# Sitelinks Sitelinks are the extra links Google sometimes shows under a result, usually on a brand search. They help people jump to key pages like pricing or docs. This page shows what you can and cannot control, and what to fix on a small site. Updated 2026-09-14 · Source: https://porteur.ai/glossary/sitelinks ## What sitelinks are Sitelinks are extra links under your main result on Google, usually for your own name or brand query. They point to main sections like /pricing, /blog and /docs/getting-started. You do not set them. Google chooses them from your structure, internal links and page titles. Clean information architecture makes good sitelinks likely. > You cannot force or remove organic sitelinks. Google removed the sitelinks demotion tool in 2016. ## Why sitelinks matter on a small site They occupy more space on the results page and can lift clicks on your brand query. They reduce friction by sending people straight to intent pages like /pricing or /login. For a young SaaS or store, this is your shortest path from a name search to a trial or a purchase. Good sitelinks also signal that your site is tidy and maintained. ## How Google chooses sitelinks - Site structure: clear navigation, a logical hierarchy, and a crawlable HTML menu. - Internal links: frequent, consistent links to key sections from many pages. - Titles: descriptive, unique title tags that match the page’s role, like “Pricing” or “Docs, Getting started”. - On-page cues: headings and anchor text that confirm the page is a hub, not a throwaway. A sitelinks search box is separate. You can declare it with structured data on your homepage, but Google has reduced showing it as of 2026. ## How to check and measure sitelinks 1. **Check your brand results in a clean browser** Search your brand alone, for example “yourproduct”. Use an incognito window and log out. Note which pages appear as sitelinks. 2. **Compare with your navigation** Do the sitelinks match your main menu and top tasks, such as /pricing, /features, /docs, /login? 3. **Track impact in Search Console** Open the Performance report, filter queries to your brand, and compare click-through rate before and after you first saw sitelinks. There is no sitelinks report, you infer from CTR and position. 4. **Review titles and anchors** In your top pages, check the title tag and the internal link anchor text. Each key section should be obvious to a skim reader and a crawler. A healthy brand SERP shows your homepage, four to six clean sitelinks like Pricing, Features, Docs and Blog, and no dead or duplicate pages. ## What to change to earn better sitelinks - Tidy your IA: group content under clear folders, for example /features/, /docs/, /blog/. Avoid deep, single-page branches. - Use descriptive titles: “Pricing” on /pricing, not “Plans | Home”. Keep titles under about 60 characters. - Fix internal linking: link to /pricing, /features and /docs from the homepage and key pages using plain anchors like “Pricing”. - Prune or merge thin pages: fold duplicates and near-duplicates into a canonical page, then 301 the rest. - Clean your navigation: use a crawlable HTML menu. Avoid JS-only nav that needs clicks to render links. - Keep branded clutter out: no “Welcome” pages, empty tag pages or test environments indexed. After fixes, your brand search should show sitelinks that match your menu labels, with crisp, non-truncated titles and no oddball pages. If you want the sitelinks search box, add Sitelinks searchbox structured data to the homepage and ensure your site search works. Expect it not to show in many cases as of 2026. ## Traps and limits - Ads sitelinks are different. They are Google Ads assets, not organic sitelinks. - You cannot pin or edit organic sitelinks. Trying to “force” them with spammy links risks lower quality signals. - Title stuffers lose clarity. Avoid keyword soup in titles like “Plans, Pricing, Cost, Buy Now”. - Orphan key pages will never show. If /pricing has one weak link, it will not be chosen. - Blocked sections cannot be crawled. If robots.txt or noindex hides a hub, it will not appear. ## Questions ### How do I get Google sitelinks for my site? You cannot request them. Make it easy for Google to find obvious hubs: a clear menu, internal links to key sections, and descriptive, unique titles. Over time, brand queries may start to show sitelinks if your structure is strong. ### How long do sitelinks take to appear? There is no set time. Google needs to crawl, index and trust your structure. For a small site this can mean weeks or months after you fix navigation and titles, depending on crawl frequency. ### Can I remove or change a bad sitelink? You cannot edit it directly. Improve the target page’s title, headings and role, or reduce its prominence by removing unnecessary internal links. The old demotion tool is gone, so changes are indirect. ### What is the sitelinks search box and should I add it? It is a search field shown under some brand results that runs your site search. You can add structured data for it, and ensure your site search URL works. As of 2026 Google shows it less often, so add it but do not expect it to appear. ### Are organic sitelinks the same as Google Ads sitelinks? No. Organic sitelinks are chosen automatically for free results. Ads sitelinks are paid ad assets you create in Google Ads. Improving one does not affect the other. ### Why are the wrong pages showing as sitelinks? Google is following your signals. Check for vague titles, duplicate hubs, or too many internal links to a low-value page, like an old campaign. Fix labels, consolidate pages, and update your navigation. ## Read next - [Branded search](https://porteur.ai/glossary/branded-search): Branded search means queries with your name in them. See why it signals marketing demand, how to split it in Search Console, and what to do next. - [Internal linking for a small site: which pages link to which](https://porteur.ai/guides/internal-linking-for-seo): Decide which pages rank. Build hubs, write clear anchors, fix orphans, and crawl your site to map links you control. - [Structured data](https://porteur.ai/glossary/structured-data): Structured data is schema markup that names your page type. See why it changes results, how to add JSON-LD, and how to validate it. - [Title tag length: what fits, what Google rewrites, and how to write one](https://porteur.ai/guides/title-tag-length): About 60 characters is a safe line. Learn pixels versus characters, why Google rewrites titles, and how to write titles that earn clicks. - [Title tag](https://porteur.ai/glossary/title-tag): A title tag is the HTML title of a page. See how long it should be, why Google rewrites it, what to put in it, and how to fix weak titles. - [How to use Google Search Console in ten minutes a week](https://porteur.ai/guides/how-to-use-google-search-console): A quick weekly routine: set four filters, compare 28 days, check pages then queries, and fix three findings, without getting lost in noise. See if your navigation and titles make strong sitelinks: paste your URL into the free check and get three concrete findings in about thirty seconds. Free check: https://porteur.ai/