In just a few weeks, Google will remove the Sitelinks Search Box, the corresponding markup and the Rich Results Report worldwide. Rankings should not be affected by this.
In September 2014, Google introduced an improved search field for sitelinks in search results a. Appropriate markup was then provided so that website operators could optimize relevant content for presentation in the rich result.
But the use of these sitelink search boxes, which display results from a source via a prominently placed link, has declined sharply, according to Google. Accordingly, the element should no longer be particularly important for searchers. And Google will remove the Sitelink Search Box soon.
What the end of the sitelink search box means for users and SEOs
On November 21st, the element will be discontinued in search results and the markup will also be removed. However, SEOs do not have to specifically remove this from pages, even if Google will no longer take it into account; but you should make sure that Website name markupwhich also contains a variation of the website structured data, is further supported. In general, rankings and other sitelinks in search should not be affected in any way.
In Search Console, the Rich Results Report for the Sitelink Search Box will be removed in November. And the markup is no longer supported in the Rich Results Test.
Users and searchers will no longer see a sitelink search box in the SERPs, but can now access completely different elements that are more likely to attract their attention. The AI Overviews offer curated answers to specific questions, also integrated with appropriate links. Google is also increasingly relying on strong visual elements in search. Recently the Lens and Circle to Search search options have been greatly optimized.
AI is helping us expand the ways people can search across text, video, images and voice. With today’s updates you can use Lens to search with video and shop the world around you, “Circle to Search” for sounds + songs, and much more. https://t.co/WxYZk6aa4p
— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) October 3, 2024
Source: onlinemarketing.de
