Last week The Design Cubicle was rewarded with Google sitelinks, a featured in Google I often noticed but did not put much thought or effort into achieving… until now. Continue reading below on information, benefits and how to achieve sitelink status in Google.
What are sitelinks?
The sitelinks are meant to help your website visitors who search your site name to navigate more easily directly from Google search. While the links are completely automated by Google, you can control them within Google’s Webmaster Tools by blocking those that you would not like listed.
What’s the benefit?
While Google proclaims that it helps users navigate your site, it also has additional benefits that include:
- Google search page coverage – simply it takes up more space on the page which draws attention to your site. Mix it up with Google Adwords and give your website an even better chances of being clicked when searched.
- Gets more traffic to internal pages and older posts – encourages visitors to dig deeper into your site and learn more about your company/brand.
- Indirectly shows success – Typically only the top websites by Google’s standards get sitelinks, so if you luck out, might as well toot your own horn a bit
In addition to also recently noticing that TDC holds a PageRank of 4 in six months, I was unclear how these sitelinks came about. What had I done to achieve these little links of joy?
What can you do?
While Google does not directly state how to achieve sitelinks there has been much discussion around the web in regards to what you can do to increase your chances and amount of time it takes to be awarded with them. Here are a few I’ve pulled from various studies and observations:
- Your site ranks first for the keyword(s) that generate the sitelinks listing
- Simple and structured navigation
- A fairly high and consistent flow of traffic
- High click through rates from the search results page
- Useful outbound links
- Inbound links from high quality sites
- Site age – in age we trust!
- Write useful content on your blog
- Submit a sitemap in your Google Webmasters Tool panel. If you are using WordPress check out this sitemap plugin.
- Use good SEO practices. WordPress users should install the all-in-one SEO pack
- Just because you are a “big name” does not necessarily mean your awarded sitelinks. Try Googling ‘Doritos’.
Remember: The above do not guarantee that your site will get sitelinks. They are only tried and tested and may be involved in the appearance of sitelinks. What have you done to help being rewarded with Google Sitelinks? Share your tips and thoughts in the comments below.
Thanks for the article.
To be honest, I hadn’t heard much about Google sitelinks. I’ve just done a search for patternhead on Google and YAY I have sitelinks. Not sure how I got them though :D
Nice! I think age plays a major role in sitelinks.
Brian Cray,
Although I do agree that age plays a major role, TDC has been rewarded with sitelinks after only 6 months. If I had to pick one that plays a major role I would have to say using good SEO practices are the number one reason. That and lots of incoming links.
[...] Help Your Website Achieve Google Sitelinks for Better Navigation – Information, benefits and how to achieve sitelink status in Google. [...]
[...] Achieve Google Sitelinks for Better Navigation [...]
Help Your Website Achieve Google Sitelinks for Better Navigation…
Thank you for submitting this cool story – Trackback from NewsPeeps…
I have a very spammy site that would be considered search engine spam and it got sitelinks.
I agree with Brian Cray. Based on my observation of numerous sites over the last three years, sites age plays is big factor and seems to be more important for competitive keywords. For one site in particular, I can’t figure out any other factor. No new inbound links, very little updated content, 7 total pages on the site (none new), but the site/domain is one of the oldest of the first page of results. While I do believe that many of the other factors listed here are important, age is the one that stands out for this site.
I’ve just discovered that my site has sitelinks.
The site is all XHTML styled with CSS and has a few useful outbound links but generally hovered around the first few pages for my search terms. Nothing special.
Then suddenly… sitelinks.
The only thing that I have done recently is work on inbound links.
S I’m suggesting that inbound links arte the answer and we all have to work on inbound links.
Never even heard of these till today. It’s a definite goal to have.
Interesting article. Very useful. I should improve my sites soon to get those sielinks. Thank you.
I dont think most design sites get enough traffic to get site links. Good for you taht you did… You site’s content rocks… that’s why… great articles.
Hi
Some really good solid advice here. Although I have not been fortunate enough to have sitelinks on my site this guide certainly gives me a great starting point to follow.
Congratulations on getting yours!
Cheers
Well, google create sitelinks by itself. I guess those website who provide social service or a big entrepreneur then Google creates sitelinks for their web in a hurry rather than creating for local webs even they have 1000 visitors per day
I’ve always noticed sitelinks on established sites that really win over the specific keyword being searched. Just like the post mentions, I think age plays a role.
Thanks for the info, I always wondered how to get those. It will take me some time to reach this level.
As others have said, you’ve written some good solid advice here. Quite a number of our clients have been awarded Sitelinks and they certainly benefit their sites by increasing traffic and user satisfaction. We’ve also worked with some clients to insert ‘sitelinks’ into AdWords adverts, which also work well and help direct users to key or popular content.
Good advice. We did experience sitelinks on one of our clients sites http://www.discoverystylucia.com for a while, then they were no more!! Google does work in mysterious ways sometime. Good articles though.
I am thrilled to see that my site has sitelinks. But let me assure a previous poster that the site is hyper-local and not a big entrepreneur. Don’t know how long the sitelinks have been there, but my site is 1.5 years old.
Thanks a lot for this article. I’ve been wondering what sitelinks are and how to get them. I was confused with the jump links that go to sections on a long page.