Google is discontinuing the Sitelinks search box in November

Google has announced the discontinuation of the Sitelinks search box feature.

This change, set to take effect on November 21st, marks the end of a tool that has been part of Google Search for over a decade.

We're saying goodbye to the Sitelinks search box in Google search results starting November 21, 2024, due to a decline in usage. This does not affect rankings or other sitelinks. The relevant markup does not need to be removed, but is not used by Google.https://t.co/RocxcjyXi4 pic.twitter.com/sJO3stqdKJ

– Google Search Central (@googlesearchc) October 21, 2024

Launched in 2014, the Sitelinks search box allowed users to conduct location-specific searches directly on Google's search results page.

It appeared above the sitelinks for certain websites, usually when searching for a business by name.

Declining usage

Google cites declining usage as the reason for this decision:

“Over time, we’ve seen usage decline.”

Possible effects

Google assures that removing the Sitelinks search box will not affect search rankings or the display of other sitelinks.

This change is purely visual and has no impact on a website's position in search results.

Implementation

This update is rolling out globally and affects search results in all languages ​​and countries.

Google has confirmed that the change will not be reflected in the search status dashboard, indicating that it is not a significant algorithmic update.

Testing Search Console and Rich Results

After removing the Sitelinks search box, Google plans to update the following tools:

1. The Search Console rich results report for the sitelinks search box will be removed.
2. The rich results test no longer highlights the associated markup.

Structured Data Considerations

While you can remove the sitelinks search box structured data from your sites, Google says this is unnecessary.

Unsupported structured data does not cause problems in search or trigger errors in Search Console reports.

It is worth noting that the “WebSite” structured data, which is also used for site names, is still supported.

Historical context

The Sitelinks search box was originally announced in September 2014 as an improvement to make it easier for users to find specific website content.

It supported features like autocomplete and allowed websites to implement schema markup for better integration into their own search pages.

Looking ahead

Website owners and SEO professionals should take note of this update, but no immediate action is required.

Featured image: MrB11/Shutterstock