Meta extends test with paid verification checks to companies

Meta will soon expand its test with paid verification checkmarks to companies. This is a badge that shows users that it is an authentic company, but the check marks also ensure that companies appear more often in feeds and search results.

Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg says during a conference that the program, Meta Verified, will be available to companies on Instagram and Facebook in the coming weeks. This happens ‘in certain countries’, but it is not known which ones they are. The conference took place in India, where the company announced several other features for WhatsApp that will only be released there. The check mark will cost $22 per month for an Instagram or Facebook page, or $35 if companies want a check mark on both pages.

Meta already started a test with a paid verification checkbox earlier this year. During that test, the check mark seemed mainly aimed at creators, but Meta now wants to focus more on companies. The Meta Verified program allows companies to pay for a check mark that tells users they are dealing with the authentic company and not a fake account. Companies must verify themselves with Meta. This can be done via a telephone number, e-mail or via domain verification on the website.

Meta sets certain requirements for verification. For example, they must use a Business account for a minimum period of time, have minimal activity on their pages and enable two-step authentication. After verification, companies can no longer simply change their name and profile photo without going through the verification process again. According to Meta, this is intended to prevent abuse. This way, someone cannot request a check mark and then convert the entire page to a supposedly different company.

In addition to the authentication checkbox, companies also get some extras. This way they get protection against identity fraud and better support for their account. It is striking that companies are also becoming easier to find. That also happened to creators; they appear higher in the search results. Meta now says for the first time that verified companies are also recommended more often in users’ feeds.