SiteLinksSearchBox Schema Missing

Issue No: 234

Category: Structured Data & Rich Results

Issue type: Suggestion

Priority: STANDARD

Description

The homepage WebSite schema is present but missing the SearchAction property, preventing Google from displaying a Sitelinks Search Box beneath the homepage result for branded queries.

How do we capture it

• Check WebSite JSON-LD block on homepage for potentialAction with "@type": "SearchAction"
• Verify the urlTemplate contains {search_term_string} and the URL resolves
• Only trigger if the site actually has functioning internal search

What to store

StructuredDataAudit record with schemaType = SiteLinksSearchBox, issueNumber = 152, plus StructuredDataField rows:

Field	Type	Comment
website_schema_exists	boolean	WebSite schema block is present
has_search_action	boolean	potentialAction.SearchAction present
has_url_template	boolean	urlTemplate with {search_term_string} present
has_query_input	boolean	query-input declared
site_has_search	boolean	Site actually has functioning internal search

Core audit fields used: isPresent, rawJson

Condition for trigger

• Trigger Rule 1: SearchAction missing on site with search
  • Target Field: has_search_action
  • Evaluation Logic: has_search_action = false AND website_schema_exists = true AND site_has_search = true
  • Severity: STANDARD
  • Diagnostic Message: "WebSite schema exists and site has internal search, but SearchAction is not declared."

Sources

• Schema.org — SearchAction
• Google — Sitelinks Searchbox

Long description

Adds a visible search box under your homepage SERP result for branded queries. Google decides whether to show it — schema makes you eligible. Do NOT implement if your site has no internal search feature.

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "WebSite",
  "url": "https://www.example.com",
  "potentialAction": {
    "@type": "SearchAction",
    "target": {
      "@type": "EntryPoint",
      "urlTemplate": "https://www.example.com/search?q={search_term_string}"
    },
    "query-input": "required name=search_term_string"
  }
}

Common URL patterns: WordPress /?s={search_term_string}, Shopify /search?q={search_term_string}.

How to Fix

1. Ensure WebSite schema exists first (see Issue #54)
2. Add potentialAction with SearchAction and a valid URL template
3. Test the search URL returns real results
4. Only implement if your site has functional internal search