Google Sitelinks
Have you ever noticed that certain search results display category links under the description of the website? These links are reflect the navigation of the website and let you jump to the page you’re looking for just a bit faster than you would if you landed on the homepage first. These links are Google’s way of displaying more relevant results and trying to make your life easier. Well how do you get those links to display under your listing? It isn’t so simple.
If you’re using Google’s Webmaster Tools than you’ve probably noticed the area called “Sitelinks”. This is where you can see which navigation links the Googlebot has indexed and is showing with your site deescription. After a little poking around I discovered that while you can tell Google which links you do not want displayed, you can’t tell it which ones you do. The Googlebot has to find your sitelinks on it’s own. Bummer.
Sitelinks display under the search result
So how do you tell Google which sitelinks are important for your website – and ultimately, your user (because Google is ALL about the end user). In your html code. Here are a few tips from Kerry Dean of Range Online Media on how to let Google know which links to display:
The main site’s overall popularity, domain authority and brand popularity. If your site ranks No. 1 for a search term, you have better chances of having Sitelinks listed in the first place.
Optimized internal link structure. Tell Google which pages are important through optimized internal linking.
Optimal anchor text in all links on the site. Reinforce keywords in all links, and place very important links toward the top of the page.
Solid SEO implementation for all pages and on-page factors. Implement solid SEO strategies for every page on the site. This helps tie everything together for relevancy and authority.
Competition of the vertical. The tougher the competition in the vertical, the tougher it will be to rank No. 1 for certain terms. It’s easier to gain Sitelinks for searches with less competition.
Read the entire article at MediaPost.com
Happy Optimizing!
Elise
Tags: Google, sem, SEO, site optimization
