There appears to be a new layout for Google Business Profile (GBP) and it could be a game changer for businesses nationwide. In years past, GBPs have shown up on the right side of the search engine results page, or SERP. But now, it seems that Google is quietly testing full-width business profiles, especially when someone searches for a business by name.
If Google makes this change permanent, expect branded searches to look very different from this point forward — and that will mean a lot for your SEO strategy.
What’s Changed? Say Hello to the New GBP Layout for Branded Searches
First, let’s do a comparison.
Here’s what you usually see in a branded search:
As you can see, Esquire Digital’s name, website link, reviews, hours, photos, and address appear on the right hand side of traditional desktop search results while relevant website links remain front and center.
But in the new GBP layout, these details are now displayed at the top of the page. Here’s an example:
This is a pretty sizable difference — and it’s not just a cosmetic tweak, either. With Google’s decision to move in the direction of profile pages, this new GBP layout is essentially serving as a free Google-hosted landing page.
However, this could have consequences.
Possible Implications From the New GBP Full-Width Layout
Like organic searches, branded searches are an essential part of every SEO strategy — and they often lead to higher conversion rates because the customer already knows you. Take the example above: What’s more likely to lead to a conversion? A simple Google search for “local brewing companies near me,” or looking up a company’s menu because your friend recommended them?
In short, individuals who conduct branded searches are close to making a decision, increasing overall conversion rates. And from that perspective, the new local business search update has benefits that align with the user journey, including a cleaner, more visually-appealing and easily-organized layout.
But for the businesses themselves utilizing organic search marketing, it could pose a significant conflict. Here are a few possible scenarios:
Decreased Visibility for Organic Search Results
The new GBP layout, while visually appealing, also pushes organic search results — including website links — down further on the page. For businesses who invested in branding, this new layout could potentially lead to a lower click-through rate.
Issues with Conversion Tracking Accuracy
If users interact with the GBP directly instead of clicking through to the website, traditional reporting tools, including Google Analytics may be skewed. This could make it more difficult to understand audience behavior and discover new content or keyword opportunities.
Potential for Redundancy
When I worked at Google, we used to have a Google Business Profile feature called “Websites” which was initially designed to help businesses in developing markets, such as India, Brazil and Indonesia. The challenge we faced in these markets was convincing business owners to use GBP because they were under the impression that because they didn’t have a website, they, likewise, didn’t need to be on Google. We believed that creating a simple (mobile friendly) public website for these businesses would reduce the barrier to entry for adoption of GBP in these markets.
Until it was shut down in March 2024, “Websites” was an incredibly popular tool, not just among developing markets, but for everyone who used it. The formula behind it was simple: Pull information from the GBP listing to create a free, single-page website.
However, this created competition with GBPs, as having a website with the same data was redundant. Thus, Google sunset the Websites feature in favor of making the Google Business Profile the primary “page” for the business. With the development of this new interface, we are seeing Google continue to invest in the concept of a business profile “page”, as the business information (photos / location / reviews) are now being displayed in the prime real estate within the SERP.
When Will the New GBP Layout Roll Out?
So when can we expect this new layout to become the standard moving forward? Time will tell, but from my experience at Google, updates like these are usually rolled out slowly — starting at around 5% and gradually increasing from there.
The good news is that a slow roll-out means ample time to prepare and adjust SEO strategy. Contact Esquire Digital today to make sure your business stays visible, clickable and ahead of the curve.
