Google Patent for Sitelinks in Search Results - Discussion

Search for “Gaiam” on Google - just using them as an example - and you will see a series of links under the first result for http://www.gaiam.com/. This has been happening with many moderate-to-high traffic websites since earlier this year, 2006. How does Google decide which internal links to show? How can a webmaster get this cool type of result to happen for their own site? As most SEOs have speculated, it has a lot to do with user behavior. But there is more to it than that, and we no longer have to speculate….

The following patent has been out and about since December 21, 2006 (a few days ago) but the first I heard of it was while reading the following two blogs today:
- SEO By The Sea
- Search Engine Land

United States Patent Application 20060287985
Systems and Methods for Providing Search Results
Invented by Luis Castro, Walt Lin, and Benedict Gomes
Released: December 21, 2006 Filed: June 20, 2005

Don’t let the generic name fool you. This pending patent has a very specific purpose, which is summed up in the following abstract in typical patent-speak:

A method includes generating search results in response to a user query, where at least one of the search results includes a group of links. The group of links may represent links to web pages within a same web site and may be identified based on at least one factor associated with the links. The method may also include providing the search results to the user.

How Does Google Decide Which Pages to Show Additional Links For?
Data associated with users’ access of various web pages and/or sites such as:

1. Other web pages that have been accessed by users, such as hyperlinks associated with the web pages.
2. Total number of times each of the web pages corresponding to the hyperlinks have been accessed by users and/or an amount of time users have stayed on each of the web pages.
3. The number of links that point to each particular web page identified in log data storage.
4. Whether a typical user  scrolled through the web pages identified in log data storage  or linked out of the web pages without scrolling.
5. An information retrieval score indicating how closely a particular search query matches information on the web page.
6. The likelihood that a typical user will make a purchase associated with an item displayed on a web page. The likelihood that a purchase will be made may be provided by an entity (e.g., a company) associated with the particular web page or may be provided from user logs.

Where Does Google Get the Data to Make Such Decisions?
Three ways described in patent 20060287985 include:
1. Information gathered from user behavior on Google’s search engine
2. Information gathered from user behavior after the Google Toolbar has been installed
The first two are probably not news to anyone who has thought about the issue. However, the “alternative” way outlined in the patent’s conclusion area is a little more interesting:
3. Allowing the webmaster to identify what they believe to be the most important pages of the site.
Yet another reason to utilize the Sitemap options over at Google Webmaster Tools, as the XML sitemap allows you to rank the relative importance of your pages from 0.1 to 1.0.

How Can I Get My Site to Show Up in the SERPS With Extra Links?
This is the million-dollar question. Although nobody is going to be able to tell you with 100% accuracy, we have a much clearer picture now that this patent application is available. The good news is that the suggestions below, with the exception of #4, will also help you achieve higher search engine rankings in general, and are good SEO practice:

1. Submit an XML sitemap to Google (First Page Fitness offers this service) and be sure to give a higher number to the pages that you WANT to receive additional sitelinks.
2. Make sure these same pages are linked to from your home page.
3. Make it intuitive for users to visit these pages once they are on your site.
4. See if people who you know visit your site often will install the Google Toolbar and visit those pages.
5. Get more traffic by utilizing SEO, PPC, viral marketing and CPM ad buys

The last one is the most important. If you don’t already have Sitelinks below a search result for your brand name, chances are you just do not have enough traffic for Google to have compiled a meaningful data set on user behavior as it relates to your website. Being a highly-niche website, First Page Fitness probably falls into this category.

An example of Google Sitelinks in action on a search for Backcountry, showing links for www.BackCountry.com:

NOTE: This was only a brief interpretation of the Google patent application for Sitelinks in search results. If you are an SEO, we suggest you read the entire patent application yourself. For our health and fitness website owners, we suggest you read the two blog entries mentioned above, or contact us for more information.