Mashable
You may begin to notice the ads on your Facebook News Feed with more frequency, but not necessarily because they are becoming more prevalent.
Beginning Tuesday, Facebook ads will feature larger photos to go along with an ad’s text and, in some cases, an image will be 3.5 times the size of old ad images, says a Facebook spokesperson.
Facebook announced the ad format change to advertisers about a month ago, but the new look will go into effect for Facebook users beginning Tuesday. The changes won’t just impact the way the ads look to users, they will also change how advertisers prepare campaigns for the platform.
Facebook has made the ad specs consistent for all of its ads on both desktop and mobile, meaning advertisers can create ads of different types without needing to send in multiple image sizes.
Facebook is also working to encourage ad clicks on the site. Page post link ads, or ads that send a user to a desired landing page linked by the advertiser, will now link from the entire image and text box. Before, a user would need to click on the specified hyperlink within the ad to view the advertiser’s landing page. Now, anywhere you click on the image or text will bring you to the advertiser’s page.
Ad prices will not change due to the increase in image size, says a Facebook spokesperson.
Larger images will also appear on other posts that share a link, not just ads. So if a user shares a link to a news story, that post will contain a full-width image instead of a traditional thumbnail. Facebook hopes that larger images will increase click-through rates, says a spokesperson.
Tuesday’s changes were not exactly surprising. Facebook announced in June that it hoped to simplify the platform’s ad products, including the goal of making ad units more consistent across mobile and desktop. Tuesday was a first glimpse at how Facebook plans to accomplish this goal.
How do you feel about more visual Facebook ads? Tell us in the comments below.
Images: Kurt Wagner/Mashable, Facebook