Site search in Google results

[RiceMedia]

If you Google 'Rightmove', you'll see they have a site search bar in the Google search results - please see image link.

Anybody have any idea how they have managed to achieve this?

jRz8l

[DanDeceuster]

I have seen this before and it was due to the website employing Google Sitesearch. Basically instead of using the default search function on your website platform you install Google's own Sitesearch product. Then your sitesearch will appear in search results.

Info on sitesearch here: http://www.google.com/sitesearch/

[RiceMedia]

Thanks Daniel - clearly something they are paying for.

[legalseo]

I disagree. One might infer that using Google's site search product on your site might be a ticket in that just doesn't seem to be the case as the site I work for utilized Google's first search appliance back in 2004 and now uses Google's site search. As a "go figure" example, here's two large online cycling retailers - one earns search, the other doesn't (Performance Bike, Bike Nashbar). neither is using Google site search.

A terse response on the GWT help forum answers that same question with "There is nothing you can do. Google will add it automatically if the algorithm deems the site worthy." Just as with sitelinks being a product of search volume and clear navigation choices, it would seem Google would be looking for similar qualities here. It's not necessarily site traffic volume, as neither Macys or Target earn this feature. This is an ask Matt Cutts question at the next SES or SMX.

[SarahGoliger]

Plenty of sites using Google Site Search do not get this search box, including HubSpot. None of our properties that use Google Search have this box. There must be more to it then that.

[DanDeceuster]

Like I said I saw this once before and I asked their SEO guy how it got there and he told me they used Google Sitesearch. If there is more to it than that then he didn't tell me and I've never tried to get it myself.

[AndrewMcGarry]

"sitelinks being a product of search volume"

No, I've seen startup eCom brand sites with embarrassingly low search volume receive sitelinks so that isn't strictly the criteria.