Google testing a slimmed-down version of the local box

Google is testing a minimalist version of the local box in the mobile search results. My best guess: It is a version for slower internet connections.

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Google is testing a new slimmed-down version of the local box results in the mobile interface. The slimmed-down version may only show in certain cases, maybe in a case where the user’s connection is poor, or maybe in a certain Google user interface A/B test. But Sergey Alakov captured the test and posted a screen shot of it on Twitter.

Here is a picture of the slimmed-down version of the local box.

google-local-box-smaller-1461671814

As you can see, the photos, map, blue interface and expandable button are all missing. It seems Google stripped it down to make the result load faster.

Here is the normal interface:

google-local-box-normal-1461671814


About the author

Barry Schwartz
Staff
Barry Schwartz is a Contributing Editor to Search Engine Land and a member of the programming team for SMX events. He owns RustyBrick, a NY based web consulting firm. He also runs Search Engine Roundtable, a popular search blog on very advanced SEM topics. Barry can be followed on Twitter here.

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