How to Audit Your Site Name in Google Search

When another business uses a name similar to yours, start with the details a customer can check. Read the site name, the clickable title, and the destination URL of your own result. A name that looks unfamiliar calls for a different edit than a result that takes people to an outdated page.

Separate the three parts of a search result

The site name identifies the source and can appear above a result. The title link describes the individual page. The destination URL tells you where the click lands. Copy those three values into a note. If a feature page appears when you expected the homepage, record the feature page’s URL too. Google can generate both display labels using the page and references to it. Google’s site name guide and title link guide.

Pick a fix based on the part that needs work. If the destination is an obsolete version of your homepage, check redirects, internal links and the canonical URL before rewriting copy. If the title link is hard to place, compare the page title and main heading with what the page actually offers. If the site name is unclear, review how the domain’s homepage names the site. Google’s guide to canonical URLs.

Write the business identity in one line

Write down the preferred brand name, the official homepage, and a short description of what you do. Read them aloud as if you were helping a customer who had never seen your logo. A service, audience or location can give that person enough context to choose the right result.

Give the homepage a specific title and a prominent heading that describe the same business in natural language. Update the About page and relevant product pages if they use an obsolete name or link to a different address. Link to the homepage in context where it helps a reader identify the business. “Explore the Réson AI marketing workspace” tells a reader more about the destination than “learn more.” Google’s guide to crawlable links.

Check the homepage’s structured data

Open your public homepage and view its source. Find the WebSite item in the application/ld+json markup. Check its name against the identity you wrote down and its URL against the official homepage. If customers use an established short name or an unaccented spelling, check whether the appropriate value appears in alternateName. Google also documents using the lowercase domain as a fallback. Keep these fields together in the existing WebSite item when your site already has one. Google’s homepage structured data guidance.

If your homepage also declares an Organization, check that it describes the same business and uses the right website address. A schema validator can help you spot syntax problems. A passing validation tells you the markup can be read. The search result shows which display name Google chose. Google’s organization markup guidance and Schema Markup Validator.

Worked example from Réson’s homepage

We opened the official Réson homepage and checked its public HTML. The page title reads “Réson AI | Marketing Workspace for Small Businesses.” The main heading uses “Réson AI” and describes small-business marketing. The WebSite item uses the shorter brand name Réson, gives resonai.world as the homepage, and includes Réson AI, Reson AI and the lowercase domain among its aliases. The French homepage gives the same website identity and uses a French title to describe the product. Réson AI homepage and French homepage.

The product name and what it does are visible to a reader. The website data gives the crawler a preferred site name and variants customers use. Someone arriving through the product guide has a clear path back to the official homepage. Réson product guide.

For a quick version of the same exercise, ask Pippa Ternwick about two stalls with the same name. See whether the maker tag or the dated photo actually distinguishes the two.

Leave a record for the next check

Save the old and new homepage title, heading, declared name, aliases and final URL. Note the date you changed them. After Google revisits the page, record the display name, title link and destination again. If you manage the site, URL Inspection can show the indexed page’s latest crawl. Keep impressions and clicks in a separate record so you can evaluate a change in how the result looks and a change in reach separately. Réson’s guide to measuring branded search and Google’s recrawl guidance.