For years, Google has included an extra search box within some search results, encouraging you to dig further and look only within a specific website. But now that sitelinks search box is going away because “usage has dropped.”
Google’s taking the extra search box out of your search results
Starting November 21st, Google will no longer display the bar that lets you search within a website.
Starting November 21st, Google will no longer display the bar that lets you search within a website.
Illustration: The Verge
is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO.
It’s been over ten years since we initially announced the sitelinks search box in Google Search, and over time, we’ve noticed that usage has dropped. With that, and to help simplify the search results, we’ll be removing this visual element starting on November 21, 2024.
If you have no idea what I’m talking about, it will probably make more sense if you see it:
Screenshot: The Verge
See that little search box beneath the link for The New York Times? That’s what Google’s taking away. You can use the feature as a shortcut to search for something within The New York Times (or any other website that has it). After the November deadline, Google will no longer display the box in all languages and countries.
Had I not seen this announcement from Google, I probably wouldn’t have even noticed its disappearance because I barely ever used the thing. Overall, it’s a smaller tweak among the many changes to Google’s search engine as it leans into AI and shuffles the team in charge of Search.
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