What Are Sitelinks?

Sitelinks are the cluster of extra links shown under a single Google result that jump to important pages on the same site. Google generates them automatically by analyzing your site's link structure, so you cannot pick them yourself. Clear page titles, a logical structure, and concise internal anchor text improve your chances. To remove one, you remove the page or add a noindex tag.

What sitelinks are

Sitelinks are navigational shortcuts Google adds beneath a result to save searchers time. Google describes them as links from the same domain "that are clustered together under a text result", chosen by analyzing the link structure of your site.

They usually appear for a branded search, where one result clearly dominates the search results page.

Google shows them only when it judges them useful. If your structure does not surface good shortcuts, or the sitelinks do not fit the query, Google leaves them out.

You cannot choose your sitelinks

You cannot manually set your sitelinks. Google's documentation states plainly that sitelinks are automated, adding only that it "may incorporate site owner input in the future."

That means no dashboard, no list to submit, and no way to hand-pick which pages appear.

The reason sits with how they are chosen. Google's systems pick shortcuts by analyzing your link structure, and show them only when they judge them useful for the query.

How to improve your chances

You cannot force sitelinks, but a few structural habits earn better ones. Google's guidance lists them clearly.

• Keep page titles and headings informative, relevant, and compact.
• Build a logical site structure, and link to important pages from other relevant pages.
• Keep your internal anchor text concise and relevant to its target page.
• Avoid repetition in your content.

Strong page titles help most directly, since informative, compact titles and headings top Google's list of sitelink best practices.

How to remove a sitelink

To remove a sitelink, you remove what feeds it. Google's only current method is to remove the page from your site or add a noindex tag to it.

There is no lighter option. The old Search Console "demote sitelinks" tool no longer exists.

Sitelinks vs the sitelinks search box

Sitelinks are not the same as the sitelinks search box, and one of the two is gone. It is worth keeping them straight, because advice online still blurs them.

	Sitelinks	Sitelinks search box
What it is	Clustered navigational links under a result	A search field under a brand result
Driven by	Your site's link structure	WebSite structured data
Status	Live	Removed globally on 21 November 2024

Source: Google Search Central sitelinks doc (updated December 2025) and Google Search Central blog (21 October 2024).

Google removed the search box after usage dropped, noting the change "doesn't affect rankings." You can leave any old search-box structured data in place, since it causes no errors.

In our experience, the sites that earn clean sitelinks are usually the ones already easy for a human to navigate. Google tends to mirror a structure that already helps people, which is why we fix navigation before chasing the feature.

Frequently asked questions

Can I choose which sitelinks Google shows?

No. Sitelinks are fully automated, and Google says only that it may incorporate site-owner input in the future. Your influence is indirect: clear page titles, a logical structure, strong internal links to your important pages, and concise anchor text all help Google find good shortcuts. You shape the raw material, but Google decides which links appear and for which searches.

Why does my site not show sitelinks?

Usually Google does not yet see useful shortcuts, or your result does not dominate a query. Sitelinks appear mostly for branded searches where one result clearly leads. If your site is new, thin, or has a flat structure with weak internal linking, Google may find nothing worth clustering. Build clear top-level pages, link to them well, and earn branded searches, and sitelinks often follow.

How do I get rid of a bad sitelink?

Remove the page or add a noindex tag to it. Google's current guidance offers only those two options, since the old "demote" tool in Search Console was retired. If a page you would rather hide keeps appearing, and you still need it live, treat it as a signal. Review your internal links and titles so Google favors better pages instead.

Are sitelinks a ranking factor?

No. Sitelinks are a display feature, not a ranking signal. They change how your result looks when you already rank well for a query, usually a branded one, but they do not lift your position. Google's removal of the related sitelinks search box also did not affect rankings. Focus on ranking the pages first; sitelinks are a bonus Google adds on top.

What happened to the sitelinks search box?

Google removed it globally on 21 November 2024. It was the small search field that appeared under some brand results, driven by structured data. Google retired it after usage fell, and the change did not affect rankings or regular sitelinks. You can leave the old structured data on your site, as it causes no errors in Search Console, or remove it during your next cleanup.

Earn sitelinks by earning clear structure

Sitelinks are not a setting you switch on; they are a reward for a site Google finds easy to read. Give it clear titles, a logical layout, and strong internal links, and it will often surface your key pages as shortcuts. Chase the structure, and the feature tends to follow.

Storming Solutions builds custom-coded websites and runs SEO/AEO/GEO for Malaysian businesses from Kuala Lumpur, with the clean structure and internal linking that help Google surface your key pages. We would rather build a site people navigate easily than chase a feature nobody controls directly.

Want Google to show shortcuts to your key pages? Message us on WhatsApp and we will review your structure.