit.

Facebook Unauthorized Use of Intellectual Property

4.) Next, you’ll be redirected to the Reporting a Violation or Infringement page. Select the which of the two rights you feel is being violated or infringed: Copyright or Trademark. Unless you’re a trademarked company, you’ll want to select copyright. Once you’ve made your selection, click the Send button on the bottom right side of the page.

5.) On the next selection, choose the option that best suits your unique scenario and click the Submit button.

Copyright Report Facebook

If you get stuck, or you have questions, Facebook offers many resources in the Facebook Business support portal. Here you have the ability to search for help, browse and ask questions in the community support portal, and even create a new page.

Steps to Merging Two Facebook Pages:

  1. Visit the Facebook Request to Merge Duplicate Pages page: www.facebook.com/pages/merge
  2. Select the two pages you want to merge from the drop-down menus and click the Continue button.
  3. Click Request Merge.

If you’re unable to merge your Pages, it means that your Pages aren’t eligible to be merged — check to make sure that the business information on both pages is as closely matched as possible.

If you see the option to request to merge your Pages, Facebook will review your request. If your request is granted, both pages’ likes and check-ins will be merged. The posts, photos, reviews, ratings, and username from the page you merged will be deleted. You will be able to choose which page you keep and which page is merged. The page you kept will remain unchanged except for the addition of the likes and check-ins from the page you merged into this one. The page you no longer want will be removed from Facebook and won’t be able to be unmerged in the future.

Your Facebook marketing strategy doesn’t need to cause you stress. Contact the internet marketing and SEO experts at TheeDigital in Raleigh, NC at 919-341-8901 or schedule a consultation.

Tags: Digital Marketing

Leslie Vegter

Marketing Director

Leslie Vegter is a Marketing Manager at TheeDigital. She implements digital marketing strategies that help clients meet their online goals. Chat with Leslie about your digital marketing campaign and goals by calling 919-341-8901.

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