Google Tests Moving Google Posts Higher in Local Panels

Google appears to be testing a higher placement for Google Posts inside local knowledge panels, reversing a 2018 demotion that pushed the section to the bottom of the panel. Local SEO practitioners reported the shift this week through screenshots and position tracking.

Ben Fisher first flagged the change on LinkedIn a few days ago. He wrote: "Good news, everybody! GBP KP is now testing a higher position on posts!" Fisher, a well-known figure in the Google Business Profile community, added a caveat about volatility. He said: "Now every 3 days I am seeing posts move up and then 3 days later they move down."

What has actually changed?

Two things are confirmed by the evidence so far. First, screenshots show the Google Posts and social media updates section rendering noticeably higher in the local knowledge panel than its long-standing bottom position. Second, the placement is unstable — Fisher documents a three-day oscillation between the higher and lower positions.

What is not confirmed: any statement from Google. The company has not announced a rollout, a policy change, or an experiment through its official channels. Everything currently known comes from practitioner observation, which puts this firmly in tool-signal and user-sighting territory rather than confirmed search-engine communication. Treat the placement as a test until Google comments or the pattern stabilizes.

Why the 2018 history matters

In 2018, Google moved the Google Posts section to the bottom of the local panel. That demotion reduced the visible payoff for maintaining a posting cadence, since even frequent posters saw their content buried below reviews, hours, and photos. A reversal would undo seven years of that layout.

Fisher's tracking suggests Google is running both layouts in rotation rather than committing to one. His observation cycle — posts up for roughly three days, then down for three days — matches how Google typically stages interface experiments before a broader rollout or a quiet shutdown.

Who should care, and what changes for them?

The affected surface is the local knowledge panel, the profile card that appears in Search and Maps for businesses with a Google Business Profile. Impact breaks down by site type:

• Multi-location brands and local SMBs: Google Posts sit fully inside the profile, so a higher placement directly increases the visibility of offers, events, and updates without any website change.
• Agencies managing GBP at scale: if the higher position holds, posting cadence becomes measurably more valuable, which strengthens the case for scheduled posting programs.
• Verticals with event-driven demand: restaurants, clinics, and service businesses that post time-sensitive offers would gain the most from above-the-fold placement.

If the section settles at the top of the panel, it will likely incentivize more businesses to add Google Posts to their Google Business Profiles — the practical consequence of giving owned content premium real estate in a surface businesses do not fully control.

What to monitor next

Watch whether Fisher's three-day oscillation resolves into a fixed placement, and whether Google confirms the change through its Business Profile communications channels. Businesses that abandoned posting after 2018 should track impressions on their next few Posts and compare panel screenshots weekly to catch a permanent rollout early.