When you search for a specific local business, you may no longer see the knowledge graph appear in the right-hand sidebar. Google appears to be testing its position on the SERPs.
The knowledge panel has moved to the left and fully above the fold. It’s gone from shy prince in the margins to turkey-leg-chomping king in the middle of the court.
Of course, after I went to all the trouble of writing those two paragraphs, the knowledge graph moved back to the right.
And now I’m seeing the new layout again.
It seems to be another of Google’s tests, but it may be the start of a permanent change.
It may be partly for user-experience and to show local “one-box”-type results in a way similar to how they appear on mobile (that is, front and center). I’m sure it also fits into another of Google’s schemes to squeeze out more AdWords revenue, though at this point it’s not clear to me how.
What would a bigger, bolder knowledge graph mean for you, the business owner? Probably nothing you weren’t aware of already. But if this change sticks, your Google reviews will get even more noticeable, important, and worth working on.
—
Have you seen this larger, shifted knowledge graph when you search for a company by name?
What do you make of the test? What do you think Google is trying to accomplish?
Leave a comment!