What you need to know about Google’s changes to Search Box
Brace yourselves, SEO warriors! In a move that’s bound to cause a few eyebrow raises, Google has decided to bid farewell to its trusty Sitelinks Search Box on November 21, 2024. After over a decade of loyal service, the feature—once beloved for letting users search within a specific website directly from the search results—will officially retire. Why, you ask? Well, it turns out the Sitelinks Search Box wasn’t quite as popular as Google hoped, and they’re streamlining things to keep their search interface cleaner and faster.
What Was the Sitelinks Search Box, Anyway?
Introduced in 2014, the Sitelinks Search Box appeared below certain websites in Google search results. It allowed users to run a quick search within the site itself without leaving the results page. This was a godsend for larger sites, especially e-commerce giants or content-heavy domains, where hunting down that one specific product or blog post could otherwise feel like finding a needle in a digital haystack.
Why Is Google Removing the Sitelinks Search Box?
According to Google (and they’re never shy about these things), it’s simple: no one’s really using it anymore. In their words, “Usage has dropped,” and Google, being Google, decided to tidy up the user experience by axing the feature. This is part of a broader effort to simplify search results and keep things looking clean and lean.
Key Takeaways (In Case You’re Skimming):
- Sitelinks Search Box Gone by November 21, 2024: Don’t expect to see it hanging around your search results after this date.
- No Impact on Rankings: Your search rankings or regular sitelinks won’t be affected. Phew!
- Structured Data: Feel free to leave that search box-related structured data in your code—Google won’t use it anymore, but it also won’t harm your SEO.
How Will This Impact Website Owners and SEO?
Good news, folks. There’s no urgent need to panic or make any hasty site changes. The structured data for the Sitelinks Search Box will simply stop working, but it won’t trigger any warnings or errors in Google Search Console. No messy clean-up required! But, if you’re a bit of a neat freak, you can remove the unused code if it makes you sleep better at night. Either way, it won’t affect your rankings or SEO performance.
Rest Easy: No Impact on Search Rankings
You can relax—Google has confirmed that the removal of the Sitelinks Search Box won’t hurt your search rankings. Your site’s position in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages, for the acronym-challenged) remains safe. The other types of sitelinks, the ones that show related pages below your primary result, will stick around as usual.
What Should You Do Next?
The Bottom Line: A Leaner, Meaner Search Experience
This move is just one more step in Google’s mission to keep things simple, fast, and efficient. While a few of us may shed a nostalgic tear for the Sitelinks Search Box, its retirement signals a shift toward a more streamlined search experience. In the ever-evolving world of SEO, staying informed about these updates helps website owners keep their competitive edge—and that’s never a bad thing!
Bonus SEO Tidbits:
- The History of the Sitelinks Search Box
- The Future of Google Search Without the Sitelinks Search Box
- Should You Remove Structured Data for Sitelinks?
