Collecting clues for Sitelinks algorithm factors - thoughts?

[YoYoSEO]

I love the Sitelinks feature (sometimes referred to as extended links) in the SERPs, in my opinion it is the optimal result for SEOs. I know early on there was a school of thought that Googlers would be averse to clicking, thinking that it was some sort of non-organic listing but I think people adapt quickly or are willing to click from the beginning. It helps that sites like Youtube get a search bar in the links, further legitimizing the process.

Obviously we don't know how to generate these (yet!) and the only tips Google has given us is that we can preference them with their Webmaster Tools.

I am collecting data on sites that earn Sitelinks, and wanted your opinion on what variables I should be considering.

So far I've started with Type of site and a description of the business/service/site, # of Sitelinks, type of navigational links on the site, flash on the site, HP text, H1-Tag, PR, In Links, Out Links, Pages indexed, Domain Age, DMOZ, and Google Maps.

I am also looking at the amount of time a site has been at #1 but look at this scenario..2 websites owned by the same company. Website A is from 1998 and Website B is from 2006. Website A had been ranking #1 for the brand name for as long as I can remember. Through link-building, Website B took over the #1 spot for the brand name in Jan 09. Sometime in the month the website owner put a link from Website B to Website A on the homepage and now in Feb Website A is back at #1 AND has site links (for the first time). Some other tidbits to the tale is that Website B has the google Maps listing while website A has the DMOZ listing.

What do ya'll think? What else should I be keeping my eyes peeled for? Or, what are your general feelings about Sitelinks?

Thanks!

[Robert Charlton]

YoYoSEO - Welcome to WebmasterWorld.

The Sitelinks algo has been discussed frequently, and, as you're aware, it's been a tough one to crack. It appears to combine predominance for a given search phrase with a clearly channeled set of navigation links on the home page.

A hierarchical structure in the navigation (so that the link anchors are a subtype of an overall category describing the site) apparently helps, and it's been observed that traffic patterns can also be a factor.

Here's the most recent good discussion that I can remember...

Sitelinks Algo - anyone figured it out?
[webmasterworld.com...]

[edited by: Robert_Charlton at 6:58 pm (utc) on Feb. 4, 2009]

[tedster]

Hello YoYoSeo, and welcome to the forums.

You will probably be interested in our past discussions about Sitelinks. See Sitelinks Information - a reference thread [webmasterworld.com]. It contains a set of links to other key discussions.

One thing you may want to study is the realtionship between the query term and sitelinks. It is common for a domain to show sitleinks for a "navigational search" on the complete domain name including the TLD [example.net] - less common for sitelinks on a search without the TLD [example] - and MUCH less common to see sitelinks for a generic [keyword].

[YoYoSEO]

Robert - Thanks, I think traffic patterns play a big part in the sitelinks. Regaurding the Navigation, do you think there are any limitations to the way the Nav is presented?

Tedster - Yes I have found that specific but not too specific KWs bring up the best site links. Really Brand Name has the best chance.

[supafresh]

has anyone been able to generate site links after knocking out a competitor in the #1 spot who previously had site links?

i have not been able to do this.

[tedster]

Getting sitelinks for generic words is a major challenge. For a long time Apple did not have sitelinks for the search term [ipod] but recently they have gained them -- after adding the word to their home page Title tag.

One site I've been involved has a keyword domain kw1-kw2.com. It's a seasonal product and for the past two years the sitelinks for [kw1 kw2] have only appeared during the selling season!

Another example is a site kw1kw2kw3.com - and it currently has sitelinks for [kw1 kw2 kw3] with spaces as well as concatenated. But that only happened after major growth in backlinks.

Note that google.com does not have sitelinks for [google] but adwords.google.com does have sitelinks for [adwords].

I've made an exception to our usual policy of no search terms, just for this discussion. However, if anyone posts further specifics, please follow the convention I have here. Only major and very well known authorities should be used for specifics. In other cases, please use generic words such as "keyword" or "location"