Google is testing a two-row layout for action buttons in mobile local panels, the latest variation in a string of experiments targeting how users interact with Google Business Profile listings directly in search results.

Khushal Bherwani spotted the layout and posted a screenshot on X. The screenshot shows the local panel's action buttons — such as call, directions, and website — stacked across two horizontal rows instead of Google's standard single-row presentation.

For comparison, the standard mobile layout that most users currently see presents those action buttons in a single scrollable strip, where users can swipe the buttons from left to right and back. Google has also tested a "more" plus-sign toggle in the past that expands the row to reveal additional buttons on demand.

Confirmed experiment, not a rollout

Google has not confirmed the test or commented on the two-row format. The evidence here is a single user-spotted screenshot, so this is tool-signal-grade observation rather than an official feature announcement — treat it as an interface experiment that Google may expand, modify, or abandon entirely, as it does with most interface tests.

What is well documented is the pattern behind it: Google has been iterating on local panel button presentation for some time. The search company has previously tested the expandable "more" sign and the horizontally scrollable carousel of buttons. The two-row layout is the newest entry in that sequence of experiments.

Why the button row matters for local businesses

Action buttons in the local panel are the primary conversion path between a searcher and a business. A layout change that makes buttons more visible — or pushes some below the fold of a second row — can shift which actions users take: calls, direction requests, bookings, or website visits.

For businesses in service verticals where phone calls drive leads, a two-row layout could surface a call button more prominently. For restaurant and retail listings, where menus, orders, and directions compete for attention, the arrangement of buttons across two rows could change click distribution among those actions. Local SEO practitioners monitoring GBP performance should watch call and direction metrics closely if the layout reaches broader testing.

The change applies to mobile search only in the observed instance, consistent with Google's ongoing pattern of testing local panel variations first on mobile, where most local searches occur.

What to monitor next

Watch for broader appearances of the two-row layout across additional users and devices, and for any parallel changes to button ordering or available actions in the local panel. If Google commits to a rollout, expect the Search Engine Roundtable and Search Engine Land to track confirmation and coverage percentages in short order.