Google announced the retirement of the site links search box tool on 21 November 2024 due to decreased usage. They have added that it will not affect the ranking of the websites and other sitelinks. This rich snippet will be eliminated globally across all search results.
Major Highlights
- Google is removing the sitelinks search box.
- This retirement will not affect the ranking of the websites and other sitelinks.
- The feature will be eliminated globally on all search results and in all countries.
- Google has ensured that it will cause minimal disruption overall.
What is the Sitelink Search box?
The sitelink search box is a rich snippet and has been a part of Google for over a decade. It allowed users to search within the website directly from the search engine results page (SERP). This search box is therefore referred to as ‘search within search’ and allows users to get to the desired results quickly.
This feature was useful for sites with extensive content, as it provided the user with ease of browsing the site. The search box is not known to everyone because it will appear only if the user enters the brand name in the search bar.
But why is Google removing this useful feature? Let’s see that below.
Reasons Leading to Retirement of Sitelinks Search Box
Google has not revealed all the reasons that led to dropping this feature but there may be several points that resulted in this decision. The reasons that cause the search box to be removed in sitelinks are:
1. Decreased Usage
Many people didn’t know about this feature and who knew, never used it. Because many people opted to use the inbuilt search box of the website rather than this Google-generated feature.
This lack of engagement and reduced clicks led Google to eliminate this feature but has ensured that it will not affect the other sitelinks and the ranking of the website.
2. Evolved User Behaviour
Google is aligning itself with trends as people nowadays completely depend on Google search results and do not search within a site for the information they need. This evolution in user behaviour has led Google to take action on the sitelink search box removal.
3. Google’s Enhanced Focus on Search Features
By eliminating the less engaged features, Google can extend its focus on search features for advanced searching. These features include AI-driven results, knowledge panels, etc. By removing such less-wanted features, Google can provide a better user experience.
Final Words on Google Retiring the Sitelink Searchbox
Google’s 10-year-old feature named ‘Sitelink Searchbox’ is going to get removed and will join the retired Google features on 21 November 2024. This withdrawal may benefit webmasters with increased website traffic as an expansion in direct searches may take place. Google has ensured that this step will not affect the ranking of the websites and other sitelinks and will cause minimal disruption overall. This change is giving light to Google’s effort toward simplifying the search and evolving along with changing user behaviour.
