Digital Marketing

Setting up a Facebook Page for a business in 2026

9 min readBy Sandeep Mahajan

Hands holding a phone over a sunlit desk with keys, a pen and a cup of coffee

A business Facebook Page is created from a personal Facebook account, but it should be owned by a business portfolio in Meta Business Suite, not by one person. Set it up in this order: create the Page and fill in its details, create a business portfolio and add the Page to it, give each person only the access they need, keep at least two trusted people with full control, and turn on two-factor authentication for everyone. Verification and a verified badge are optional extras that come later.

Key takeaways

  • Anyone with a Facebook account can create a Page; Meta's current steps take you through name, category, bio, contact details, photos and a call-to-action button.
  • A business portfolio (the tool once called Business Manager) holds the Page, the Instagram account and ad accounts in one place, so the business keeps control when staff or agencies change.
  • Facebook access comes with full control or partial control; task access lets people work through Meta Business Suite without switching into the Page. A Page with nobody holding full control is deactivated and scheduled for deletion.
  • Two-factor authentication on every account with access is the single most useful security step.
  • Business verification and the verified badge are separate things. Since September 2026 the badge for businesses is sold as part of Meta One plans, subject to verification.

What do you need before you start?

You need a personal Facebook account, which becomes the first person with access to the Page. You also need the basics a customer will look for: the business's public name exactly as customers know it, a category, a one-line description, address or service area, phone, website, opening hours, a square logo for the profile picture and a wide photo for the cover.

Decide two things before you click anything:

  1. Who owns it. The Page should sit in a business portfolio owned by the business, with at least two owners or senior staff holding full control. A Page that lives only under one employee's personal profile is the most common reason a business loses access to its own Page.
  2. Who will run it. List the people and outside partners who will post, answer messages, run ads or read insights. That list decides the access you give in a later step.

How do you create the Page?

Meta's Help Centre describes the current steps:

  1. Log in to Facebook and choose Pages in the left menu, then Create Page.
  2. Choose Public Page and continue.
  3. Enter the Page name and category, add a short bio if you want, and create the Page.
  4. Add contact details, location and hours.
  5. Add a profile photo and a cover photo and set the call-to-action button (for example Call, Send message, Book now).
  6. Optionally connect a WhatsApp account, invite people to follow the Page and set notifications.

Once the Page exists, fill in everything the About section offers. Customers check hours, phone and location first, and a complete Page answers them without a message.

The old "Timeline" tips that this post covered in 2017 (backdated posts, life events, cover photo tricks) were written for personal profiles. For a business, what matters now is accurate details, a clear call to action and regular, original posts. Our guide to how social media affects SEO explains what a Page can and cannot do for search.

Why should the Page be in a business portfolio?

Because the business, not a person, should own the Page. A business portfolio in Meta Business Suite groups your Facebook Page, Instagram account, ad accounts and the people who work on them. According to Meta's help pages:

  • You create a portfolio from business.facebook.com, and its name should match your business's public name because it is visible across Meta.
  • Each person can create up to two business portfolios.
  • A business asset, such as a Page or ad account, can belong to only one business portfolio.
  • The person who creates the portfolio gets full control of it automatically, and full control is needed to add people.

Add the Page in the portfolio's settings under Pages, using the option to add an existing Facebook Page. If an agency or freelancer helps you, give them access as a partner from your portfolio rather than letting them create the Page inside theirs. You can remove a partner later; getting a Page back from someone else's portfolio is much harder.

Who should get which kind of access?

Give each person the least access that lets them do their job. Meta's current model has three main levels:

Access What it allows Give it to
Facebook access, full control Everything, including settings, deleting the Page and giving or removing other people's access Two owners or senior staff, never more than you need
Facebook access, partial control Content, messages, comments, linked accounts such as Instagram, ads, insights, events, removing or banning people A trusted marketing lead
Task access Content, messages and comments, ads or insights, but only through tools such as Meta Business Suite or Ads Manager, without switching into the Page Staff, freelancers and agencies

Meta also offers community manager access for moderating live-stream chat only.

Two rules matter. First, a Page must keep at least one person with full control; if nobody has it, Meta says the Page is automatically deactivated and scheduled for deletion. That is why two full-control holders are safer than one. Second, review the list every quarter and remove anyone who has left. Older guides talk about Admin, Editor, Moderator, Advertiser and Analyst roles; those names have been replaced by the access types above.

How do you keep the Page secure?

Turn on two-factor authentication for every personal account that has access. Meta's Help Centre explains that, once it is on, you are asked for a login code or confirmation when you sign in from an unrecognised browser or device. You can use a security key, an authentication app or SMS codes, and Meta gives you recovery codes for when your phone is not available. An authentication app or security key is stronger than SMS.

Other habits that prevent most lockouts:

  • Use work email addresses you control for the people who manage the business portfolio.
  • Keep the Page's contact email and phone current so recovery messages reach you.
  • Treat any message that claims your Page will be deleted unless you click a link as phishing until proven otherwise. Check the Page's real status in Meta Business Suite instead.
  • Do not share passwords; give people their own access instead.

Do you need verification or a verified badge?

Not to run a Page. There are two different things here:

  • Business verification confirms your business as a legal entity in your business portfolio. Meta's developer documentation says it is required, for example, for apps that need advanced permissions or that let other businesses access their own data, and that it is done in the business portfolio by someone with full control. It is free and becomes relevant when you use Meta's business tools more deeply, such as messaging integrations.
  • The verified badge is a paid subscription feature. On 15 September 2026 Meta introduced Meta One, with business and creator plans called Essential, Advanced, Expert and Max. Meta's announcement lists Essential from US$14.99 a month (as of October 2026) and says it includes a verified badge, a verified channel on the WhatsApp Business app and impersonation protection, pending successful verification. Meta's help pages say the badge appears only on subscribed and verified profiles, which may include your Facebook Page, that you may need to upload a government-issued photo ID, and that plans, prices and availability vary by region and account.

A badge can help where impersonation is a real problem, for example a well-known local brand with fake Pages copying it. For most small businesses, a complete Page, a real website and steady posting do more. If you need a Page connected to booking, ordering or CRM systems, our Facebook API development work covers the integration side.

What should you do in the first month?

  1. Post a few useful, original updates: what you do, who you serve, your hours and how to book or buy.
  2. Connect your Instagram professional account in the portfolio so messages from both arrive in one Meta Business Suite inbox. Our Instagram for business guide covers that side.
  3. Set an instant reply for first messages and answer every message within a working day.
  4. Ask real customers for recommendations and reviews in a way that follows the rules; see customer reviews in 2026.
  5. Write down who has which access and when you will next review it.

If you would rather have a team plan and run your social channels, see our social media marketing services.

FAQ

Can I create a business Page without a personal Facebook account?

No. Meta's help page says anyone with a Facebook account can create a Page, so you need an account to start. The Page itself is separate from the personal profile, and other people can be given access to it.

What is the difference between Meta Business Suite and a business portfolio?

Meta Business Suite is the set of tools for posting, messages, insights and ads across Facebook and Instagram. The business portfolio is the ownership and access layer inside it: which Pages, accounts and people belong to your business.

How many people should have full control of our Page?

At least two, and only as many as you trust with deleting the Page. Meta deactivates a Page that has no one with full control, so one person is a single point of failure.

Should an agency own our Facebook Page?

No. Your business portfolio should own the Page, and the agency should get partner or task access to it. That way you can change agencies without losing the Page.

Is the verified badge worth paying for?

It depends on whether impersonation affects you. Meta One's Essential plan includes the badge, subject to verification, from US$14.99 a month as of October 2026, but availability and prices vary by region. Many small businesses do not need it.

Is business verification the same as the blue badge?

No. Business verification confirms your business in your portfolio and unlocks some business tools. The verified badge is a subscription feature shown on a profile or Page.

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