Google is removing a decades-old feature next month

How often do you use the sitelinks search box when you google something? If your answer to this question was, “What the heck is a sitelinks search box?” Don’t worry – you’re not alone. In fact, Google discovered that so few people were using the tool that it is now removing it after over a decade of service.

Google removes the sitelinks search box from search results

As announced on the Google Search Central blog, the search giant is removing the sitelinks search box, a feature you've probably seen hundreds of times but never used. You can see one in the image below; It's the little box just below the main search result that allows you to search MakeUseOf without having to visit the website first.

On paper, searching a website through Google results is a good idea, but apparently it hasn't been used enough for the tech giant to justify keeping it. To reduce clutter in search results, Google decided to eliminate these:

It's been over ten years since we first announced the Sitelinks search box in Google Search, and over time we've seen usage decline. Therefore, and to simplify search results, we will remove this visual element starting November 21, 2024.

The change is rolling out globally in all languages ​​and Google notes that it will not impact website rankings. There's a good chance you won't even notice the boxes disappear on November 21st.

If you prefer more feature-rich results, check out these Chrome extensions that significantly improve Google searches. And if the tech giant hasn't been giving you good results lately, now would be a good time to try alternative search engines that can find what Google can't.