Earlier today, Mike Blumenthal highlighted a story that Google Plus Daily released regarding a major cosmetic update with Google.1. A Much Larger Cover Photo The image shown below highlights the new cover photo that appears on Google Local listings.As of now, it appears that Google Local listings which are not merged to Google Local listings will display a. the map as the default cover image and b. only 2 tabs the About and Photos tabs keep in mind these are still consistent showings that first appeared from the initial merging of Google Local business pages.Also, it is important to note, for merged Google Local pages, the listing owner must choose to update the cover photo in order for the larger one to show. If not, the listing will still display the cover image that was originally uploaded on the Google Local page prior to this cosmetic update.2. A Smaller, Circular, Default Image The second noticed update to the listing is the display of a smaller, circular, default image that appears on the lefthand side of the page rather than the larger, square, image on the left hand side of the page.This change comes as one that is not surprising to me as it has been showing in the Google news feed with profile images for quite some time.3. Business Information Appearing More Prominently The third most notable feature is the basic business information name, address, phone number, website, and Read Homepage business hours showing more prominently.In addition, the platform casts a drop shadow to help the white text pop. For user experiences sake, make sure you select a cover photo that complements this.4. Follow Ability This, too, is a feature that was shown in the mergednonmerged Google Local listings, however, now the ability to follow a Google Local listing is much more prominent. If you reference the images below, you will see that a prominently displays the Follow button on the bottom righthand side of the cover photo while the nonmerged listing does not display it. However, both pages allow a user to 1 the page.5. Social Usability Google Locals new look also places more importance on the social features with Google and heightens user experience with the listing by displaying the following options more prominent on the listing Directions, Star This Place, Upload A Photo, Share This Page, Write A Review, and the settings wheel that allows you to mute a page to stop receiving notifications from the business or reportblock a page.Final Thoughts As of now, those are my initial sightings for the latest change with the lovely world of Google Local. I am sure Im missing a lot, so please, tell me what youre seeing and the experiences youve had thus far Thanks for taking the time to read, I hope this was beneficial.

Matt Gregory is a Local SEO Consultant who holds a passion for the industry.

He also enjoys working out, spending time with friends and family, and cheering for the Green Bay Packers.

I do like the prominence of the 1 button near the top of the pages. What Im curious to see is if a cover photo was uploaded before the cosmetic change using the smaller size, if Google will let the photo remain as it is indefinitely, or require the page owner to change it to the new cover photo size at some point. Hi Matt, Thanks for the insight and for posting on this. I have a question about the circular default image.

Will Google rotate these and if so Id imagine we need to be more careful with selection so they blend well. Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it.

As of now, I havent heard of Google rotating these images per se, however, a colleague of mine, Alex Cordes, has found that Google cosmetically edited an image he had uploaded to a listing. If you are seeing any evidence of Google rotating them please let us know. Also, I agree that image selection has now become even more crucial to the aesthetics of the page.

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