Google Expands Site Links

Google Site LinksGoogle has announced that they have expanded site links to up to 12 links.  This is up from the 8 site link format they were using.  In addition, the site links now are full sized links with more information whereas before the site links were two short columns of links.  The new format, thus, takes up more real estate in the search results.

Site links are links Google displays below a domain link which are links to internal pages of a site.

Below is an example of the new site links format:

Google Site Links

The image above is the real size of the site links.  As you can see, being ranked #1 and having a 12-pack of site links can literally push the number to listing below the fold in most people’s browser.  This could mean a larger share of search traffic going to the top search results when site links are present.

In addition to pushing competition down the page, site links also make it easier for searchers to find the specific section of your website that they are interested in, which is good for both site owners and searchers.

How to get site links
Not all sites have site links and even if your site does have site links, it won’t necessarily have it for every keyword search.  You cannot request or pay for site links.  Google does this automatically.  The only control you have is, if Google decides to give you site links, you can manage the site links to some extent in your Google Webmaster Tools account, though that control is very limited.  Beyond that there are somethings which are thought to help a site to get site links:

  • Clear, easy navigation of your site
  • Well established domain
  • Your own domain name (sorry folks with free sites and no domains)
  • Popular sub-sections or sub-pages on your site
  • Additional pages which would have been ranked for a particular keyword (e.g. If both your homepage and one of your sub-pages would have been ranked well for a keyword, it’s more likely that Google will just display your homepage with some site links instead of two separate listings)

What do you think?

Do you like the new site link format?

Do you think site links are helpful?


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4 Responses to “Google Expands Site Links”

  1. PaulSteinbrueck August 17, 2011 at 6:12 pm

    It seems like the number of site links Google shows varies based on how certain Google is that you're looking for that particular site. Searching for "OurChurch.Com" shows 12 links, "ourchurch" (no space) shows 10 links, "our church" (with a space) shows 6. The thing I'd be most interested to know though is how to influence the links Google displays, because the current links they're showing wouldn't be my first choice.

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