Google to Retire Sitelinks Search Box in November: What You Need to Know

Google has announced that it will retire the sitelinks search box feature, with the change taking effect on November 21, 2024. This marks the end of a tool that has been part of the search experience for over a decade, first introduced in 2014.

What Was the Sitelinks Search Box?

The sitelinks search box allowed users to search within a specific website directly from Google’s search results page. It would appear above the sitelinks for certain websites, typically when users searched for a business or organization by name. By providing a faster way to find content on popular websites, the feature offered enhanced convenience, particularly for large and content-heavy websites like Amazon or Wikipedia.

Declining Usage Drives Change

Google has cited declining usage of the sitelinks search box as the primary reason for its retirement. The company noted in a statement, “Over time, we’ve noticed that usage has dropped.” As fewer users relied on the feature, Google has chosen to focus its efforts on more relevant and widely-used tools in its ecosystem.

Minimal Impact on SEO and Rankings

For website owners and SEO professionals, the good news is that the removal of the sitelinks search box will not impact search rankings or the display of other sitelinks. The change is entirely visual and doesn’t affect a site’s overall performance in search results. Google has also clarified that this update is not related to any algorithm changes, so it won’t appear in the Search status dashboard.

Changes to Search Console and Tools

As part of this change, Google will update several key tools:

• Search Console: The rich results report for the sitelinks search box will be removed.
• Rich Results Test: This tool will no longer highlight markup related to the sitelinks search box.

Structured Data Considerations

Website owners do not need to take any immediate action. While the structured data related to the sitelinks search box will no longer be supported, its presence on your website won’t cause any errors or issues in Google Search Console reports. If desired, site owners can remove the structured data, but Google emphasizes that doing so is not necessary.

It’s important to note that the 'WebSite' structured data used for site names remains supported, so sites using this markup for other purposes won’t need to make changes.

Historical Context: How It Began

The sitelinks search box was introduced in September 2014 as a way to make finding specific content on large websites easier for users. By allowing sites to implement schema markup, Google provided a way for businesses to integrate their internal search engines directly into search results, supporting features like autocomplete.

At the time, it was considered an enhancement for user experience, particularly for brands with large product catalogs or vast libraries of content.

Looking Ahead: What Should You Do?

While the sitelinks search box is being retired, there is no immediate action required from website owners. This change is more of a visual update to Google’s user interface, and it won’t affect the underlying mechanics of search rankings or the way other sitelinks are displayed.

SEO professionals and website owners should keep an eye on any future changes, especially if their site heavily relied on internal search optimization. However, Google assures that this update is straightforward and won't disrupt current SEO practices.

In summary, the retirement of the sitelinks search box represents a minor shift in Google Search's interface, reflecting evolving user habits. While a notable feature for some websites, its removal will likely have little impact on the majority of users and site owners.