Facebook is the always-changing, ever-evolving platform that businesses need to be keeping up with, even if it’s a little exhausting. Since Facebook is still one of the most popular places for users to connect with their favorite businesses, you can’t afford to miss any changes.
We’re here to help with that! In this post, we’re going to walk you through the recently-announced new Facebook page experience so you can take advantage of everything there is to offer. Love it or hate it, the new Facebook page layout is here to stay.
In this post, we’ve outlined 12 things you need to know about the new Facebook update.
1. The Facebook cover photo size has changed
Although the new size hasn’t changed by much, you may need to make some minor adjustments when creating Facebook cover photos. The old Facebook cover size was 851px by 315px while the new cover photo displays at 820px by 360px on desktop. This means that the width of the cover photos has slightly increased.
Not to worry, we’ve already updated our Facebook cover size and all of our templates inside of Snappa. Please note that the cover photo sizes vary across a personal/business page, an event, or a group.
- Facebook Personal/Business Cover Photo Size
- Facebook Event Header Image Size
- Facebook Group Cover Photo Size
If you need to convert an older cover photo to accommodate the new size, you can make use of our image resize feature.
Along with the change in cover photo sizing, Facebook has also added the ability to add a short video as your Facebook cover photo or even multiple photos as a slideshow.
2. New Facebook profile layout & page navigation
Facebook is rolling out a fresh new layout for its Pages that makes navigation, interaction, and management easier than ever before. Pages are more streamlined and boast an all-new, clean look and feel. Posts, contact information, and Facebook bios are now easier to find, and the more intuitive design makes for a simpler, easier to use experience for both you and your audience.
Profile photos now overlap the bottom left edge of the cover photo, and the About section has moved to the left-hand side of your Page.
Facebook is removing the “Our Story” section from Pages, and is now encouraging Page owners to move that content into the “Additional Information” section of their profile so no important information is lost.
Navigation is also easier and more straightforward from within the Facebook Page dashboard. You can now easily toggle back and forth between your Pages and your personal profile.
2. Followers instead of Likes
Over time, Facebook will begin removing Likes from your Page and placing the emphasis on Followers. We’re excited about this feature because it helps business owners focus on the individuals that actively follow and engage with Pages, rather than simply boosting numbers.
Your Followers are the people who truly connect with your content. They get your updates in their News Feed and reply to your posts. In short, they are actively involved with your brand on Facebook.
Likes mean more one-time visits to your Page, but not necessarily ongoing engagement. By focusing on Follower count instead, Facebook is helping businesses recognize their active audiences.
4. The navigation tabs are relocated
Another thing that’s new is the location of the Facebook page navigation tabs. Previously they were located on the top nav-bar and now they’ve moved to the left hand side of the page.
Previously, you were allowed to manage your Facebook page layout, but they have since removed that feature. You’re no longer allowed to change the Facebook layout of your page
Additionally, you also have the ability to manage your Facebook ads by managing your promotions directly under the left side-bar tab.
Along with the relocation of the navigation tabs, the Facebook sections were also relocated and modified. The sections of your Facebook page are now located on the right hand side. This includes things like community, about, “our story”, and so on.
The right side formerly included events, photos, videos, but now these previous tabs are now grouped on the left side of your Facebook banner as we discussed.
Once again, you’re no longer allowed to customize the right or left tabs. However, in the photo and video tab on the left side of the page, you can add albums and add a featured video to appear on your page.
5. The call-to-action button is prominent and customizable
In my opinion, this is one of the best changes that Facebook has made in the new layout. Now all pages have a prominent blue call-to-action button on their page that is fully customizable.
On our page, you’ll notice that we have a “Sign Up” button since we want people to try our software. However, you have tons of different options depending on what you want users to click to.
To customize your Facebook CTA button, you will need to hover over the button and click “Edit Button”. From there, you can specify what the button says and the website/app URL.
Some of the other CTA options include buttons like, contact us, learn more, send email, and much more. There’s even specific options if you’re running an app or if you’re selling online with an eCommerce store.
6. Facebook removed “Our Story” section
With this 2021 update, Facebook has removed the “Our Story” section as mentioned earlier. The Facebook “Our Story” for your page was meant to be a glimpse of what your brand and page is about, but now Facebook wants you to add this to the “Additional Information” portion of your profile.
7. Dedicated news feed for your page
From within your Page management dashboard, you can now curate and follow a dedicated News Feed that is created only for your Page. This feature allows you to engage with and follow other businesses and trends within your industry, in addition to engaging with fans and peers in the field. It’s a whole new way to leverage Facebook for professional development and the latest industry trends.
Additionally, your Page News Feed will suggest new follows for you based on the nature of your business and audience. It’s like its own built-in, done-for-you intuitive networking.
So how do you access this dedicated feed? In the left-hand panel of your Page dashboard, you’ll see a link to open your News Feed.
When you click the link, you’ll get a list of recommended Pages to follow.
Once you’ve followed your Pages of choice, click Go to News Feed to see your newly curated page feed.
8. Brand-new Q&A post format
Now, Facebook Page admins can host a Q&A on their Page. This new format is only available on desktop at this time.
Hosting a Q&A on your Facebook Page allows you to set up a format where your followers can ask questions about a topic of your choice. Then, your answers are “stacked” to form a collection of answers followers can then explore.
When you’re ready to host your first Q&A, simply click the icon below when you’re ready to post.
Next, select Host Q&A Session.
After that, you’ll see a dialog that prompts you to ask your audience for the kinds of questions you’d like to answer for them.
Once you’ve decided on your topic, follow the prompts to create your post. You can add your own image to the post by choosing a photo that’s already on your Page or uploading an image from your computer. Additionally, you can add text to your post, but the text is optional.
Then you can start your Page Q&A Session. Your question will become an image that displays in your post.
Page Q&As automatically end after 24 hours. If you want to shut them down sooner, you can click in the upper right corner of your post and choose the End Q&A option.
9. Revamped management tools and admin controls
Facebook has added some excellent revamped management tools and admin controls to its Pages that make it super easy to navigate and manage your Page. The main navigation menu is located on the left-hand side of the Page.
In addition to making your Page tools easier to find, Facebook now makes it simpler than ever to assign roles to Page admins you trust. You can give admins partial or full access to your Page, depending on their level of responsibility. Assignments and permissions are clearer and simpler to associate with the admins who need access.
Page admin assignments are now based on task rather than general roles. That way, you can easily select what your team members are allowed to do from inside your Page. Whether you need someone to run ads, post content, or review insights, you can give that person only the permissions they need to get their tasks done.
10. Notifications and insights that are more relevant to your Page
Page notifications and insights are now more finely-tuned for relevance to your particular Page. Conversations will also have a wider reach to an audience outside of your followers so that their followers can see your content that is relevant to them, too. Notifications will appear in your Manage Page section on the left side of your screen.
Notifications are shifting to help Pages stay engaged with their followers, too. You may receive more notifications that prompt you to post to your audience and stay active.
When public figures comment on your posts, their responses will show up at the top of the comments. In addition, prospective audience members will be able to follow your Page directly from a button in your comments or posts where your Page is recommended to them.
11. More powerful safety features
Facebook is cracking down on fake accounts and spam, which is fantastic for business owners who don’t have the time to sift through fake content (and who does?). We all agree that Facebook should be a safe space for connecting with our audiences.
The platform has committed to identifying and removing inappropriate content including violent language, hate speech, and other harmful communication. In addition, they’re working to make verified Page badges more visible so it’s easy to tell when you’re dealing with an impostor. You can read more about the changes here.
12. Add Facebook stories to your page
The addition of the Facebook stories to the platform comes as no surprise.
With the success of Instagram stories, it made sense for Facebook to incorporate it to the new Facebook format.
On your Facebook page, you will find a new “+” button beside your Facebook profile picture. Clicking on this will allow you to create a Facebook story.
From here, you can customize your story with text on a patterned background or you can upload your own image/graphic. Before you share your story, you can choose whether you want the image to appear on news feed or solely on your story.
Conclusion
As you can see, there’s quite a lot to like about the new Facebook page layout. The layout is super clean, there’s a prominent call-to-action, and there’s lots of possibilities to customize the page how you want.
Do you like the new Facebook page layout? Let us know in the comments below!