GoogleDeprecationConfirmed

Sitelinks search box removed

Google retired the sitelinks search box that had let users search within a site directly from the results page.

What changed

Google announced in a post titled "Farewell, Sitelinks Search Box" that the feature would stop appearing in search results, saying usage had declined substantially over time. The associated WebSite SearchAction structured data became unnecessary, though Google said leaving the markup in place caused no problems. Removal followed within weeks of the announcement; Google did not publish a single global cut-over date, so no start date is recorded here.

Timing

Rollout began 21 October 2024. No completion date was announced. Rankings typically remain unstable for the whole rollout window, so measurements taken inside it are not a reliable read on the outcome.

What it affected