Google has announced that it will remove the sitelinks search box from its search results starting November 21, 2024. This feature, introduced over ten years ago, allowed users to search within a specific website directly from the Google search results. However, with its declining use, Google has decided to retire the sitelinks search box to simplify search result pages.
What’s Changing?
- Sitelinks Search Box Removed Globally: The removal will apply to all search results across all countries and languages.
- Impact on Rankings: There will be no impact on rankings or other sitelink features, and it won’t be reflected in the Search status dashboard.
- Search Console: Once the feature is removed, the Search Console rich results report for the sitelinks search box will also be discontinued. The sitelinks search box markup will no longer be highlighted in the Rich Results Test.
What Should You Do?
There’s no need to take action on your website. If your site currently uses structured data for the sitelinks search box, it won’t cause any issues, and removing it is optional. Unsupported structured data will not trigger errors in Search Console reports. However, keep in mind that site names use a variation of the WebSite structured data, which will still be supported.
Need Help?
If you have any questions or concerns, you can visit Google’s Search Central help community or reach out to Google on social media.
This change simplifies Google’s search experience without affecting site rankings, offering users a more streamlined search interface moving forward.
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