Site Search Box

What the Site Search Box is

The Sitelinks Searchbox was a search field that Google showed directly inside your brand's search result, letting people query your site without leaving the SERP. You signaled eligibility with WebSite structured data that declares a SearchAction pointing at your own site search. Google stopped showing it on November 21, 2024, so treat the markup as a small nicety at most, not a growth lever.

The markup that declares it

You add JSON-LD to your home page describing your WebSite and a potentialAction of type SearchAction. The target is your site's search URL with a {search_term_string} placeholder Google filled in with whatever the user typed.

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "WebSite",
  "url": "https://example.com/",
  "potentialAction": {
    "@type": "SearchAction",
    "target": {
      "@type": "EntryPoint",
      "urlTemplate": "https://example.com/?s={search_term_string}"
    },
    "query-input": "required name=search_term_string"
  }
}
</script>

Two things make or break it. The urlTemplate must match how your search actually works (for WordPress that's usually /?s=), and the query-input name must be identical to the placeholder in the template. Get either wrong and Google ignored the whole block.

Searchbox vs. the search box people confuse it with

"Search box" gets used for three different things. Only one of them is this markup. Knowing which is which saves you from implementing the wrong fix.

Why you no longer see it

Google stopped showing the Sitelinks Searchbox on November 21, 2024, and the Rich Results Test no longer reports it. That changes the math: the markup is cheap and harmless to keep, and WebSite markup still helps Google with site names, but don't build a project plan around getting the box back. If it doesn't show, that's Google's call, not a bug in your code.

How to check it on your own site

1. View source on your home page and search for SearchAction. If it's missing, there is no searchbox markup to check.
2. Confirm the urlTemplate is your real search URL. Paste a test query into it in a browser and verify it returns results, not a 404.
3. Run the home page through the Schema Markup Validator (validator.schema.org) to confirm the WebSite markup parses with no errors, since Google's Rich Results Test no longer reports this feature.
4. Check that this JSON-LD lives on the home page specifically. Google reads it there, not on interior pages.
5. Search Google for your exact brand name: the box will not render, however perfect your markup, because Google retired it in November 2024.
6. Make sure you have exactly one WebSite block. Duplicate or conflicting declarations are a common reason it's skipped.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

• Mismatched placeholder names. The query-input name and the {search_term_string} in the template must match exactly. This is the single most common failure. Fix the names, retest.
• Pointing the target at a search that doesn't exist. If your site search lives at /search?q= but the markup says /?s=, the box would send users nowhere. Match the template to your live search.
• Putting the markup on the wrong page. It belongs on the home page. Interior-page placement gets ignored.
• Expecting the box because your markup is valid. Validation no longer means eligible. Google stopped showing the box in November 2024, so don't file a "bug" when it's absent.
• Shipping two conflicting WebSite objects from a plugin and a theme both injecting schema. Consolidate to one clean block.

FAQ

Will adding this markup guarantee the search box appears?

No. Google stopped rendering it on November 21, 2024, so valid markup no longer makes you eligible. The markup is cheap and harmless to keep, but don't expect the box.

Where does the JSON-LD go?

On your home page, in a <script type="application/ld+json"> block. Most schema plugins let you add site-wide WebSite markup automatically.

What's the difference between this and sitelinks?

They're related features of your brand result. Sitelinks are the extra indented links Google picks algorithmically; the searchbox was a query field you declared with markup, until Google retired it in November 2024. Sitelinks remain Google's call to display.

Does it help my rankings?

No. It was a presentation feature, not a ranking signal. It used to improve the look and usability of your brand result, but it never moved you up the page.

My search URL uses parameters. Does that break it?

Not if the template matches. Whatever your real search path is, put that exact pattern in urlTemplate with {search_term_string} where the query goes. For the full build, see the search box implementation guide and the broader structured data reference.