Site name
The name of the website Google shows with each search result, chosen automatically for the whole site, separate from each page's title link.
When Google lists a page in search results, it shows the name of the site the page comes from: the site name. It belongs to the whole site, while a title link belongs to one page (Google Search Central).
Google picks the name automatically, from your home page and from references to your site elsewhere on the web. It can’t change a name by hand, but you can state a preference.
How to tell Google your name
Add WebSite structured data to your home page, with name and url. Google also reads og:site_name, the <title>, headings and other text on the home page, but says WebSite structured data is most important. Use the same name everywhere on the home page. You only need the markup on the home page, and only one name works per domain or subdomain; a subdirectory such as example.com/news can’t have its own.
Google’s advice on the name itself: make it unique and concise, and avoid a generic one. Its example, “Best Dentists In Iowa”, is unlikely to be chosen unless it’s an extremely well-recognized brand name.
If Google shows the wrong name
Add an alternateName, such as a shorter name or acronym, which Google “strongly considers” when it isn’t confident in your first choice. You can also list your domain in lowercase as a backup. Check the markup with the Schema Markup Validator, since the Rich Results Test doesn’t support site names, then allow days to weeks for Google to recrawl.
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Updated Oct 14, 2026.