# Google Sitelinks: How They Form and What You Can Influence

Author: Fatih Emin Çakıroğlu (https://fatihemincakiroglu.com)
Source: https://fatihemincakiroglu.com/en/blog/google-sitelinks
Published: 2026-10-20
Updated: 2026-10-20

When you search for your brand and see extra links such as “Services”, “Contact” or “Pricing” under the main result, those are sitelinks. The question I hear most from clients: “Our competitor has sitelinks, why don't we, and how do we add them?”

This article covers how Google picks sitelinks, where you can have an influence, how to remove an unwanted sitelink, and what happened to the sitelinks search box.

> Short answer: Sitelinks are generated automatically by Google and cannot be added manually. According to Google's documentation, a logical site structure, informative and concise titles, descriptive internal links to important pages and non-repetitive content prepare the ground for good sitelinks. An unwanted sitelink can only be removed by removing the page or using noindex.

## What are sitelinks and how do they form?

Sitelinks are additional links from the same site shown under a search result. Their purpose is to take users to the section they want in one click.

According to Google Search Central, Google's systems analyse a site's link structure to find shortcuts that help users reach information faster. Sitelinks only appear when Google thinks they will be useful; if the structure does not allow it or the links are not relevant to the query, they are not shown.

The documentation also states that sitelinks are currently automated. There is no way to “add” them in Search Console or with structured data. In practice I see sitelinks mostly on brand and navigational searches; they are rarer for the same site on a general informational query.

## What does Google look at when picking sitelinks?

Google does not share the details of its selection, but four recommendations in the documentation make clear what helps.

- **Logical structure**: A hierarchy users can navigate easily, with links to important pages from other relevant pages.
- **Informative titles**: Page titles and headings should be informative, relevant and compact.
- **Descriptive anchor text**: Internal link anchor text should be concise and describe the target page.
- **No repetition**: Several pages saying the same thing make it harder for Google to choose a shortcut.

All four are core technical SEO and information architecture work; there is no separate “sitelink optimisation”. For the broader framework, see the [technical SEO guide](https://fatihemincakiroglu.com/en/guides/teknik-seo).

## What can you do to influence sitelinks?

| Area | Google's recommendation | In practice |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Menu and hierarchy | Logical, easy to navigate | 5-7 clear sections in the main menu, each with its own landing page |
| Title and H1 | Informative, relevant, compact | Short, page-specific titles such as “Services \| Brand” |
| Anchor text | Concise and relevant to the target | “Dental implant prices” instead of “click here” |
| Links to key pages | Link from relevant pages | Link revenue pages from within content too |
| Repetition | Avoid it | Merge two similar pages and 301 one to the other |

I cover how to plan internal links in [internal linking strategy](https://fatihemincakiroglu.com/en/blog/ic-linkleme). Folder and slug layout is covered in [SEO-friendly URL structure](https://fatihemincakiroglu.com/en/blog/url-yapisi-seo): readable paths like /services/implants/ explain your sections to users and Google alike.

## An example site structure that suits sitelinks

In the dental clinic example below, each main section has one strong landing page and subpages link from it. With a structure like this, the candidates Google could choose as shortcuts are clear.

- clinic-example.com
  - /treatments/
    - /treatments/implants/
    - /treatments/orthodontics/
    - /treatments/whitening/
  - /our-dentists/
    - /our-dentists/dr-ayse-yilmaz/
  - /pricing/
  - /contact/

The opposite: with three thin pages such as “implants”, “implant-treatment” and “implant-prices” for one treatment, it becomes unclear which one Google should use. For healthcare site structure, see [healthcare SEO](https://fatihemincakiroglu.com/en/industries/healthcare-seo).

## How do you remove an unwanted sitelink?

Sometimes an old campaign page, “Careers” or a login screen shows up as a sitelink. Google's documentation is clear: remove the page from your site or use noindex.

**Works**
- Removing the page (404/410, or 301 to a relevant page)
- noindex if the page should not appear in search
- Making key pages more prominent: menu, internal links, titles

**Does not work**
- Blocking only via robots.txt (the URL can still appear)
- Trying to “define” sitelinks with structured data
- Looking for a sitelink setting in Search Console

Remember that noindex removes the page from all search results. If the page has value for other queries, strengthening your key pages may be smarter than removing it; the [Search Console guide](https://fatihemincakiroglu.com/en/blog/search-console-rehberi) shows how to monitor the effect.

## What happened to the sitelinks search box?

> **The sitelinks search box is no longer shown** In an October 2024 announcement, Google removed the sitelinks search box in all languages and regions from 21 November 2024. The related Search Console report was removed too. Google says the change does not affect rankings or regular sitelinks.

You do not have to delete the SearchAction part of your WebSite markup; Google said leftover markup causes no issues or errors. WebSite structured data used for site names remains supported. To set up Organization and WebSite schema, the [structured data guide](https://fatihemincakiroglu.com/en/guides/schema-yapisal-veri) and the [schema generator](https://fatihemincakiroglu.com/en/tools/schema-generator) help.

## Sitelinks checklist

- [ ] Does the main menu have clear, distinct sections?
- [ ] Does every key page have a short, page-specific title tag and H1?
- [ ] Do key pages get descriptive internal links from content, not just the menu?
- [ ] Have duplicate or thin pages on the same topic been merged?
- [ ] Are pages you do not want as sitelinks removed or set to noindex?
- [ ] Is your brand name consistent and does it clearly identify your site in brand searches?

The last item relates to how Google and AI systems recognise your brand; see [entity SEO](https://fatihemincakiroglu.com/en/blog/entity-seo). To review your site's information architecture, see [SEO consulting](https://fatihemincakiroglu.com/en/seo-consulting) or reach me via the [contact page](https://fatihemincakiroglu.com/en/contact).

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Why does my new site not have sitelinks?

Google needs to understand your structure and clearly match your site to brand searches. New sites have low brand search volume, so this usually takes time. Focus on getting the structure right and growing brand awareness.

### Can I change the order of sitelinks?

No, Google decides the order and which links appear. Featuring key pages in the menu and giving them more internal links may help Google see them as important, but it does not set the order.

### Do sitelinks increase click-through rate?

Sitelinks make a result take up more space and take users straight to the relevant section. You can track the effect on brand queries in the Search Console Performance report. Quoting a universal rate would be misleading.

### Where do sitelink descriptions come from?

Short texts under sitelinks are usually chosen by Google from page content or the meta description, like other results. Writing a clear, page-specific meta description can help those snippets make more sense.

### Are sitelinks the same as Google Ads sitelinks?

No. Organic sitelinks are automated; sitelink assets in Google Ads are added by the advertiser. Neither affects the other. I discuss the paid and organic balance in [SEO or Google Ads](https://fatihemincakiroglu.com/en/blog/seo-mu-google-ads-mi).

### Do sitelinks look different on mobile?

Appearance can vary by device and search interface; on mobile, links may be more compact. That is why key pages should be easy to reach in the mobile menu and the mobile version should carry the same internal links.

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Please attribute as: "Fatih Emin Çakıroğlu (fatihemincakiroglu.com)". Original: https://fatihemincakiroglu.com/en/blog/google-sitelinks