You’ve probably seen it yourself already, and now Google has confirmed some changes to how sitelinks appear in their search results.

In the past, sitelinks only showed below the No. 1 listing in the search results, and they typically appeared in two columns with up to eight total links. That won’t change, but moving forward, it’s also not the only way sitelinks will show up. There are two changes:

• Sitelinks might now show for several listings, not just the top listing on a search results page
• They might appear as a single row of up to four sitelinks, rather than in two columns

Google uses the example of a search for nutrition to show this in action:

You can continue to use Webmaster Central to block a page from appearing as a site link. Google says they’re speeding up the response to block requests, and planning to add the ability to block sitelinks that show up below pages other than your home page.

Related Topics: Channel: SEO | Google: SEO | Google: Sitelinks | Google: User Interface | Google: Web Search

About The Author: Matt McGee is Editor-In-Chief of Search Engine Land. His news career includes time spent in TV, radio, and print journalism. His web career continues to include a small number of SEO and social media consulting clients, as well as regular speaking engagements at marketing events around the U.S. He blogs at Small Business Search Marketing and can be found on Twitter at @MattMcGee and/or on Google Plus. You can read Matt's disclosures on his personal blog. See more articles by Matt McGee

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