How to Unblock a Blocked Facebook URL
Facebook is a pillar of many veterinary clinics’ marketing strategies. But, what makes Facebook marketing so great? For starters, it’s free to set up, and you have the ability to create and share content, build a following, and share updates with your clients. In most cases, Facebook is the biggest social media driver of traffic to PetDesk-powered websites. However, there’s nothing worse than getting a scary message saying that Facebook has blocked your URL. If that happens, there are tips on getting it turned around quickly.
Why does Facebook block URLs?
Facebook holds the right to block content that could be harmful to users, like spam and links that could lead to a site that has been infected with malware. Facebook’s algorithm isn’t perfect, and sometimes links are blocked when they shouldn’t be. If you have a Facebook business account and notice that the traffic referrals have slowed down significantly or you can no longer share the URL to your website, then there are a few things that could have happened.
Facebook blocks links for a few different reasons: when a Facebook Community Standard is violated, the link to the site being shared has been infected with malware, Facebook’s algorithm made a mistake, or another account reported it. Whatever the reason may be, here are the three steps on how you can get the ball rolling on getting your URL unblocked. While this process is pretty straightforward, it isn’t instant and there will be a waiting period.
Step 1: check that Facebook is actually blocking your website
First, we recommend checking to be sure Facebook has actually blocked your website’s URL. You don’t want to go through the trouble of filing a report if this isn’t the problem you’re facing.
To accomplish this, you’ll need to use Facebook’s Sharing Debugger tool and enter your website’s address.
If Facebook is blocking it, you’ll see an error message that says Facebook can’t review your site because it doesn’t follow the community standards. From there, you can follow the prompts to get it working smoothly again.
Step 2: review Facebook’s community standards and make any necessary changes
Before you assume that Facebook has made a mistake in blocking your URL, it’s best to review the community standards to be sure you haven’t inadvertently violated any of them. Otherwise, your appeal will likely be denied.
Facebook’s Community Standards are in a reasonably readable format and shouldn’t be too tedious to review. However, there’s also a quick way to check your business page for recent violations.
Navigate to your Facebook page and look for the “Page Quality” tab. There, you’ll see any violations you’ve committed so you can resolve them. If everything checks out and your review of the community standards doesn’t turn up any other possible violations, you can move on to appealing your case to Facebook.
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Step 3: resubmit your website to Facebook for consideration
If you’re ready for Facebook to take another look at your website, you can submit a request back in the Sharing Debugger tool. Select the “let us know” link in the error message:
From there, you’ll be taken to a simple submission form that gives you the ability to explain why you think Facebook made an error when it blocked your URL:
We also encourage you to reach out to the Facebook Business Help Center if your issues continue!
Just remember to be patient. There are over three million businesses that actively advertise on Facebook, and some may be dealing with similar issues. You can also rely on us here at PetDesk to make things smoother for you. With PetDesk Marketing, you’ll get full social media management and personalized support from our team. That means if you’re experiencing any issues on your Facebook page, we’ve got your back. Just reach out to our PetDesk team and we’ll be happy to help!
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