Website + Meta Best Practices

Your website may be your digital home base, but for many customers, Facebook and Instagram are the front door.

Meta doesn’t publish exactly how its recommendation systems work, and there’s no guaranteed formula for keeping your page in “Recommended” status. However, a well-maintained presence can help automated systems more accurately recognize you as a legitimate brewery that follows industry best practices.

Think of this as a periodic digital health check.

Start with Your Website

Your website is often the primary source platforms reference to verify information about your business.

Take a few minutes to make sure you:

• Display your brewery’s name, address, phone number, and contact information prominently.
• Keep your business name, address, hours, and website URL consistent across your website, Google Business Profile, Facebook, and Instagram.
• Use HTTPS and ensure your site loads properly on desktop and mobile devices.
• Include an age gate or clear messaging that your products are intended for adults of legal drinking age.
• Keep your hours, tap lists, events, and news current so your site reflects an active business.
• Include basic trust signals like a privacy policy, terms of use, and shipping information if you sell products online.
• Link to your official social media accounts.

Give Your Meta Pages a Checkup

Your Facebook and Instagram profiles should tell the same story as your website.

Consider these best practices:

• Enable the platform’s age gate in your profile setup and provide clear messaging (i.e. “Must be 21 to follow”) to reinforce that your products are intended for adults of legal drinking age.
• Complete every section of your business profile, including address, hours, website, phone number, and business category.
• Use your official brewery name consistently across platforms.
• Post regularly so your page reflects an active business.
• Respond to customer comments and messages when possible.
• Review Page Quality and Account Status periodically to identify any warnings or restrictions.
• Enable two-factor authentication for administrators and regularly review who has access to your page.
• If you’re running ads, make sure your payment information and business verification are current. 

A Few Things to Avoid

While every situation is different, breweries should be cautious about content that could trigger automated moderation systems.

Avoid:

• Making health or medical claims about beer or alcohol.
• Encouraging excessive or risky drinking.
• Posting content that could be interpreted as promoting underage drinking; this could include showing photos of children on your site, even if it is a “family night” or pictures of you and your family.
• Using misleading engagement tactics, such as “Like and share to win” promotions that don’t follow Meta’s promotion guidelines.
• Posting content that could be interpreted as hate speech. Lawmakers are caught between protecting free speech and stopping algorithms that radicalize users and spread harmful content. How Meta factors in definitions of hateful conduct in its algorithms is unknown.
• Frequently deleting and recreating pages or repeatedly changing your business name, which can create confusion about your identity.
• Sharing copyrighted images, music, or videos without permission.

Remember: Good Digital Hygiene Benefits More Than Meta

These practices won’t guarantee your page is recommended. Meta’s automated systems aren’t perfect, and some breweries have experienced issues despite following best practices.

But keeping your website and social profiles accurate, secure, and up to date helps customers find you, builds trust with online platforms, and strengthens your overall digital presence. It’s good for search engines, AI-powered search experiences, and, most importantly, the people looking for their next visit to your brewery.

A few minutes of routine maintenance can go a long way toward keeping your brewery visible online.

What To Do If Your Facebook Page Is Marked “Not Recommended”

If you discover your Facebook page is listed as “Not Recommended,” don’t panic. While some pages are correctly flagged for violating Meta’s Community Standards, other businesses, including breweries, have reported receiving this designation despite having no obvious violations.

If your brewery’s page is affected:

1. Review your Page Quality and Account Status. Look for any active policy violations, restrictions, or content Meta has identified. Address any issues that are clearly outlined.
2. Check your recent posts. Review photos, videos, captions, and comments for anything that could unintentionally violate Meta’s Community Standards or Alcohol Advertising Policies. Remove or edit content if necessary.
3. Verify your business information. Make sure your business name, address, website, contact information, and business category are accurate and consistent across your website, Google Business Profile, and Meta accounts. See website and Meta page checklists at the top of this article.
4. Secure your account. Confirm that only current employees have administrative access, enable two-factor authentication for all admins, and review your page for any unauthorized changes.
5. Open a support case with Meta. If you believe your page has been flagged in error, submit a support request through Meta Business Support. Be specific about the issue, include screenshots, and document your case number for future follow-up.
6. Ask for an Expert or Specialist. When you have a case ask for a specialist or expert to weigh in. If this doesn’t get you anywhere send screenshots so they can take another look on their end.
7. Document everything. Keep records of support tickets, responses, dates, screenshots, and any changes you make. If the issue persists, having a clear timeline can help when communicating with Meta.
8. Continue posting quality content. Don’t abandon your page. Continue sharing relevant updates, events, and brewery news while following Meta’s policies. If the issue is resolved, an active page is better positioned to regain visibility.

If You Can’t Find the Cause

Some breweries have reported situations where their page shows “Not Recommended” despite having no visible violations or clear explanation from Meta. If this happens, continue to maintain your page according to Meta’s published policies and work through Meta’s official support channels. Unfortunately, there is currently no public appeal process for every recommendation-related issue, and resolution timelines can vary. Here at the BA, we’ve had to work through these processes from time to time for our own pages and have ultimately reached a resolution.

Help Us Understand the Impact

Has your brewery been directly affected by Meta’s restrictions, including a “Not Recommended” page status, unexplained content removals, advertising restrictions, or other account limitations?

The Brewers Association is interested in understanding how these issues are affecting independent breweries. While we cannot intervene with Meta on behalf of individual businesses, collecting examples from members helps us better assess the scope of the problem, identify common patterns, and inform future advocacy efforts.

If your brewery has experienced these issues, please complete this form with as much detail as possible.