The Complete 2026 Guide to Getting Google Sitelinks
Google Sitelinks can be an incredibly effective way to increase your site‘s click-through rate, build trust and credibility, boost brand awareness, and allow users to explore your content more deeply. However, Google does not display Sitelinks for every site.
In this comprehensive 3,000+ word guide, we will demystify Sitelinks and provide actionable tips to help you earn these coveted search engine enhancements in 2024.
What Are Google Sitelinks?
Google Sitelinks are sub-listings that appear under the first search result for branded and high-authority queries. They look like this:
The links under the main search listing allow users to quickly navigate to other highly relevant pages on that site without having to click back to the SERP.
For example, if you search for "Microsoft," you‘ll see Sitelinks to their most important pages like Office, Windows, Teams, and Outlook.
The goal of Sitelinks is to enhance the search experience by directing users to the best results in fewer clicks.
Google Only Shows Sitelinks Selectively
Google has said Sitelinks are only displayed "when we think they’ll be useful to the user." So you will not see them for every query or site.
Specifically, Google may withhold Sitelinks if:
- The site structure does not enable their algorithms to select good Sitelink options
- The potential Sitelinks are not relevant to the user‘s query
- The site lacks sufficient authority
📈 Recent data indicates sites with Sitelinks have a domain authority score of 50+, significantly higher than the average of sites without them (DA 30).
The good news is there are things you can do to improve Sitelinks discovery…
Why Earning Sitelinks is Valuable
Here are four key benefits of obtaining Google Sitelinks:
1. Higher Click-Through Rates
By giving users quick access to key site pages without an extra click, Sitelinks push down the rest of the SERP results.
One study by Advanced Web Ranking found Sitelinks increased CTR by 64%. That massive boost underscores their ability to drive more qualified traffic.
📊 According to 2022 data from RankScience, sites with Sitelinks averaged a CTR 13.4% higher compared to top results without Sitelinks.
2. Improved Trust and Credibility
Since Google is selective about showing Sitelinks, they signal a site is authoritative and trustworthy in Google‘s eyes.
Their prominent placement above other results also strengthens branding and familiarity.
🏆 A survey by BrightEdge found 93% of brands with Sitelinks were considered "Best in Class" for their online reputation in their sector.
3. Boost Brand Awareness
Sitelinks tend to highlight important pages like "about us," "products," "services," etc. This further educates searchers about what your brand provides.
The enhanced exposure of Sitelinks repeatedly imprints your brand name in searchers‘ minds.
👁🗨 Monthly branded search volume for sites with Sitelinks:
- Uber: 22M
- IKEA: 5.5M
- WebMD: 2M4. Help Users Dig Deeper
Without Sitelinks, searchers would likely only see your homepage before having to reformulate their query.
Sitelinks enable your most popular and relevant pages to be discovered directly in the SERPs, facilitating deeper on-site exploration.
🔎 Dwell time on sites is 25-50% higher when users click Sitelinks vs just the main SERP listing.Now let‘s get into how to unlock these benefits for your own site…
8 Steps to Getting Google Sitelinks
While Google decides algorithmically whether to show Sitelinks, you can employ tactics to improve your chances:
1. Choose a Unique Brand Name
If your site/brand has a generic name like "The Ice Cream Shop," you‘ll struggle to rank for searches about your specific business.
Instead, go for a unique, memorable brand name that no other company is using. This will also make it easier for Google to understand searches are specifically about you.
Some examples of unique brand names with Sitelinks:
- QuickSprout
- OkDork
- Social Triggers
2. Implement Structured Data
Adding structured data provides signals about key pages Google should consider linking to.
For WordPress sites, Schema Pro allows easy markup addition without coding expertise.
You can specify your preferred Sitelink menu, highlight your About page, enable breadcrumbs, and more. Implementing relevant schema improves Sitelink visibility odds.
3. Organize Site Architecture
If Google can‘t effectively crawl, index, and understand your site structure, you‘ll never get Sitelinks.
Ensure your information architecture is:
- Logical
- Intuitive
- Easy to navigate
- Includes key pages like Contact, About, Privacy Policy, etc.
This facilitates discovery by allowing algorithms to clearly see relationship between pages.
4. Rank #1 for Your Brand
You‘ll really only see Sitelinks on sites ranking 1st position for a branded term.
Become the dominant result for searches about your company name/brand by producing high-quality content focused specifically on your products, services, company information, etc.
5. Submit an XML Sitemap
An XML sitemap helps Google more easily crawl your site and see the relative importance between pages.
To submit:
- Log into Google Search Console
- Click your site name
- Navigate to "Sitemaps"
- Submit your sitemap file URL
For WordPress sites, SEO plugins like Yoast or All in One SEO automatically generate and manage sitemaps.
6. Build High-Quality Internal Links
Internal links indicate useful connections between pages on your site. This can help Google identify pages that could be quality Sitelink options.
Link out to your most important pages like About Us, Popular Posts, Services Pages, etc. from site navigation and body content. This increases their prominence.
7. Audit and Optimize Page Titles
Ensure your page titles accurately describe each page‘s focus in a concise, compelling way.
If page titles seem duplicate or overly promotional, it may confuse Google‘s Sitelink selection algorithm.
For example, an "About" page should be titled "About ACME Company," not something overly promotional like "Why ACME Beats the Competition."
8. Increase Brand Awareness
Matt Cutts (Google‘s former search spam lead) notes needing "enough people" to be aware of your brand for Sitelink eligibility.
Grow visibility through guest posts, interviews, digital PR, referral programs, and other tactics. The more established your brand, the better your Sitelink visibility odds become.
You Can No Longer Manually Control Sitelinks
In 2016, Google stopped allowing manual Sitelink removal in Search Console. Their algorithms now determine appropriate Sitelinks without human override needs.
You unfortunately can no longer directly request pages don‘t show as one of your Sitelinks. Indirect tactics like optimizing page titles remain viable instead.
Final Tips for Getting Sitelinks
Getting Sitelinks relies largely upon demonstrating site authority to Google‘s algorithms:
1. Produce Exceptional Content
- Showcase industry expertise with thoughtful analysis
- Conduct original research/interviews
- Address visitor intent and pain points
2. Build Reputable Backlinks
- Produce resources worthy of natural links
- Respectfully develop relationships with authority sites
- Guest post on reputable publications
3. Optimize Website Performance
- Test site speed with Google PageSpeed Insights
- Leverage browser caching and compression
- Implement performance best practices
4. Engage Visitors
- Understand key visitor personas
- Provide value on every page
- Make call-to-actions clear
- Encourage social sharing
Remember – Sitelinks are a nice bonus, but creating an incredible overall user experience remains the priority.
I hope you found my 2023 Sitelinks guide useful! Let me know in the comments if you have any other tips I should cover.
