The Go-To Guide To Facebook Page Templates
Facebook Pages are changing, with the social network introducing new templates to further encourage users to engage with your business.
If you own a Facebook business page, you may have recently received a notification informing you of an upcoming layout change. This is no reason to panic. These changes are being made for the greater good of your page.
As stated in the notification (and subsequent email from Facebook), “this new design will help you connect with the people who care most about your business on Facebook.”
What’s changing on Facebook Pages?
The alterations are largely design-focused, with Facebook putting more emphasis on your Page’s action buttons (Contact, Book, Shop), price range, hours, recommendations, and so on.
It is likely that your page is currently set to the Standard template, the default layout for all Facebook Pages. This will usually display any action buttons you’ve set up, as well as list the following Tabs on the left-hand side:
- Home (the main landing area)
- Posts (shows all of your posts, including videos and photos)
- Reviews (shows reviews on your page and enables new reviews)
- Videos (shows videos you’ve uploaded)
- Photos (shows photos you’ve uploaded)
- About (an overview of your page)
- Community (shows friends’ and public posts about your page)
- Jobs (lists your current vacancies)
- Groups (lists any groups you’ve linked to your page)
- Info and Ads (shows any Facebook ads you’re currently running)
Now, this is a lot of information, some of which may not be relevant to your business. If, for example, you never post job vacancies on Facebook or have any Groups linked to your page, you should remove these from your list to de-clutter your page.
By suggesting specific templates for each business, Facebook is actively trying to improve the user experience, as well as increase your engagement and reach.
Any service-based businesses with a standard Facebook template should have been notified of the Services template by now. Facebook is offering you the choice at this point, but unless told otherwise, it will automatically update all Pages to the template that most applies to your business on 24 August 2018.
What will this mean to your Facebook Business Page?
This will not get rid of any of the hard work you’ve put into your Facebook page. Your action buttons, content, About section and so on will remain intact. All that will happen is that your layout will be reshuffled, prioritising all that Facebook deems the most relevant information.
The Services template is “designed to help people find your services and get in touch”. Its default Tabs are:
- Home
- Services
- Reviews
- Shop
- Offers
- Photos
- Videos
- Posts
- Events
- About
- Community
- Jobs
- Info and Ads
As you can see, the order has been reshuffled with some new tabs being added.
The Services tab is a very useful one, as it is a quick and straightforward way of indicating what it is that your business does. For example, Knapton Wright’s Facebook Services Tab lists:
- Complete Social Media Management
- Content Creation & Management
- Ads Management
- Social Media Training & Strategy
- SEO & Adwords
- Digital Marketing Consultancy
Facebook allows you to include durations and a price, in addition to dedicating a description and image to each individual service.
The Shop tab enables you to display any products you want featuring and showcased on social media, while Offers gives you the opportunity to include specific promotions. Last but certainly not least, Events lets you promote any upcoming events your business is hosting at the click the button.
Everything you need to know about Facebook Marketing
How do I change my Facebook Page Template?
If you haven't received one of the aforementioned notifications, don't worry. Changing your Page’s Template is simple. All you have to do is log in to your Facebook Business Manager account, select your Page, and click ‘Settings’.
From here, you’ll need to select ‘Edit Page’, where you’ll see that Templates is conveniently sitting at the top of the menu. You can now select the Page Template that’s right for your business.
Which Facebook Page Template should I pick for my business?
In Facebook’s words, Templates are “designed to help your Page”, so it would be a waste not to utilise them. If your business is not in the Service industry, fear not, we will now go through the benefits and design aspects of each Facebook Page Template:
Business
This is very similar to the Services template, but with a few minor differences. The default tabs for this template prioritise content and reviews, with the likes of Shop and Services removed.
Venues
The Venues template is “designed so that you can highlight useful info like your venue’s hours, location, and upcoming events.” This is ideal for Facebook Pages that represent the likes of theatres, clubs, and so on.
Movies
If you’re looking to see a particular film and need to know showtimes and reviews, you ought to check out its Facebook page. The Movies Facebook template prioritises visual content and reviews in its Tabs.
Nonprofit
Perfect for charities and the like, the Nonprofit template is “designed to highlight your cause and encourage people to fundraise and donate”.
Politicians
With social media becoming an increasingly necessary ingredient in the complicated recipe of politics, it comes as no surprise that Facebook has created a separate template for such Pages. The primary button on these pages is to ‘Send Message’.
Restaurants & Cafes
“Designed to highlight photos and important info about your menu, hours and location”, this template’s primary button is “Get Directions”, while its tabs prioritise reviews, offers and photos.
Shopping
If your priority is to showcase products and facilitate shopping online, select the Shopping template.
Video Page
This template turns your Facebook page into a gallery that showcases your video content. A perfect design for vloggers and streamers.
How do I customise a Facebook Page Template?
Templates are an extremely useful way of optimising your Facebook Page to achieve your business’s digital goals, but we appreciate that not all tabs and buttons are necessary for your business.
To amend your Facebook Page’s tabs, go into your Settings and once again select “Page Info”. Scroll down and you’ll notice all of your Tabs are listed and that, if you click ‘Settings’ next to each one, you have the option to switch them one on and off.
If you hover your mouse over each Tab, you will also be able to drag and change the order in which they appear.
The only Tabs you cannot remove are:
- About
- Photos
- Posts
- Videos
- Community
- Info and Ads
How do I change the buttons on my Facebook Page?
Buttons are perfect for encouraging users to engage with your Facebook page. They can make it easier for users to send you a message, book a table, learn more about your business or shop, for example.
To amend your Page’s button, simply hover over it, and select ‘Edit Button’. This will then detail all of your available options.
What else is changing about Facebook Pages?
Facebook is forever looking to improve its user experience, most recently by “redesigning Pages on mobile to make it even easier for people to interact with local businesses.” This will include making reservations at restaurants and hair salons, in addition to seeing recent photos, upcoming events, and Stories.
Oliver Wilkinson
Content Marketing Exec
Knapton Wright
