Adding a sitelinks search box to your site once helped Indian businesses, freelancers, and shops give Google users a fast way to search directly within your site from the Google search page. Even though Google has started removing this feature, many sites can still benefit by setting up things the right way for maximum user experience, easier navigation, and better brand trust in the remaining scenarios. If your site is well-structured, has a working search function, and uses schema markup, you still show professionalism and readiness for other search platforms and site tools.
For sites already using a search box, here is how to fully set up and make the most of a sitelinks search box. The process is friendly for beginners and only takes a single code snippet and one quick update on your main page. This still helps users find what they want faster and boosts your trust signals in search results—even as Google’s direct sitelinks search box is phased out in their interface, a strong search experience helps everywhere else your brand appears.
How to Add a Sitelinks Search Box (Modern Approach)
- Check for Functional Site Search: Ensure your website has a working onsite search (yourdomain.com/?s=query or /search?q=query). For most Indian WordPress or custom sites, default search is already active. Test a few keywords to ensure results show properly.
- Add Schema.org Markup: On the homepage (index.html or homepage template), add the following JSON-LD script, replacing with your domain and the search path your website uses for search results.
<script type='application/ld+json'> { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "WebSite", "url": "https://yourdomain.com/", "potentialAction": { "@type": "SearchAction", "target": "https://yourdomain.com/search?q={search_term_string}", "query-input": "required name=search_term_string" } } </script> - Set Up Canonical URL: Add a
<link rel='canonical' href='https://yourdomain.com/'>in your homepage <head> section, pointing to your site’s primary domain. This helps Google understand the main site address and supports trust signals for search engines and social platforms. - Update Search Engines with Markup: If using WordPress, plugins like Yoast SEO or Rank Math automate this schema; just enable “Sitelinks Search Box” in their settings. For custom sites, add the code manually and validate via Google’s Rich Results Tool after publishing changes.
- Test Live Search Experience: Search for your brand on Google and see if your search box still appears (some brands still see it in their search snippets). Even if not visible, the improved user experience and internal navigation result in higher engagement and more direct on-site searches.
Table: Sitelinks Search Box Setup and Benefits
| Step | What to Do | Benefit |
| Enable site search | Test /search?q or /?s= URLs on your domain | Lets users search every product/page |
| Add JSON-LD Schema | Paste schema (see above) on homepage | Makes site eligible for search box, boosts trust |
| Add canonical URL | rel=canonical to homepage in head section | Ensures correct site version for branding/search |
| Test with Rich Results | Google’s Rich Results Tool validation | Confirms correct markup for SEO platforms |
| Enable plugin auto-support | Yoast SEO or Rank Math: | Simplifies updates, saves time |
Practical Benefits and Monitoring
- Users searching via Google or on your site find products/services faster, with better conversions and lower bounce rates.
- Rich user/completion data on your site’s search terms helps you tweak content for the questions and products people actually want.
- Even as Google phases out the official box, structured data supports other integrations (Bing, voice search, WhatsApp bots), and your visitors see a more organized, “big brand” website.
- Update search performance and schema once per quarter or when you re-design your main menu/site search implementation.
For a visual schema builder: this schema generator can speed up the process for beginners.
Niranjan Yamgar’s Expert Tip
Even with Google shifting features, adding a structured sitelinks search box keeps your site futureproof, improves local reputation, and helps users. Want personal help or an advanced SEO setup? Ask India’s most trusted website growth partner—better structure ensures better results, every search!