Definition

Site name is the label Google shows next to a result to indicate the source site. Google generates it automatically from on-page signals and structured data, with `WebSite` schema markup acting as a strong hint.

Google selects site names from multiple sources including the `WebSite` structured data `name` property, the `og:site_name` Open Graph tag, the page `<title>`, top-level headings and the site's most prominent branding. Site names are typically set at the domain or subdomain level, may differ between mobile and desktop, and can take days or weeks to update after on-site changes. Subdomains may show their own site name distinct from the root domain.

Examples

• Structured data hint

  A publisher adds `WebSite` JSON-LD with `"name": "The Daily Brief"` on its home page. Google then shows 'The Daily Brief' as the site name above each article's title link in search results.

• Subdomain difference

  A retailer's main site appears as 'Acme Outdoor' while its blog at blog.acme.com appears as 'Acme Outdoor Stories' because each subdomain has its own `WebSite` structured data.

Sources

• Google Search Central — Site names in Google Search

Related terms

• Title Tag
  The HTML `<title>` element on a page. Google often uses its content to generate the clickable headline (the "title link") in search results.
• Schema Markup
  Structured data added to a page that describes its content to search engines in a machine-readable format.
• JSON-LD
  A JSON-based syntax for embedding structured data in a script tag, used to describe a page's content to search engines and other parsers.
• Open Graph
  A protocol of meta tags (og:title, og:image, og:description, og:url) that lets a web page describe how it should appear when shared on social platforms.
• SERP
  The page a search engine returns in response to a query, including the list of results and any features such as ads, knowledge panels and rich snippets.

Where QueryCatch uses this

• Organization Schema
• Meta Title Optimisation