Tech

Facebook to feed users even bigger ads

Size matters, at least according to Facebook.

The social media company Wednesday said it is switching to fewer but bigger ads on the right-hand column of the desktop PC version of its website because users respond more frequently to them.

The new right-hand display ads — which may appear on Facebook later this month — will have the same proportions as News Feed advertisements, which inject paid marketing messages straight into a user’s stream of news and content.

A sample image on the Facebook for Business blog showed a single ad in the right-hand column. The company previously displayed up to seven box-like display ads in the right-hand column.

In tests of the new ad design, Facebook — which has more than 1.2 billion users — said it has seen up to three times more user “engagement” with the ads.

Facebook stock closed at $62.41 on Wednesday, up $4.22 or 7.25 percent.