Facebook has rolled out a number of changes to the way it manages “Pages” on the site.

You will likely recall that the world’s biggest social network made significant upgrades to user profiles late last year and some of these have now been moved over into Pages; areas of the site managed by companies, brands and organisations.

Generally, the changes are positive for brands, giving admins more control and flexibility over management and appearance.

But, there will be some readjustment needed for companies. The upgrade is voluntary at present, but Facebook has advised that all accounts will be moved over from 1st March.

So, what has changed? Essentially, Facebook is listening to marketers and has veered towards the Twitter model where brands can be seen and can act more like individuals.

Here is our run down of the top eight developments you need to know about:

1. New layout

Visitors to your Page will now have to navigate around different tabs using options on the left rather than across the top. This slightly reduces the prominence of these tabs which means you might want to consider more navigation options on your landing page.

The profile picture is also a slightly different size and the ‘About’ copy has moved from the wall tab to the info tab.

2. The photostrip

Pages now have a photostrip above the wall, bringing them in line with individual profile pages. This displays the five latest photos the ‘Page’ has been tagged in. However, I’d expect that an app to more closely control the photos used will be released soon.

3. Like other pages

Rather than just ‘favouriting’ them, brands can now ‘like’ other Pages (but not individual profiles) and can also feature ‘Page Owners’.

Links and profile pictures of these Likes and owners that are displayed on the Page can be managed through a new ‘featured’ section in the ‘Edit Page Admin’ interface.

4. Default landing tab

When you switch to the new layout, your landing page will be changed back to the default, so you will need to change this if you are using a custom page.

If your landing page has an arrow pointing to the “Like” button, you might have to amend this as the positioning has moved slightly.

5. Relevant posts wall filter

As with individual profiles, Page admins can now choose between an “Everyone” and a “Page posts only” setting for the wall.

Instead of showing all posts in a chronological order, the Everyone setting shows the posts that Facebook deems to be most ‘relevant’. This will change for each person that visits the Page depending on their location, friends etc.

There is no way to set this page to the old chronological list, but admins can now see all posts in reverse order for moderation purposes in the “Admin View” which is accessed through the navigation bar.

Here, it is also possible to see a list of posts that have been filtered out either by admins or Facebook’s spam filter.

6. “Use Facebook as a Page”

Perhaps the biggest change is that admins can click on the “Use Facebook as a Page” option and essentially act on the network as you would as an individual. This is accessed from the Account drop down at the top right.

Once enabled, admins can see a special version of the site and can post and comment on other Pages.

7. Email notifications

Another feature that is likely to be welcomed with open arms by Page admins are email notifications. Now, admins will receive emails automatically to advise them about activity on their page. These won’t be much use for Pages with significant interaction, but for smaller brands, this will help them stay on top of activity and increase engagement.

8. Categories and subcategories

When you initially set up a Page, you are asked to enter it into a certain category and subcategory, but there was no way of changing this. That has now changed.

So check your company is listed in the right section through “Edit Page”, then “Basic Information”.

Have you tried the new Pages out yet? What do you think? Let us know in the comments.