On March 11, 2011 Facebook announced that they will be no longer be using FBML (Facebook Markup Language) to build custom fan pages. All new pages will now be using the iframe tag giving a greater flexibility with content on your Fan Page.
iframes allows you to embed a full HTML document including the HTML, HEAD and BODY tag contents. You can use CSS formatting, add Flash and YouTube content and do some great content development to drive traffic where you want it.
If you are just getting started with developing pages on Facebook, you will need to know that you are limited to a maximum of 492 pixels wide for images and any content that you are developing.
There are a number of great websites and Facebook Apps that can be used to develop your Fan page. Here are some of the sites and Apps that I have used:
PageModo – I really like this website due to it making it very easy to generate a page without the need to get your hands dirty with writing code. This site does have cost associated with the multiple tiers for the monthly service. They do have a free one (1) page option. The site is template driven and does have some limits as to what templates the free option can use.
iwi – This is my favorite Facebook App since it offers a lot of options and control for your content. You can work in code or the graphical user interface. The work flow is a little awkward with the need to go to multiple screens to work through the design and preview of the site. The app does allow you to have both a fan and non-fan pages allowing you to target the visitor.
Static HTML :iframe tab – This is another Facebook app that is not as user friendly as it has two fields for html code. The top section allows you to target the non-fan and the bottom allows you to target your fans. I have built a couple of pages using this and been pleased with the results and flexibility. You can install multiple instances of this app to allow for more tabs creating a broader selection of offerings to your visitor.
Once you have your new fan page created you may want to make it the default page for visitors to your presence. To do this you will need to edit your settings. Then under Manage Permissions option you will find a selection for “Default Landing Tab:”. Here you will be able to select the tab that you want to be default.
Tip: Keep in mind that you can do SEO with your fan page. While not all search engines are indexing Facebook content, most Facebook users search within Facebook and if you optimize the use of keywords relating to your product or service you will be in the top results.
If your company is needing help with developing your web presence on your website or Facebook, give us a call at NosalCentral for all internet marketing needs.