On March 30th, Facebook rolled out the Timeline to all brand pages. Gone are default landing pages and forcing users to “Like” in order to view your page. Now it’s the all about the cover photo displayed prominently at the top of your page.

So how has the change affected how users view brand pages? Mashable, along with EyeTrackShop, just released results from their new study that used a webcam to compare how users viewing techniques have changed since the Timeline transition.

How the study was conducted:

“EyeTrackShop recorded eye movements of 30 participants as they were shown brand profiles—before and after being converted to timeline—from the Dallas Cowboys, Good Morning America, “The Muppets” and Pepsi in 10-second intervals. What participants looked at on each webpage, for how long and in what order is recorded in the images below.”

And the results:

• Cover photos are important …very important. Everyone in the study noticed the cover photo, and almost immediately. Another significant item to note is that cover photos with faces garnered more attention than those without.
• Ads are less visible on Facebook Timeline when compared to the old layout,  which is a good thing for pages because it means fewer distractions for visitors.
• Brand Page information is front and center. Information such as the number of “Likes”, photos and apps are now displayed prominently at the top center of the page.

So what does all this mean when it comes to managing a brand page on the new Timeline? First and foremost, focus on the cover photo. As the single most focused-on object for page visitors, spice up that cover photo to catch attention and make a bold statement about your brand. Another interesting revelation is that your Timeline wall content is actually the information viewed last, long after visitors check out the cover, apps, photos and page information. With that in mind, page managers may want to look at re-prioritizing their efforts to create more attractive visuals, which easily display what their brand/company is all about.

While relevant content is still key for interacting with and keeping fans engaged on your page, the Timeline layout has redirected some of that focus. Facebook page managers should take note of exactly what their visitors are seeing, and content alone may not be enough to grab attention in the first few seconds. Take a moment to consider how you can improve your social media properties with this new info .

For more info, check out the full results from the study here.