Understanding & Influencing Google Sitelinks for Your Event Website
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- 🗂️ Topics: SEO, Google Sitelinks, Website Structure, Event Marketing
- ⏱️ Time to read: 5–6 minutes
- ✍️ Author: Jon Monk
- đź“… Date: 14th March 2025
Quick Summary
Google sitelinks—those extra links beneath your main search result—can improve visibility, click-through rates, and user experience.
While you can’t directly control which sitelinks appear, you can influence them by structuring your content and site correctly.
This article explains what sitelinks are, how they’re chosen, and the steps you can take to improve your chances of showing the right ones.
It also covers long-term best practices, like using evergreen URLs, to ensure your sitelinks remain relevant year after year.
Introduction
When users search for your event by name—such as "Your Event Name"—Google often displays a main search result for your homepage, along with additional internal links underneath.
These are called Sitelinks, and they can have a big impact on click-through rates, user experience, and brand visibility in search, such as:
This guide explains what sitelinks are, how they work, and the specific actions you can take to influence them. It also includes best practices for structuring your content so that your sitelinks (and rankings) remain consistent, accurate, and optimised year after year.
1. What Are Sitelinks?
Sitelinks are the additional links shown beneath the main search result on Google, usually when someone searches for your brand or event name. For example:
Your Event Name 2025
https://youreventwebsite.com
BOOK YOUR PASS – AGENDA – VENUE – SPEAKERS – WHY ATTEND
These sitelinks act as shortcuts, allowing users to quickly access key pages such as the agenda, speaker list, venue, or ticketing. They’re designed to help users navigate your website more efficiently—before they’ve even clicked.
Why Are Sitelinks Important?
- Increased visibility: They take up more space in search results.
- Higher click-through rates: Users are more likely to click when they see exactly what they’re looking for.
- Credibility and trust: They make your website look more established and well-structured.
2. How Sitelinks Are Generated
Google automatically decides whether to show sitelinks, and if so, which ones - there’s no manual way to select them or submit a list.
However, you can influence which pages appear by structuring your website effectively and following certain optimisation practices.
3. Step-by-Step: How to Influence Sitelinks
âś… Step 1: Use Clear, Descriptive Page Titles
Each important page should have a unique and meaningful title that reflects its purpose. Avoid vague titles like "Page 1" or "Info".
Example:
- ❌ “Event Info” → ✅ “Why Attend [Event Name]”
âś… Step 2: Create a Logical Site Structure
Think of your website like a pyramid:
- Homepage at the top
- Primary sections (e.g., Agenda, Speakers, Exhibitors) one level down
- Sub-pages (e.g., Individual sessions, speaker bios) grouped underneath
The simpler and more consistent your structure, the easier it is for Google to understand and index.
âś… Step 3: Strengthen Internal Linking
Link to your most important pages consistently across the site:
- Navigation menu
- Footer
- In-page text (e.g., “See our full agenda here”)
The more Google sees internal links pointing to a page, the more it considers that page important.
âś… Step 4: Add Unique Meta Descriptions
Each page should have a clear, relevant meta description. While Google doesn’t always show them, they often use these snippets for sitelinks.
âś… Step 5: Submit an XML Sitemap
Submitting a sitemap via Google Search Console helps Google crawl and understand your site more efficiently. This improves your chances of sitelinks appearing and staying accurate.
âś… Step 6: Keep Menus and Navigation Consistent
Google often uses the structure of your main menu to determine key site sections. Use consistent, clean navigation—especially on mobile.
âś… Step 7: Avoid Duplicate or Weak Content
If multiple pages say the same thing or are too thin to offer real value, Google may skip them. Consolidate where possible, and focus on building strong, useful pages.
âś… Step 8: Use 301 Redirects for Old Pages
If you must replace an old page (e.g., /agenda-2024) with a new one (e.g., /agenda-2025), always set up a 301 redirect from the old page to the new one.
This preserves SEO value and prevents broken links—but it’s only a short-term fix.
4. Best Practice: Maintain Evergreen URLs for Key Pages
One of the most important and often overlooked strategies for stable sitelinks and better SEO is to avoid creating new pages every year for your core content.
Why creating new URLs every year is a problem
- It splits your SEO strength across multiple URLs.
- It increases the risk of outdated sitelinks showing in Google search (e.g., “Agenda 2023” appearing in 2025).
- You waste effort maintaining redirects and updating internal links.
âś… Instead: Use a Single, Evergreen Page (e.g. /agenda)
Keep one URL for each key section of your site:
/agenda/speakers/venue/exhibitors
Update the content on that page each year based on the event timeline:
- Before launch: “Agenda coming soon – check back in April”
- After launch: Display full agenda
- After event: “Event finished – see highlights or previous sessions below”
By doing this:
- Google continues to trust and index the same page.
- It’s far more likely to appear (and stay) in your sitelinks.
- You build long-term search equity in one place, instead of starting over every year.
5. Why It’s Worth Getting Expert Help
While the concepts above are relatively straightforward, implementing them correctly requires experience with:
- Website architecture and internal link auditing
- Google Search Console and sitemap management
- Redirect mapping and SEO-safe content updates
- Page speed and mobile performance (also influencing sitelinks)
As part of our website optimisation services, we work directly with our clients to:
- Set up their site structure to maximise sitelinks
- Identify which pages are most likely to appear
- Consolidate duplicate or outdated pages
- Implement technical SEO that supports long-term visibility
Conclusion
Sitelinks are a powerful—but often under-optimised—part of your event website’s presence in search.
By using clear structure, internal linking, and evergreen URLs, you can influence how your brand appears on Google and ensure users always land on the right page.
Need help managing your sitelinks and SEO strategy?
Speak to your account manager or contact our optimisation team to discuss a tailored solution.