Facebook is rolling out a new streamlined look for business pages. The new looks will mirror the new personal profile layout.
The new look definitely looks much cleaner and very slick design-wise. Usability for page admins also has improved.
Timeline Design on Right
The new look page has the timeline running down the right only. On the current layout, the posts go across the page from left to right.
The new timeline feed is much more streamlined and consistent in look. This will make it much easier to view information on the page and the post looks the same as how it is displayed in the News Feed.
Page Information on Left
Your business information will now display on the left-hand side. This includes your page likes, ability to invite friends to the page and your business information like your website URL.
Easy Access to Admin Tools
I always found the admin tools of the current layout to be a little confusing. They were quite hidden within the page. The most commonly used admin features will now show in the top right of the screen (only admins can see this of course).
Pages to Watch Feature
There is a new Pages to Watch feature which is available to all admins. This feature is really exciting and allows admins to create a list of Pages similar to their own and compare the performance of their Page and the ones on this list.
It gives you a great benchmark on how your page is performing across those competitors.
No Custom Tabs
I know some people will be concerned about the loss of the custom tabs on their Facebook page.
I have always held the belief that people don’t really go onto your actual page that much. So I can’t imagine anyone will see a dramatic decrease in the usage of these tabs.
You will still be able to create custom tabs and promote these with a link on your page. This would drive much more engagement to those tabs than waiting for people to go to your main business page.