Optimizing Google Search Results (Structured Content?)

[Morgin]

Hi everyone,

One thing I'd like to tackle is improving how google shows my site results.

To give an example:

The parts I've highlighted could use improvement for my forum (save for the actual page title - I meant to unhighlight that but ehn). 

This is how google describes these elements:

1) For the main blurb/snippet (after "5 hours ago") - does anyone know which metatag google prefers to read? I have a description metatag, but currently this is populated in my search results by a random forum description from one of my less used subforums.

2) For the actual sitelinks, has anyone had success figuring out their algorithm to influence which of your forums get shown? Mine seem to be a random collection of some popular and some less popular forums. Is there any way to push google to linked the most popular based on topic count?

[Morgin]

Just a bump to see if anyone has any thoughts on the second part of my question regarding the site links. I did some reading and it seems it’s entirely automated by google - was hoping some of you might have figured out how to push the automation one way or the other. 

[opentype]

3 minutes ago, Morgin said:

I did some reading and it seems it’s entirely automated by google

That’s your answer. 

3 minutes ago, Morgin said:

- was hoping some of you might have figured out how to push the automation one way or the other. 

Other than forcing links not to show by delisting them, there is not much you can do. 

[Morgin]

10 minutes ago, opentype said:

That’s your answer. 

Other than forcing links not to show by delisting them, there is not much you can do. 

:/ figured as much but disappointing. They've selected the strangest collection of forums for my sitelinks (two category only forums, two less trafficked, and two fairly popular) and it would be nice to just have them select based on some other type of weighted ranking, like perhaps which ones have the most indexed content.

[Nathan Explosion]

https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/47334?hl=en

[Morgin]

1 minute ago, Nathan Explosion said:

https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/47334?hl=en

Anyone know if the live metatag editor allow me to add alt text to the forum links? I don’t recall that option anywhere but it’s possible I’m just missing it.