Help Your Website Achieve Google Sitelinks

What are sitelinks?

The sitelinks are meant to help your website visitors who search your site name to navigate more easily directly from Google search. While the links are completely automated by Google, you can control them within Google's Webmaster Tools by blocking those that you would not like listed.

What's the benefit?

While Google proclaims that it helps users navigate your site, it also has additional benefits that include:

Google search page coverage – simply it takes up more space on the page which draws attention to your site. Mix it up with Google Adwords and give your website an even better chances of being clicked when searched.

Gets more traffic to internal pages and older posts – encourages visitors to dig deeper into your site and learn more about your company/brand.

Indirectly shows success – Typically only the top websites by Google's standards get sitelinks, so if you luck out, might as well toot your own horn a bit

In addition to also recently noticing that TDC holds a PageRank of 4 in six months, I was unclear how these sitelinks came about. What had I done to achieve these little links of joy?

What can you do?

While Google does not directly state how to achieve sitelinks there has been much discussion around the web in regards to what you can do to increase your chances and amount of time it takes to be awarded with them. Here are a few I've pulled from various studies and observations:

1. Your site ranks first for the keyword(s) that generate the sitelinks listing
2. Simple and structured navigation
3. A fairly high and consistent flow of traffic
4. High click through rates from the search results page
5. Useful outbound links
6. Inbound links from high quality sites
7. Site age – in age we trust!
8. Write useful content on your blog
9. Submit a sitemap in your Google Webmasters Tool panel. If you are using WordPress check out this sitemap plugin.
10. Use good SEO practices. WordPress users should install the all-in-one SEO pack
11. Just because you are a "big name" does not necessarily mean your awarded sitelinks. Try Googling 'Doritos'.

Remember: The above do not guarantee that your site will get sitelinks. They are only tried and tested and may be involved in the appearance of sitelinks. What have you done to help being rewarded with Google Sitelinks? Share your tips and thoughts in the comments below.