Sitelinks are specialized links that are displayed below the main URL in a search result when certain criteria are met, typically for the top-ranking result. These links direct users to more specific, popular, and important pages within a website, such as a login page, contact page, or key landing pages.
Google automatically appends sitelinks beneath the primary URL for websites that feature pages that are popular and distinct from the homepage. These supplementary links offer searchers a streamlined and efficient method to navigate directly to the site’s key sections. Sitelinks are usually presented in groups of six or eight and are generally reserved for the #1 ranked result on a SERP.
The inclusion of sitelinks is determined automatically by Google when the algorithm deems them useful to searchers. However, website owners can implement best practices to encourage sitelinks, such as ensuring a clear and unique site or company name, applying structured data (or schema markup) to relevant pages, and submitting an XML sitemap to help search bots understand the site’s most critical pages.