Google Shows Competitors Local Listings Above The Branded Local Knowledge Panel

This isn't a good thing - Google can show a carousel feature of competitive businesses in the area when someone specifically searches for your company name in Google. So for a branded search that brings up a local knowledge panel for that business, Google can show competitive listings above the local knowledge panel!

Here is the screen shot from Mike Blumenthal's post on Twitter:

Here is what Mike said about this:

For f@(k’s sake Google.

Does a local brand search really need to surface competitors “to explore” above the branded profile?

Ok. It’s a test. Of what? How loyal a searcher is?

Seems like one big psych test pic.twitter.com/JIu3SLdWBM

— Mike Blumenthal (@mblumenthal) August 28, 2019

Now, Google had this feature since last year, so this really isn't new, but looking at it this way is kind of shocking.

This is recently after Google showed ads of a competitor in a branded local knowledge panel.

Not good Google - maybe you can do something about these types of competitive issues?

Forum discussion at Twitter.