If you’ve ever Googled your own business and noticed additional links listed below your homepage, you’ve already seen the power of Google sitelinks in action. These extra links can significantly enhance your presence in search results, improve your click-through rate, and help users find what they need faster.
In this guide, we will break down everything you need to know about sitelinks: what they are, why they matter, how they’re generated, and most importantly – how you can influence which pages appear.
What is meant by sitelinks?
Sitelinks are the sub-listings of internal pages that appear beneath a website’s main URL in Google’s search engine results page (SERP), especially for branded or navigational queries.
For example, when someone searches for “Your Business Name” instead of showing only the homepage, Google may also display links like:
- About Us
- Services
- Blog
- Contact
These are designed to help users quickly navigate to key pages, improving the overall user experience.
Why Are Sitelinks Important?
- Increased SERP Visibility: Sitelinks make your search result visually larger and more prominent.
- Improved Click-Through Rate (CTR): With more entry points to your site, users are more likely to click.
- Enhanced Credibility: A sitelink-rich listing signals to users (and to some extent, to Google) that your site is authoritative and well-structured.
- Better User Experience: Sitelinks provide direct access to your most useful content, reducing the number of clicks needed.
Are Sitelinks in Your Control?
Short answer: No – not directly.
Sitelinks are automatically generated by Google’s algorithms. There’s no tool inside Google Search Console or any other platform where you can manually select which pages should appear.
However, while you can’t directly assign sitelinks, you can influence which pages are chosen by following best practices related to site architecture, internal linking, and SEO hygiene.
What process does Google follow to choose sitelinks?
Though Google hasn’t disclosed its exact sitelink selection criteria, several consistent patterns have emerged from observation and testing:
1. Site Hierarchy and Navigation
Google favors websites with a clear, logical structure. If your site is difficult to navigate or lacks defined categories, sitelinks may not appear—or worse, irrelevant ones might be chosen.
2. Internal Linking Structure
Pages that are linked frequently from your homepage and other top-level pages are more likely to be chosen. Use descriptive anchor text that makes it easy for Google to understand page context.
3. User Engagement Signals
Google may consider behavioral data like click-through rates, bounce rates, and session duration to determine which pages are useful and deserving of visibility in sitelinks.
4. Search Intent Matching
For branded queries, Google tends to show sitelinks that answer the user’s most likely intent – such as finding your pricing page, contact info, or a blog post.
5. Page Quality and Metadata
Pages with well-optimized Meta titles and descriptions, and on-page content are more likely to be featured. Thin or duplicated content may be excluded altogether.
What steps can you take to change the sitelinks that Google shows for your website?
While you can’t force Google to show specific sitelinks, following proven steps will help to shape your site in a way that guides Google’s algorithm toward the right choices.
1. Structure Your Website Logically
Your site should follow a clear, hierarchical format. Use a siloed structure, with the homepage linking to top-level category pages, which in turn link to subcategories or individual content pieces.
Example structure:
- Home
- About
- Services
- Service A
- Service B
- Blog
- Contact
Use breadcrumbs and structured menus to help Google and users understand the relationship between your pages.
2. Optimize Internal Linking
Use consistent and descriptive internal links to signal the importance of key pages. For instance, instead of saying “Click here,” say “Learn more about our SEO services.”
Best practices:
- Ensure important pages are linked from your homepage.
- Use keyword-rich anchor text.
- Avoid orphan pages (pages with no internal links pointing to them).
- Consider using footer navigation to reinforce your site hierarchy.
3. Submit an XML Sitemap
An up-to-date XML sitemap submitted through Google Search Console helps search engines understand your site’s structure.
Tips:
- Make sure your sitemap includes only canonical, indexable pages.
- Update it regularly as your site evolves.
- Monitor indexing status through Google Search Console.
4. Use Schema Markup Where Appropriate
While not directly tied to sitelinks, structured data can help Google better interpret your content. Use schema.org markup for:
- Organization
- Site Navigation
- Breadcrumbs
- FAQ or How-To sections
This improves the semantic understanding of your site, which may indirectly influence sitelink selection.
5. Create High-Quality, Distinct Pages
Avoid thin content or duplicated headings across pages. Each key page (e.g., About, Services, Contact) should have:
- A clear purpose
- At least 300–500 words of relevant content
- A unique, optimized title and meta description
Google is more likely to feature rich, well-optimized pages in sitelinks.
6. Monitor and Adjust Page Titles and Meta Descriptions
Make sure your titles and descriptions reflect the content clearly and concisely. Google sometimes uses these in sitelinks if they align with user search intent.
Example:
- Bad: “Home” or “Welcome to Our Site”
- Good: “About [Your Company] – Our Mission & Team”
7. Avoid Overuse of No index Tags
You might be tempted to hide unwanted pages from sitelinks using the no index tag. This is risky.
Why?
- While it removes the page from search, it can affect other SEO signals and internal link flow.
- A better solution is to reduce the prominence of that page in your navigation or internal linking.
How to Completely Remove a Page from Google Search?
When Google starts showing the wrong pages in your sitelinks, it can be more than just an annoyance—it can hurt your brand, confuse visitors, and lead to outdated or confidential content being discovered.
Let’s walk through how to remove a page from Google Search entirely, when and why you should, and what to expect afterward.
Real Example: When Google Showed the Wrong Page
A client of us once noticed that an outdated brand page appeared prominently as the first sitelink beneath their homepage on Google.
Users were bypassing the homepage and landing directly on this brand page that was discontinued by the client 6 months ago – which is totally inaccurate.
This kind of visibility for the wrong page is bad news:
- Visitors get confused
- Trust can be eroded
- You may lose leads or sales
So what can you do about it?
Two Ways to Remove a Page from Google Search
You have two solid options, depending on whether you want the page to disappear entirely or remain accessible privately.
Option 1: Permanently Remove the Page from Google
If the page is outdated, irrelevant, or no longer needed, do the following:
- Unpublish or delete the page
- Set up a 301 redirect from the old URL to a more relevant or current page (such as your homepage or pricing overview)
A 301 redirect ensures anyone who clicks an old link still lands somewhere useful. It also preserves some SEO value.
Best for: Demo pages, test pages, old pricing/category pages or anything that shouldn’t exist anymore.
Option 2: Keep It Live But Block It from Google
If you still want the page to work when shared directly, but don’t want it indexed in search engines:
- Add a “no-index” meta tag to the page
- Avoid linking to it from your main navigation or public pages
Here’s how to add a no-index tag:
- Search for: how to no-index a page in [your platform] (e.g., “no-index a page in WordPress”)
- Most platforms or plugins allow you to toggle this easily
Best for: Client-only resources, internal tools, or limited-access downloads
Warning: Don’t do this just to remove a sitelink otherwise it will remove the page from all Google results.
How Long Will It Take for the Page to Disappear?
Even after taking the right steps, your page won’t disappear instantly. Google needs time to recrawl and reprocess your site.
Here’s a typical timeline:
- 2–3 weeks is the average
- You can request indexing in Google Search Console to speed things up
- In some cases, it can take longer, depending on your crawl rate and domain authority
Keep monitoring search results and be patient – it will eventually drop off.
Final Tip
When you’re trying to clean up sitelinks, always prioritize user experience over just manipulating Google.
Removing a page from search should be about:
- Protecting outdated or sensitive content
- Ensuring users land on helpful, accurate pages
Google will adjust sitelinks over time based on structure, content, and internal linking – so stay consistent with your cleanup efforts.