Sitelinks are links to different pages within a website that appear beneath the main search engine results page when searching for something online. They are designed to help people quickly access the content they’re looking for, as they save precious seconds that could be spent scrolling to the desired page.
Sitelinks are usually visible when certain keywords or phrases are used in search engine queries. For example, if you search for ‘Company’, the top result may feature sitelinks for the ‘Company Homepage’, ‘Company About Page’, and ‘Company Contact’ page.
Although the main page of the website may be ranked higher in the search engine results than sitelinks, the goal of any website is to improve its ranking within the search engine results pages (SERPs). This is why most sites take advantage of the opportunity to place sitelinks in the SERPs.
Sitelinks help direct a user to the right sections of the site that they are looking for, potentially increasing the chances of converting leads and increase the overall engagement on the website.
It is recommended that as part of any great SEO strategy, businesses should look to incorporate sitelinks into their SERPs. Here we discuss the main guidelines, best practices, and tips for good sitelinking.
Making the most effective use of sitelinks:
1) Keep it relevant: Make sure that sitelinks are relevant to the content of your website, and the search query for which your website has been displayed in the SERPs.
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2) Opt for higher-level pages: On the SERPs, businesses should aim to include higher-level pages in their sitelinks, such as the homepage, contact page or ‘About Us’ page. This makes sense as users are likely to be interested in visiting such pages first, in order to gain an overview of the website.
3) Optimise Sitelinks: You can use certain tools, such as Google Webmaster Tools, to optimise sitelinks by adjusting or removing unwanted sitelinks. You can also use sitelink extensions, which are an additional line of text that appears below your sitelinks, in order to include important information that may enhance click-through rates.
4) Choose the right page titles: Choose page titles that accurately and succinctly convey information to your users. Titles should be relevant and eye-catching, and it is a great idea to use keywords within titles as well.
5) Only include things that add value: Avoid including sitelinks for pages that provide users with little additional information regarding their queries. Providing users with numerous sitelinks for pages that contain minimal content can have a negative impact on user experience.
Following these tips, along with using sitelinks as part of a wider SEO strategy, can result in improved click-through-rates and better SERP rankings. Additionally, users will benefit from easier navigation, improved user experience, and quicker access to the content they were looking for.
In a nutshell, sitelinks are links to different pages within a website that appear beneath the main search engine results page and are designed to help people quickly access the content they’re looking for. Although there is no exact formula to creating successful sitelinks, following the guidelines above, and using them as part of an overall SEO strategy can help improve your SERP rankings and user experience.