More and more we’re starting to see increased functionality from the search engine results pages (SERP’s). From the Knowledge Graph (or is that Knowledge Vault) to Site Links there’s more and more going on the SERP’s everyday.
This isn’t suprising at all. Google is trying to do it’s best to keep as many users on their page as long as possible and it’s probably working. The more information that Google can bring to a user then the more likely they are to return to Google for more information and quick answers. It seems like everyone now knows that simple math functions can now be done right in the search box and you’ll get an answer without having to visit any other sites. The same goes for holidays, sports scores, flight information, etc. Just typing in “portland blazers” gives the complete schedule and any up to the minute scores of any currently playing games. With Google being more and more aggressive in retaining visitors it’s important to offer visitors quick and easy ways to access your web site from the SERP’s and around the web.
Recently Google started sharing the code and offering help to setup the Sitelinks Search Box. It certainly increases the real estate and page space that a search result has on the SERP’s but usually it’s only seen for very specific searches that are for a particular brand or company.
We recommend all sites of all sizes set this up. All WordPress sites have search already built in so there’s no need to be adding a custom Google search to your site like the directions suggest but there is one thing to note with WordPress and these instructions.
In the directions and example of the code there’s this line: "target": "https://query.example-petstore.com/search?q={search_term_string}"
That needs to be changed to you’re URL, obviously but also you’ll need to change the ending after the /. Instead of /search?q= you’ll want to use /s?=. That’ll allow Google to use your search features on your WordPress site.
For all of Azunga’s search engine optimization clients we’ll be rolling this out to all the sites we manage over the next week. Most of our web sites are built on WordPress which makes setup straight forward and quick. If you’re looking to incorporate these Sitelink Search bars in to any of your web sites then please feel free to contact us for any assistance you might need.
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