Sitelink

Sitelinks are hyperlinks to a website’s subpages that appear under certain Google search listings to help users navigate a site. Site owners cannot directly add sitelinks; Google generates them automatically through its proprietary algorithms. However, site owners can block specific sitelinks if they consider them unhelpful.

In Google Search, sitelinks appear beneath a search result when Google’s algorithms determine that additional internal links may help users navigate the site more efficiently. The number of sitelinks displayed in search can vary, but Google can show up to six sitelinks per result.

According to John I. Jerkovic, "Every site should strive to get sitelinks, as they indicate authority and a strong web presence. Sitelinks also occupy additional space in the search results, pushing competitors further down the page, which is desirable."

Sitelinks are said to appear "on some search results where Google thinks one result is far more relevant than other results (like navigational or brand-related searches)."

SEO experts consider sitelinks to be an important indicator of a site's trust and authority, and many have attempted to determine the factors that influence their appearance. Some analyses reference Google patents.

According to these patents, sitelinks may be derived from user behavior such as the number of times a page is accessed, the time spent on the page, and the content of the page itself (for instance, whether it involves commercial transactions). Another embodiment suggests that website providers might supply search engines with a preferred list of internal web pages.