The new page design will resemble Facebook’s most recent profile redesign. The social media giant has removed tabs, and given page administrators the ability to post and comment on other Facebook Pages through a “Login as Page” feature. Here is an overview of the revamp:
Page administrators can sign up for the new look or be automatically switched on March 1, Facebook said.
Facebook has wanted to restyle the market-driven pages since it unleashed the profile redesign in December, Rohit Dhawan, the lead product manager for Facebook Pages, said in a statement.
“We strongly believe you should have consistent experiences when possible.”
Once a page administrator upgrades to the new format, a navigation menu will appear to the left of the page’s wall, and the row of tabs will disappear from the top of the page. The modifications give page administrators subcategories, as well as categories, to classify their products and send emails to the administrator when a fan comments on the page.
In addition, below the page’s main title, administrators can update the page’s information and feature recent photos. Moreover, users can now also receive email notifications about user comments on their Page, something previously only possible for comments on personal wall.
These new features will “help you manage communication, express yourself, and increase engagement,” Facebook said in a blog post.
To see what the new pages will look like, check out the screenshot (below).
Pages are “for organizations, public figures, businesses, and brands to connect with people in an official, public manner,” Facebook says in the pages manual.
One major benefit is the ability for businesses to change the type of page theirs is labeled as on the site. For instance, a company classified as a “small business” on its Facebook Page can now easily switch its page to show another label, such as “telecommunications company”. Previously, this change could only be made by deleting the Page and starting a new one with a different type.
“A page can now use Facebook as if they were an individual with the ability to interact with other pages,” Dhawan said. “It provides interesting content when people are visiting the page.”
The social media giant also announced an “Everyone” filter on the wall, providing “a new way for people to see the most interesting posts first”. Plus, the ability to customize a Facebook Page, such as highlight other Pages a business is connected to or showcasing new photos at the top of the page.
Facebook is not finished with its Page upgrades, either, stressing that “we plan to develop even more features and improvements for Pages over the course of the coming months.”
The improvements may prompt even more businesses to increase spending on Facebook marketing, which accounted for 53 percent of the $1.7 billion in U.S. social media marketing expenses last year.
Facebook has also updated the model for building apps on Pages, using iframes in Page tabs as opposed to FBML. Developers can now build apps that run across Facebook using HTML, JavaScript, and CSS. You can also integrate social plug-ins and the Graph API within your tab.
Facebook provides a how-to here.