Facebook has redesigned its Like and Share buttons to make it easier for businesses to share content.
Like buttons allow individuals to post links to Facebook with one click, while the Share buttons allow users to add a personalised message.
The buttons have been moved closer together and Facebook’s icon has been removed from the Share button making them more compact and easier to click. The number Shares and Likes will now be counted together and listed above the buttons.
Ray C. He, software engineer at Facebook, said in a blog post: ‘We’re already seeing a favourable increase in Likes and Shares with the new design and will be rolling these buttons out to everyone in the coming weeks. If you are currently using the old Like button, you’ll be automatically upgraded to the new design as part of our roll out.’
However, businesses need to remember that button placement is still important and without the right location content will not be shared.
Nico Pitney, head of product at The Huffington Post, commented on the change: “We place the Like and Share buttons right below the headline of our articles and in a persistent left side bar that stays with the user when they scroll down the page. We want to give people every opportunity to like and share content, and, at this point, I like to think we’ve made it hard not to engage in social actions.”
