Google has announced that it will remove sitelinks search box feature on November 21, citing a decline in its usage. Introduced in 2014, this tool allowed users to conduct site-specific searches directly from Google’s search results page. Typically, the sitelinks search box appeared above the sitelinks when users searched for certain websites, especially by company names.
Why Is It Being Retired?
The company explained in a statement, “Over time, we’ve noticed that usage has dropped, leading to the conclusion that the feature is no longer necessary.
Google has promised users that the deletion of this tool will not affect search rankings or the appearance of other sitelinks in the search results.
Impact on Websites
Google claims that even though the sitelinks search box is no longer there, it is only a visual change and will not alter the way websites appear in search results. It’s just a front-end upgrade, meaning it will look different, but the algorithm in the background will remain the same. Website owners and SEO professionals can rest assured that they do not need to make any immediate changes to their SEO strategies as a result of this update.
Global Rollout and Tool Updates
This global update will affect search results across all languages and regions. Still, it won’t be significant enough to appear on the Search status dashboard. Google also plans to update its tools to reflect this change. The Search Console rich results report for the sitelinks search box will be removed, and the Rich Results Test will no longer highlight related markups.
While website owners can remove the sitelinks search box structured data from their sites, Google says it’s unnecessary. They also confirmed that other structured data used for site names will continue to be supported.
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