Google has announced that it will deactivate the Sitelinks Search Box feature in November 2024. It indicates the end of an era for a feature that has been a part of Google Search for more than ten years.
This decision, which tries to simplify the search results interface for users globally, was made in response to decreased usage of the feature.
With the launch of the Sitelinks Search Box in 2014, users were able to conduct site-specific searches straight from Google’s search results page. It was a useful tool that appeared above the sitelinks for specific websites, usually when a user searched for a business by name. It had features like autocomplete that made it easier for users to locate specific website content.
Google did observe a decline in the use of this feature over time. The company has decided to exclude this visual component from the search results. This wouldn’t impact the visibility and ranking of websites. The position of a website in search results is unaffected by this upgrade.
The change will be implemented worldwide, impacting search results across all languages and nations. Since it is not considered a major algorithmic update, Google has verified that it will not be shown in the Search progress dashboard.
Google intends to alter its tools by removing the Sitelinks Search Box. The Rich Results Test will no longer indicate the associated markup, and the Sitelinks Search Box rich results report in Search Console will be deleted. Google claims that website owners have the option to delete the Sitelinks Search Box structured data from their sites, it is not required because unsupported structured data won’t affect search results or result in errors in Search Console reports.
The Sitelinks Search Box’s retirement reminds us how constantly the internet and the technology we use are changing. It also emphasizes how important it is to keep up with these changes because they may have an impact on SEO specialists and website owners.
