Indicate the name of the site in Google Search for your site

Indicate the name of the site in Google Search for your site

When your site appears in the results of the google search, it displays the name of the site from which this content was obtained. This is called the name of the site. Please note that the name of the site differs from the headers of individual pages (page headlines belong to specific pages of the site, while the name of the site refers to the entire site).

An example of the text in the results of Google search, where the name of the site is highlighted:

Sample site

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Availability of function in Google Search

Site names are available in all languages where Google search is available, both on mobile and desktop devices. The names of the site can be displayed for domain and subdomain sites (find out more in technical recommendations).

How are the names of sites in Google Search

The generation of the site name in Google Search is fully automated and takes into account the content from the main page of your site, as well as links to it that are found on other pages of the Internet. The main goal is to display the name, which is best represented by the source of each result.

To indicate the preferred name of your site, add structured Website data to your main page. Our systems also take into account content in og:site_name, <title>, headings and other texts on the main page. However, the structured WebSite data are of the greatest value if you want to indicate the preferred site name.

Although we cannot manually change the automatically selected names, you can indicate the alternatives that our system will take into account if your preferred name is not selected.

How to choose the name of your site for Google Search

  • Choose a unique name that accurately reflects the identity of your site and does not mislead users. It must comply with content policy for search.
  • Use a short, universally recognized name for your site (for example, "Sample Site" instead of "approximate site, Inc"). Although there are no restrictions on the length of the name, long names can be circumcised on some devices.
  • Avoid the use of generalized names. For example, the name "best dentists in Moscow" will unlikely will be chosen by our system, if only this is an unknown brand.
  • Use the site name sequentially on your main page. Make sure that the name you indicated in the structured data corresponds to how you mention your site in other sources on the main page that our system takes into account.
  • Give an alternative name. If our system does not select your preferred name, for example, if the site is global, and the name consists of the abbreviation, add an alternative name using the property alternateName.

How to add a site name using structured data for your Google site

Structured data is a standardized format for providing information about the page and classifying its content. If you are a beginner in structured data, you can study how they work.

This section discusses technical recommendations, mandatory properties and methods of adding and testing structured data for the name of the site.

Use CMS? It can be easier with the plugin integrated into your CMS. Use JavaScript? Find out how to generate structured data using JavaScript.

Follow the recommendations

To help Google better understand the name of your site, make sure that you follow the recommendations for structured data and the rules for choosing the name of the site.

Technical recommendations

  • One site is one name: in Google search, only one name is supported on a site where the site is determined by a domain or subdomain.
  • Structured data should be on the main page of the site: for the site you need to place the structured Website data on its main page.
  • The main page should be available for Google: if the content on your main page is blocked, we will not be able to generate the name of the site.
  • For sites with duplicated main pages: if you have several versions of the main page (for example, HTTP and HTTPS), make sure that the structured data are indicated on all duplicated pages, and not just on the canonical.

Add mandatory properties for the name of your site

Add the mandatory properties to the main page of your site in JSON-LD, RDFA or Microdata format. It is necessary to post this code only on the main page of the site.

Mandatory properties: name And url. Make sure the name of your site corresponds to the recommendations for choosing the name.

Add an alternative name for your site in Google

If you want to offer an alternative version of the name of your site (for example, abbreviation or abbreviated name), add a property alternateName.

Test structured data for your site in Google

  • Check the marking using the diagram testing tool (for example, Schema Markup Validator) to make sure that there are no syntax errors in the code.
  • Use the URL Inspection tool for testing how Google sees your page. Make sure your main page is available for Google and is not blocked by a Robots.txt file.
  • If the page looks correct, you can request a second scan of the URL.

What to do if your preferred name is not chosen by Google

If the system has not chosen your preferred name, try the following steps:

  • Make sure that the name of the site in the structured data corresponds to your preferred name.
  • Check if there are errors in the structured data using the marking testing tool.
  • Confirm that other sources on your main page use your preferred name.
  • Make sure your site is not configured to use subt ales, since the name is not supported for subcatalogs.

If your preferred name is still not chosen, try to offer an alternative name using the property alternateName.

If additional questions arise, contact the Seo.computer SEO companion on optimization issues and SEO on info@seo.computer, WhatsApp +79202044461.

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