Facebook has removed the 'Like' button from its redesigned public pages used by artists, actors, public figures, and brands. The move is being made to simplify the way people connect with their favourite pages.

Facebook pages will now only show the number of followers and a dedicated news feed section for users to join a conversation or interact with other users. "We are removing Likes and focusing on Followers to simplify the way people connect with their favourite Pages. Unlike Likes, Followers of a Page represent the people who can receive updates from Pages, which helps give public figures a stronger indication of their fan base,” Facebook said.

The company has introduced a dedicated news feed section to pages for joining conversations, follow trends, interact with peers and engage with fans. The dedicated News Feed will also suggest new connections — other public figures, Pages, Groups and trending content that a Page or public figure cares about.

To make Page conversations more visible to a wider audience and surfaced more frequently in their followers’ news feed, comments from public figures will be bumped to the top of the comments section. People will also be able to follow Facebook pages directly from comments and recommendations posts.

The social media giant has also added new page management features - like the ability to more clearly assign and manage admin access permissions based on specific tasks. 

The updated features will be rolled out to all public pages on Facebook in the coming months.

(With inputs from agencies)