Google Tests More Sitelinks Designs

Google continues to experiment with sitelinks in its search results, and the latest round of tests introduces a new mobile sitelinks layout that stacks each link on its own line with a horizontal rule running down the left side of the snippet.

What does the new mobile sitelinks layout look like?

The most recent design spotted shows sitelinks listed one per line in darker text, with a margin running down the left-hand side of the search snippet. A second variation drops that horizontal margin entirely, and a third variation adds small images next to each sitelink. An image side by side with text sitelinks inside a single ad block has not been widely documented before, which makes the image-inclusive variant the most novel of the three.

What kinds of sitelinks tests has Google run recently?

Google has been iterating on sitelinks for some time. The variation without a left-side line has been observed before, and earlier tests have also placed images inside sitelinks. The new contribution in this round is the consistent left-side margin paired with darker sitelink text, applied across text-based ad units on mobile.

How were the new sitelinks spotted?

The designs appeared in screenshots shared publicly on X, including one that read: “Google is testing out a new mobile sitelink display for text-based ads, featuring all sitelinks in darker text and a margin on the left-hand side.” A separate post included the image variant, with the caption noting it had not been seen before.

Why does Google keep changing sitelinks?

Sitelinks sit inside both organic results and text ads, giving searchers shortcuts to deeper pages on a site. Google runs frequent layout tests to figure out which arrangement drives the most clicks, clearest scanning, and best fit on mobile screens, where vertical space and thumb reach matter most. A vertical stack with a clear left margin and darker text is easier to scan than the older grid of four links, and pairing each link with a small image gives users more visual cues about the destination page.

Click-through rates on ads and branded organic results shift when Google redesigns sitelinks, so a single week of performance data can mislead.

What should site owners watch for?

• Track branded query performance across mobile, since sitelinks mostly appear on branded and navigational searches.
• Watch whether your branded result gains or loses a sitelink block, and whether each link has an image next to it.
• Make sure your top-level pages have descriptive titles and clear images so they look strong inside any sitelinks treatment Google chooses to serve.

Sitelinks rank position across a service area is the kind of detail a geo grid report captures, and SEOScanPro‘s GEO Grids show where a business appears and where it disappears on a map.

FAQ

What is the latest Google sitelinks test?

Google is testing a mobile sitelinks layout that lists each link on its own line in darker text, with a horizontal margin running down the left side of the snippet.

Are the new sitelinks showing in ads or organic results?

The spotted design appeared inside text-based ads on mobile, with the sitelinks stacked vertically and separated from the main ad copy by the left-side margin.

Did Google test images inside sitelinks before?

Earlier tests have placed images inside sitelinks, but the recent screenshots include a version pairing text sitelinks with inline images that had not been widely documented before.