Google is testing a new ad format for Sponsored Places listings that expands when a searcher hovers over it, revealing additional business detail without a click. Search consultant Khushal Bherwani spotted the test and flagged it to Search Engine Roundtable, which first reported the sighting on September 17.
The behavior mirrors a pattern Google has tried on other ad units before: keep the collapsed unit compact, then trade screen space for more detail the moment a user shows interest. For local search results, that tradeoff carries a cost. An ad box that grows on hover pushes down whatever sits beneath it on the page, meaning the Maps pack and organic local listings local SEOs work to rank in inherit less guaranteed space above the fold.
Google has not announced the test or described how broadly it is running. Local SEOs monitoring desktop visibility for commercial local queries should watch for compressed local pack placement as this format spreads.
Search Engine Roundtable, in a report by Barry Schwartz published September 17, 2026, first spotted the expandable Sponsored Places ad test.
