In a move that might surprise some, Google has announced it’s sunsetting the Sitelinks Search Box. This handy feature, which allowed users to quickly search within specific websites directly from Google Search results, has been a staple for over a decade.
Starting on November 21, 2024, the Sitelinks Search Box will be phased out globally across all languages and regions. Google’s reasoning behind this decision is simple: declining usage. As search habits have evolved, the company has observed a significant drop in the number of users employing this feature.
While the removal of the Sitelinks Search Box might disappoint some users who relied on it for quick website searches, Google assures that it won’t impact your website’s search rankings or the other sitelinks that appear in search results.
To further streamline the search experience, Google will also be removing the Sitelinks Search Box from Search Console’s rich results report and the Google Rich Results Test. However, there’s no need to panic about removing any structured data related to the Sitelinks Search Box from your website. Unsupported structured data won’t cause any issues.
If you’re concerned about the potential loss of the Sitelinks Search Box, consider making your website’s internal search feature more prominent and accessible to users.