New Google Sitelink Improvements

Earlier this week Google launched an update to sitelinks. The changes include an improvement to how the links are displayed, and further enhances the quality of results when a particular word or phrase is searched for.

Fundamentally, sitelinks haven’t changed and will still only appear if Google considers them useful for a specific search. But visually there are a few changes:

• Full-size text links with a URL and a line of text, making the sitelinks easier to see.
• Maximum number of links that appear has been raised from eight to 12.
• The separation of the top domain and other domains is clearer. If sitelinks do appear for the top result then all other results will be other domains, with the exception of links for subdomains of the top result.

This week’s launch also includes a change in which sitelinks will appear. According to Google, “sitelink selection and ranking can change from query to query, allowing more optimized results.” Also through the use of a Webmaster Tools account, users can suggest a demotion for a particular sitelink if they don’t feel it is appropriate or if they feel it is incorrect. Removal is not guaranteed but it never hurts to make a suggestion to Google to enhance the way your own site and its corresponding sitelinks are viewed.