Why Google Sitelinks are Important

Google Sitelinks, as you probably know are the extra links provided below the first positioned site for some search queries.

Sitelinks were first tested by Google in Mid-2006 and they officially gave the name SiteLinks in September, 2006.

As per my personal experience the SiteLinks were allotted to only a few of the sites before 2008. Nowadays, I am seeing them on a hell lot of queries. This proves that Google has come to know that their SiteLinks algorithm really works and it is actually enhancing the user experience. I am damn sure they have used toolbar data to analyse the user behaviour like bounce rates, time of stay on SiteLink’ed pages.

While searching on Google these days, I am always inclined to trust on the sites that have SiteLinks below them. I admit that, I am starting to believe in the authority of sitelinks.

Just for an example, last night, I was signing up for some CPM networks, I signed up straight away on a network which had Google Sitelinks for its name. On the other hand, when I searched for some other CPM network, sitelinks didn’t come up and I became a bit skeptical about their network’s credibility. This is too much, but it’s a fact that my search experience has changed due to the inclusion of these set of links below listings.

The algorithm for extracting sitelinks is completely automated (atleast this is what Google says) at the moment. I have seen a lot of inconsistencies in the way they are choosing and allotting sitelinks. I’ll also talk about some common myths about Google Sitelinks in my coming posts.

So, why are they important?

As said above, they have changed my search experience in a great away. I am a heavy searcher and I think sitelinks will affect the user behaviour of those users who are heavy searchers like me. But over the time, normal users will also tend to believe in the authority of sitelinks. And I hope the algorithm will keep going better and better as Google studies more about user behaviour through Google Toolbar and Search Listings Click Through Rates. So this is how Google SiteLinks are important for users.

Not only do sitelinks tells the user about the authority, they also let the use save his time by directly going to the page he wants (of course if that page comes up as a sitelink). Personally, I never used these links as shortcuts.

Ok I see, Sitelinks are good for users, but, what about webmasters?

I know how I felt when I saw SiteLinks on one my blog. Some 10 months ago I used to rank #2 for a term and was getting some good traffic from it. After a month or two my site was promoted to #1 and the traffic increase was unexpected. Roughly two months ago Google allotted SiteLinks to my site for that keyphrase, I wasn’t expecting the traffic to increase much because I was at #1 anyways, but, again it surprised me with a 20% increase in traffic for that term.

Google SiteLinks also increases the value of your site. This is what I am seeing on Sitepoint Marketplace and DigitalPoint Buy/Sell forums. Sites with SiteLinks are being sold at some premium over the actual market value. This is how SiteLinks are important for webmasters:

• Increased Traffic
• Strengthening of brand/credibility
• Increased asset value
• Feel-good factor (priceless)

Now that we have seen the importance of Google Sitelinks for both; users and webmasters. In my coming posts you will see some common myths about SiteLinks being discussed.

It was a long post, wasn’t it? yes, comparatively but not really :)