Last October, Google introduced a new element for SERP called “Site Names”.
It is basically the name of the website.
It looks like something highlighted in the below image.
In the above image, you can see that the SERP has one more element beside Meta Title, Meta Description, and the URL.
Now, let’s dig deeper into it.
How Google Selects Site Name?
Well, the system is completely automated, but you can ask Google to respect your preference by looking at the below elements:
- Adding OG:site_name (Open Graph Tag Meta Tag) in your website’s homepage structured data.
- Adding a <title> tag with appropriate name in the homepage.
- Heading Elements and other text elements present on the homepage.
Best Practices to Follow to Get Preferred Site Name
Follow the best practices below, if you want Google to choose the site name you prefer to appear on SERP.
Uniqueness
Make sure to choose a unique name for your site that accurately reflects the identity of your website.
It must not mislead any users.
For example, you might be thinking to choose a generic name, say, “Best Dentists in New Delhi”, but think for a second, does the name correctly represent your organization name.
Conciseness
Choose a concise and short name for your website’s site name. You can add a “Common Name”.
For example, it may happen that your organization name is “Google Inc” but the most commonly and correctly recognized name is “Google”. So choose a concise, commonly recognized name.
Consistency
A doc from Google Search Central says, consistently using the site name at different places in your homepage makes it easier to get noticed by Google.
So, make sure to use your site name at different places on the homepage, say, heading, meta tags, subheadings, footer etc.
Also, for best possible result, use the same name you added in the structured data of your website’s homepage.
Alternate Name
While Google’s system doesn’t choose the same site name for two different websites working globally, you can enhance your chances by choosing an appropriate Alternate Name for your website.
You can add an alternate name for your website by adding alternateName property in the structured data.
Following the above best guidelines will help you to get a preferred site name for your website in Google search.
So, how many of you are ready to utilize this feature, let me know in the comments down below.
Read also: You Can Now Follow Keywords in Google Search
