When someone scans a page of search results, they rarely read every word. They glance at the name of each site, a small icon beside it and the title of the page, then decide in a second or two which result looks trustworthy. Those three elements, the site name, the favicon and the title link, are often the first impression a business makes.

Yet many small businesses never look at how they appear. Some show an awkward domain name instead of the business name. Others display a generic globe icon, a blurry logo or an old brand mark from years ago. Titles may be cut off, stuffed with keywords or identical across dozens of pages.

This guide explains how Google chooses site names and titles, what you can do to influence them, and how to keep your brand consistent wherever your site appears in search.

What site names are and why they matter

A site name is the name of the website shown alongside each search result. It is different from the page title. The title describes a specific page, while the site name identifies the whole site the page belongs to.

Google introduced site names to search results in an October 14, 2022 post, introducing site names on Google Search. The post said the change was meant to make it easier to identify the website associated with each result, and that site owners could indicate a preferred site name using structured data on their home page. Site names were initially available on mobile results in English, French, Japanese and German, with additional languages planned over the following months.

For a small business, the site name is a small but persistent piece of branding. Seeing “Riverbend Landscaping” next to a result builds more recognition than “riverbendlandscapingllc-tx.com.”

How to indicate your preferred site name

Google relies on several sources to choose a site name, but you can state a preference. In a July 28, 2023 post, an update on site names, Google said the best way to indicate a preferred site name is to use WebSite structured data, as described in its site name documentation.

The same post encouraged more use of the alternateName property. It explained that a preferred name sometimes is not available; for example, Google’s system generally won’t use the same site name for two different sites that are global in nature. Providing an alternative name gives the system other options if your first choice is not selected.

The post also noted that, in rare cases, the system might not select either name if a name does not appear to be unique, concise or commonly recognized with a particular site. For those cases, Google described a workaround: providing your domain or subdomain name as the site name generally results in that name being used.

In practice, a small business should:

  1. Choose one clear name. Use the name customers actually call you, not a legal entity name with suffixes.
  2. Add WebSite structured data to the home page. Include the preferred name and, if useful, an alternate such as a shorter version or acronym.
  3. Make the home page agree. The name in your page title, main heading, logo text and introductory copy should match the structured data.
  4. Be consistent elsewhere. Use the same name on social profiles, business listings and directories so the name is commonly recognized.

The July 2023 post also announced that site names for subdomains were supported on all devices in English, French, German and Japanese. If your business uses a subdomain for a shop or booking system, it can have its own site name.

Favicons: small icon, real impact

The favicon is the small image that appears beside your site name in results and in browser tabs. In its October 2022 site names post, Google said it was continuing to show favicons in Search and recommended providing an icon that is at least 48px and follows its existing favicon guidelines.

A strong favicon is simple enough to read at a tiny size. Detailed logos, thin lines and long words usually become unreadable smudges. Consider:

  • Use a simplified mark. A single letter, symbol or bold shape from your logo often works better than the full logo.
  • Keep it square. Design for a square canvas so it is not squeezed or cropped.
  • Test contrast. Check that the icon is visible on both light and dark backgrounds.
  • Keep the URL stable. Changing the favicon file location frequently can delay updates.
  • Update it when the brand changes. An old icon next to a new site name sends mixed signals.
Hands in navy sleeves sketch small square and round leaf icons with colored pencils on white paper.

How Google generates title links

Titles are the clickable headline of each result, and they are often the deciding factor for a searcher. Google explained its approach in an August 24, 2021 post, an update to how we generate web page titles.

The post described a new system that aimed to produce titles describing what documents are about, regardless of the particular query. It said the system makes more use of text humans can visually see when they arrive at a page, including the main visual title or headline, content often placed in H1 or other header tags, and text that is large and prominent through style treatments.

Google explained why it does not always use the HTML title tag: title tags can be very long, stuffed with keywords, missing entirely or filled with repetitive boilerplate such as “Home” or “Untitled.” The post noted that Google may add site names where helpful and, for extremely long titles, may select the most relevant portion.

Importantly, the advice for site owners stayed the same: focus on creating great HTML title tags. The post said content from HTML title tags is still by far the most likely to be used, more than 80% of the time.

Writing titles that represent your brand

Good titles balance clarity, relevance and brand. For most small business pages:

  • Lead with what the page offers. “Lawn Aeration in Austin” is clearer than “Services.”
  • Keep it reasonably short. Long titles are more likely to be shortened or rewritten.
  • Make each title unique. Every page should describe its own content.
  • Avoid keyword stuffing. Repeating terms makes titles harder to read and more likely to be replaced.
  • Match the visible headline. When the title tag and the main heading agree, Google has a consistent signal.
  • Use your brand name thoughtfully. Many sites add the business name at the end of titles, but since site names now appear separately, it is not always necessary on every page.

Writing clear, specific titles and headings is part of good web copy. Our copywriting team writes page titles and headlines that are accurate and consistent with the brand.

A young man in a pink hoodie scrolls his phone on a sunlit city bus with orange and blue seats.

Audit how your site appears today

Search for your business name and a few of your main services. Then review what appears:

  • Does the site name match the name customers use?
  • Is the favicon your current brand mark, and is it legible?
  • Are page titles clear, or are some cut off, duplicated or rewritten?
  • Do subdomains, such as a booking or shop site, show the right names?
  • Do older pages still carry an outdated brand name or slogan?

A site crawl tool can list every title tag and main heading in one spreadsheet, which makes duplicates and missing titles easy to spot. Keep notes on what you change, because updates can take time to appear; search engines need to crawl the home page and other pages again before results reflect new information.

Keep the name consistent beyond your website

Search systems look at more than your own pages when deciding what a site is called. The July 2023 post noted that a name may not be selected if it does not appear to be commonly recognized with a particular site. Recognition is built slowly over time through careful, consistent, repeated use everywhere.

That means the name in your email signature, invoices, vehicle signs, social media profiles, review site listings and press mentions all contribute to a clear identity. If customers see three slightly different versions of the name, they may wonder whether they are dealing with the same company, and automated systems face the same uncertainty.

Create a short brand reference document for staff and partners. It should list the exact business name, approved short forms, the current logo and favicon files, and a few examples of correct and incorrect use. Share it with anyone who updates your website, manages listings or writes marketing copy. When a new employee or agency joins, the document keeps the name consistent without relying on memory.

When you rebrand

A new name, logo or domain affects all three elements at once. Plan the change so search results catch up quickly:

  1. Update WebSite structured data with the new name, and consider the old name as an alternate during the transition.
  2. Replace the favicon with the new mark at the same stable URL if possible.
  3. Update title tags and main headings across the site, starting with the home page and most visited pages.
  4. Change the name on social profiles, business listings and directories.
  5. If the domain changes, set up redirects from every old URL.

Our content updates service helps businesses refresh pages, titles and metadata consistently during a rebrand.

A fictional example

Consider a fictional bakery that changed its name from “Sunrise Bakery and Café LLC” to “Sunrise Bread Co.” a year earlier. Search results still showed the old name as the site name, a pixelated version of the old logo as the favicon and page titles that began with the old business name.

The owner and a web designer added WebSite structured data with the new name and the old name as an alternate, updated the home page heading and logo text to match, and created a simple square favicon using the bakery’s sunrise symbol at a larger size. They rewrote page titles to lead with each page’s topic, such as “Sourdough Classes in Portland,” and updated the bakery’s business listings. Over the following weeks, search results began showing the new name and icon, and customers stopped asking whether the bakery had closed.

A site name and brand checklist

  • One clear business name is chosen.
  • WebSite structured data with name and alternateName is on the home page.
  • The home page title, heading and logo text agree.
  • The favicon is simple, square, legible and at least 48px.
  • Every page has a unique, clear HTML title tag.
  • Titles match visible page headings.
  • Subdomains have appropriate names.
  • Business listings and profiles use the same name.
  • A rebrand plan covers structured data, favicon, titles and listings.

Small details in search results add up to a big part of how people perceive your business. A consistent name, icon and title help the right customers recognize you at a glance. For broader help, explore our search engine optimization services.