- Brian Morrissey

NEW YORK Facebook has unveiled a new design that changes the way the social networking site displays ads to users.
 
The site is shifting ad placements from the left side of pages to the right-hand columns. Ad placements on the home page will remain above the fold, with ads sold by Facebook's direct sales team.

Facebook said it plans to "further innovate on the functionality" of those ads. Right now, the placements are static text with a photo. Facebook is considering adding video options, a rep said.
 
On all other pages where the ads will shift to the right, users will see up to two Facebook-sold placements or a single Facebook ad atop a skyscraper unit sold by Microsoft as part of its investment in the site. Microsoft banners will run across the site, but will no longer appear on the home page and user profiles.

One placement still in flux, according to a Facebook representative, is the banner on the bottom of the page, which Microsoft has sold. Facebook is still determining whether the new design will include it. All pages, other than application pages, will maintain a maximum of two ad placements.
 
The shift is part of a larger redesign that the company said will improve the user experience by making the site less cluttered and emphasizing feeds from a user's friend activities. It is rolling out the new design to its 80 million users over the next few weeks.