First, for all the details about Google changing the width of the search results, read Google Increases Width of Main Search Results Column. This is a major change for how Google’s entire search results are changed.
Here is the comparison between the new wider local 3-pack, and the one we usually see.
Here is another example. This one has less features, and it really gives the local map pack a clean look.
This could reduce the height of some of the local 3-packs as well, depending on the content displayed. So some local businesses who don’t make it into the local 3-pack but have one of the top organic spots might end up with their listings above the fold.
But worth noting is that now, even when you view the old narrow style search results (right now, I can only still see them using Chrome Canary incognito), they have now switched over to more detailed local 3-packs. For the past year, Google has been switching up the info that appears in the local 3-packs, so businesses should be happy to see that this new wider version does show all the details available. So even if Google does revert back to the narrower search results, the 3-packs should retain the added information.
There is also a thread about the changes on the Local Search Forum.
Jennifer Slegg
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