In March, Facebook shared that it would be redesigning business pages. New Page designs are rolling out now and there are some pretty significant changes.
Here are the key features of the update:
Changes to the Cover Photo
The size of the cover photo remains the same at 851 x 315 pixels, but now the “like”, “following” and messages buttons are on top of the image. Facebook is also including the business category on the image.
Here’s what the new layout looks like:
And here’s what your cover photo looks like on a mobile platform:
Action Step: Make sure your cover photo is updated so any text or graphics don’t interfere with any of the new overlays. Click here to download our Free Facebook Page Template (for Photoshop).
Action Step: Adjust your business category to best reflect your industry / niche.
Content has Been Changed to a One Column Design
Post on Business Pages have been reorganized into a single, easy to read, chronological column. Photos for content will be scaled down to fit in a box no bigger than 394 x 470 px. Photos that are portrait or square will leave wasted space to the right.
Action Step: Resize content photos to a 4:3 ratio for close to perfect viewing.
Apps Have More Visibility and are Showcased on the Right
On the old Page design, Apps were combined with other Facebook features. In the new design, the top three Apps will be featured on the left hand side of the Page. The most important App is also listed under the cover photo.
What is listed on the left hand side of the Page will vary from business to business. Likes, business information, photos, videos, and the Pages your Page follows will be included on the left-side bar. Brick and Mortar businesses will also have maps, hours of operation and a phone number. Admins will soon be able to rearrange the order in which these sections appear in the left-side column.
Action Step: List your Apps in the order of importance, with the most important one being first.
Benefits for Page Admins
Page admins will now notice new navigation options at the top of the Page. Direct access to the Ads Manager is linked, along with activity, insights and settings.
Facebook has also unveiled a “Pages to Watch” feature inside the Page Insights tool. Page Administrators will be able to create a list of Pages of their competition and compare the performance of their Pages. Note: Page administrators will be notified when their Page is being watched but not who is watching it.
