Google has redesigned its search engine results page with a a revised feature to give consumers more options before clicking a website.

Google has redesigned its search engine results page with a a revised feature to give consumers more options before clicking a website. Called “sitelinks,” the first result will now include several links to different sections, categories and landing pages on the website.

When consumers are searching for a topic or product, they often start with the broad keywords with the intent of narrowing their criterion after landing on a website. For example, Google software engineer Daniel Rocha notes that individuals may want to figure out which exhibits are showing at a specific museum, but their search term may simply be the name of the museum.
With the new sitelinks format, the museum will come up as the first result, with the exhibit page listed underneath. Consumers can then click on the landing pages within the site that are most relevant to their information needs.

Google will now display up to twelve sitelinks in two columns of six links.

Businesses may find sitelinks help drive traffic to specific parts of their webpages. For example, if they incorporate a blog into their content marketing efforts, Google links straight to that page to encourage searchers to check it out. Similarly, if sites have search-engine optimized landing pages, sitelinks featured on SERPs can drive visits to those conversion pages.

Sitelink-derived traffic may prove useful for a number of sites as Google accounts for the majority of searches. Nearly two-thirds (65.1 percent) of searches performed by Americans in July were fielded by Google, according to comScore.