Backlinks and branded sitelinks: how to pick the right pages

What branded sitelinks are and why they show up

Branded sitelinks are the extra links that sometimes appear under your main search result when someone searches for your brand name (or a close variation). Instead of showing only your homepage, Google can add shortcuts to pages it thinks people want next.

For users, sitelinks are a faster path to common tasks like logging in, checking pricing, getting support, or learning who you are. For you, they take up more space on the results page and often push other results lower.

You can’t set sitelinks manually. Google chooses them and can change them at any time. What you can do is make it easy for Google to understand which pages are the best “next clicks” for branded searches.

That usually comes down to two forces working together:

• Clarity: simple navigation, consistent page titles, and internal links that clearly point to your main destinations.
• Authority: signals that certain pages matter and are trusted. This is where backlinks and branded sitelinks start to connect.

Google tends to favor pages that (1) help the searcher and (2) are obviously central to your site. When a key page is buried, weakly linked, or competing with similar pages, it’s less likely to be picked.

Many businesses end up with sitelinks like Pricing, Login, Product, Blog, and Contact. Which ones appear for you depends on what people search for under your brand and what your site signals as “top destinations.”

A simple example: if your Pricing page is linked from your header, referenced from product pages, and builds real authority over time, it becomes a stronger candidate than a promo page that only shows up in a footer link.

How Google tends to pick sitelinks

Google usually shows sitelinks when it’s confident it understands your brand and your site structure. The goal is practical: help searchers jump to the page they likely want without making them click the homepage first.

A big part of that confidence is consistency. If your navigation, headings, and internal links keep pointing to the same few “main” pages, Google has an easier time choosing. If you have three different pages that all look like “Pricing,” Google has to guess.

The signals that usually matter most

Sitelinks tend to come from pages that look important and unambiguous:

• Clear architecture: a small set of top-level pages in the main menu, used across the site.
• Strong internal linking: relevant pages naturally link to the same destination (not just in the footer).
• Page focus: one page, one job (Pricing explains pricing, Support is support, About is about your company).
• Page authority: some pages earn more link equity than others, and those often become safer sitelink candidates.
• User behavior that matches intent: people click a page often after branded searches and don’t bounce right back.

Authority to a page vs authority to a domain

A strong homepage helps, but sitelinks often favor pages that are strong on their own.

If most external links point only to your homepage, Google can still show sitelinks, but you have less influence over which pages rise to the top. If you want a specific page to be a sitelink (Pricing, About, Support), it helps when that page also has its own signals of importance.

Example: if users often search “YourBrand pricing,” and your Pricing page is linked in the menu, referenced across the site, and has a few quality backlinks pointing to it, it’s more likely to win a sitelink spot than a generic “Learn” page that overlaps with a blog category.

Where backlinks fit in: homepage vs key pages

Backlinks are one of the strongest signals that a site and specific pages matter. For backlinks and branded sitelinks, the detail that matters is where that authority lands: only on the homepage, or also on the pages you want people to see under your brand name.

Homepage backlinks often help sitelinks indirectly. The homepage becomes a strong hub, and Google follows internal links to figure out what the site considers important. But if the homepage links out to everything equally, the signal gets spread thin. If it points clearly to a few key pages, those pages look more “sitelink-ready.”

Direct backlinks to a key page can speed things up. When a product page, pricing page, or About page earns links from other sites, it can jump in perceived importance even if it isn’t linked as heavily from the homepage.

One warning: pages with mixed intent are weaker sitelink candidates. If a single URL tries to sell, explain, and provide support all at once, people behave inconsistently on it. Cleaner intent usually wins.

Internal links can either concentrate authority or dilute it. Every extra “important” link is competing for attention.

A practical way to prioritize links from your strongest pages (often the homepage) is:

• Link prominently to 3 to 5 pages you’d actually want as sitelinks.
• Use consistent labels and anchor text (Pricing, Contact, Support).
• Don’t give the same prominence to low-value pages (thin tag pages, old campaigns).
• Make sure each target is linked from more than one relevant page.

Pick sitelink goals first (before you build links)

If you build links before you decide which pages should win, you usually end up with sitelinks that are “fine” but not helpful. Your goal is simple: when someone searches your brand name, the sitelinks should match what they want to do next.

Start by listing the 5 to 10 pages you’d be happy to have people click from a brand search. Keep it focused on actions, not vanity pages. Then map each page to one clear intent: buy, learn, support, login, or contact.

A quick way to do this without overthinking it:

• Draft your top pages and assign one intent to each.
• Merge duplicates (two pricing pages, multiple About pages, old vs new product pages).
• Check that your navigation labels match what people see first on the page.
• Make sure each target answers the intent quickly (skip “welcome” filler at the top).
• Decide which 1 to 3 pages deserve extra authority first.

Duplicates are the silent killer here. If you have /pricing and /plans, or three different contact options, Google has to guess. It may pick the wrong one or skip the group entirely. Choose the best version, redirect or de-emphasize the rest, and keep the wording consistent across your menu, headings, and title tag.

A practical example: a SaaS company lists both “Sign in” and “Login” in different spots, and has separate pages for “Pricing” and “Plans” with near-identical content. Clean that up first. Then internal linking and backlinks can reinforce one clear target instead of splitting signals.

How to prioritize targets: a simple scoring method

When you want certain pages to show up as branded sitelinks, start with pages that help a visitor finish a common task fast. Then use internal links and (when appropriate) backlinks to reinforce those choices. Pages that look important tend to get more visibility.

The 5-factor score

Score each candidate page from 1 to 5 on each factor below, then add the points. Anything under 15 is usually not worth pushing as a sitelink target.

• Business value: does this page directly support signups, sales, leads, bookings, or support deflection?
• User demand: do people search for this page by name, or click it often in navigation and Search Console?
• Clarity: is the purpose obvious from the title, heading, and URL?
• Stability: will the page still matter in 6 to 12 months?
• Readiness: is it indexable, fast, and easy to access?

A quick way to use the score: pick 3 to 6 pages with the highest totals, then focus your authority on them instead of spreading links across dozens of URLs.

Example: a SaaS site compares /pricing and /summer-discount. Pricing scores high on stability, clarity, and business value. The discount page might score well today, but it usually fails stability and often gets retired or repurposed. Even if it earns links, it’s a weak sitelink target.

Before you commit effort, do a readiness check: the page should be crawlable, not blocked by noindex, load quickly on mobile, and have a clear place in your main navigation. Fix those basics first, then build authority.

A practical target list for most sites

If you want better branded sitelinks, start with pages that match what people often want after they search your brand. Sitelinks tend to mirror real intent: confirm you’re legit, understand what you sell, see the price, and find the fastest next step.

For most sites, these are the strongest default targets to reinforce with internal links and, when it makes sense, backlinks.

The core sitelink targets

• About / Company: helps with trust.
• Pricing / Plans: people want cost fast.
• Product or Services hub: one clean overview page that explains the offer and links deeper.
• Contact: common for B2B, local services, and high-value deals.
• Login / Dashboard: best when you have lots of returning users.
• Support / Help Center / Docs: ideal when existing customers search your brand to fix something.

How to choose what goes first

If you can only push 2 to 3 pages, pick based on what drives value:

• Sales-led: Pricing and the Product/Services hub.
• Trust-constrained (new brand, heavy competition): About and Contact.
• Product-led with many users: Login and Support.

The pages that deserve sitelinks are usually the pages you’d want a new visitor to see in the first minute.

Step by step: build authority to the pages you want

Treat each sitelink target as a destination page, not just another URL. The page should say exactly what it is and match how people look for it.

1) Make the page unambiguous

Check the page title and the H1. If your navigation says “Pricing,” your H1 should also say “Pricing” (or “Pricing Plans”). Same idea for About, Contact, Blog, and Support.

Also make sure the page is reachable from the main navigation. If it only lives in the footer, it can look less important.

2) Push internal authority to the targets

Pick a few pages that already get visits (homepage, top blog posts, popular guides) and add internal links to your targets. Over time, aim for a steady trickle rather than a one-day overhaul.

Keep anchor text plain and consistent: Pricing, About, Contact, Support. Save creativity for the copy, not the link.

3) Remove competing pages

If you have near-duplicate pages, Google has to guess which one deserves the sitelink. Merge them, redirect the weaker one, or set a canonical so there’s one clear winner. Common duplicates include multiple pricing pages, old About pages, and location pages with thin differences.

4) Add external authority after the basics are fixed

Once the page is clear, linked from key pages, and not competing with duplicates, backlinks can confirm its importance.

If you’re building links through a provider, the simplest rule is: point new placements to the exact sitelink target page (not only the homepage) once your navigation and internal links are already aligned.

Common mistakes that block the sitelinks you want

Sitelinks are a side effect of clarity and trust. Many sites try to force them with links, but a few patterns make Google unsure which pages deserve those spots.

One of the biggest problems is sending authority to pages that change often. A seasonal promo page (like “Black Friday deals”) might earn links for a month, then disappear or get reused for a different offer. That breaks the signal and leaves Google with no stable page to feature.

Another issue is unnatural anchor repetition. If every backlink and internal link uses the exact same keyword-stuffed phrase, it can look forced and doesn’t help Google understand your true site structure.

Also watch for thin pages competing with stronger pages on the same topic. For example, a weak “Pricing” tag page can end up fighting your main pricing page if both are linked prominently.

Navigation problems matter too. If key pages are buried behind filters, parameters, or inconsistent menus, Google may not treat them as dependable main sections of the site.

Five quick checks that catch most problems:

• Point your strongest links to evergreen pages, not short-term promos.
• Vary anchors naturally (brand, URL, and plain labels like Pricing).
• Consolidate duplicates and thin competitors (redirect, canonical, or noindex).
• Make important pages reachable in 1 to 2 clicks from the main navigation.
• Fix the basics of your brand results first (clear homepage, consistent titles, clean structure).

Quick checks before you spend time or money on links

Before you invest in backlinks and branded sitelinks work, make sure your site is giving Google clean options. Otherwise, you can build authority to pages that never had a real chance to show.

Start by searching your brand name in an incognito window and note which sitelinks appear today. Don’t only look at what shows up. Look at what’s missing. If Pricing is absent but Blog is there, that’s a clue about what Google thinks is most useful or most trusted for your brand search.

Next, sanity-check your top sitelink targets:

• Each target page is indexable (no noindex tag, no robots block, no password wall).
• Each target is reachable in 1 to 2 clicks from the homepage using normal navigation.
• Page titles are clear, specific, and not duplicated across multiple pages.
• There is one obvious page per intent (one Pricing page, one Contact page, one About page).
• The page matches the promise (a Pricing page that hides prices often gets ignored).

If any of these fail, fix them first. Links can amplify the wrong signals just as easily as the right ones.

A practical example: if you have two similar pages like Plans and Pricing, Google may split signals between them. Even if you point backlinks to one, internal links and navigation might still push users and crawlers to the other. Consolidate them or make one page clearly primary.

Realistic example: choosing sitelink targets for a SaaS site

A SaaS company (let’s call it TaskNest) searches its brand name and wants two sitelinks to show up consistently: Pricing for new buyers and Login for existing users. That’s a smart goal, but their site setup fights it.

They have three different pricing URLs (a pricing page, a plans page, and a hidden pricing section on the homepage), plus two login options (app login and helpdesk login). Google has to guess which one matters, so sitelinks can look random.

First, they pick stable targets: one canonical /pricing page and one /login page. Both are linked in the main navigation with clear labels. They also confirm those pages aren’t blocked by noindex, broken redirects, or thin content.

Next, they build the right kind of authority. For backlinks and branded sitelinks, it’s rarely enough to power up the homepage only. The homepage still matters, but sitelinks often favor pages that look important on their own.

TaskNest’s plan:

• Add a small number of high-quality backlinks to the homepage and /pricing (once the URL is final).
• Strengthen internal links to /pricing from high-intent pages (comparisons, alternatives, integration pages).
• Update relevant blog posts so they naturally point to pricing when they mention plans or costs.
• Keep Login prominent in the nav and footer, but don’t try to force backlinks to it.

Then they wait and watch trends rather than daily changes. Sitelinks can shift over weeks as Google reprocesses links and site structure. The key is to keep targets stable and avoid renaming pages or splitting pricing again.

Next steps: a simple plan for the next 30 days

Treat this like a short project: pick a few pages, make their purpose obvious, and send steady signals. You’re not trying to force sitelinks. You’re making the right pages the easiest choices for branded search results.

Days 1 to 3: lock your targets

Pick 4 to 6 pages you’d be happy to see as sitelinks. For many sites, strong defaults are Pricing, Product or Services, About, Contact, and (if it fits your product) Login and Support.

Make each page unambiguous: one main topic, a clear page title, a clear H1, and one primary action.

Days 4 to 14: fix internal signals

Do an internal linking pass so these pages keep showing up where they matter.

• Add or confirm 1 to 2 prominent navigation links to your top targets.
• Link to 2 to 3 targets from the homepage body, not just the footer.
• Add relevant links from high-traffic posts to the best target page.
• Keep anchor text consistent and plain.
• Remove or demote links to pages you don’t want featured (thin promos, low-value tag pages).

Days 15 to 30: add authority where it counts

A common pattern is: strengthen the homepage, then add a small number of links to 1 to 2 key pages that match business priorities (often Pricing and your Product/Services hub). Keep it focused so link equity doesn’t get spread too thin.

If you want predictable access to high-authority placements, SEOBoosty (seoboosty.com) focuses on premium backlinks from authoritative sites. It’s most effective when you already know which sitelink target pages you want to strengthen and your site structure clearly supports them.

At day 30, run the same branded search check and note any changes in sitelinks, titles, or page order. Re-check monthly, and only change targets when your business priorities change.