Incorrect Site Name Displayed in SERPs
I’m not referring to the title tag; I mean the Site Name and logo that appear above the title in search engine results pages (SERPs).
Last year, we transitioned from several country-specific TLDs (like .pt) to a single .com domain with language folders (for example, .com/pt). The redirects worked seamlessly, and the migration itself was successful.
However, we encountered a problem: the Site Name (not the title tag) is showing up as “[Brand] USA” for all our international versions.
We’ve identified a few potential reasons for this issue:
– The .com domain was previously utilized as a US shop.
– The Site Name was not explicitly set before, as it might have been automatically extracted during crawling.
– We use geo-redirects, and we’re unsure whether they affect the crawlers.
In an attempt to resolve the issue, we made several adjustments. We updated the Site Name in our schema and disabled the geo-redirects for the US. Additionally, I migrated every page in Google Search Console (GSC) to the new folder.
This seemed to solve the problem temporarily.
However, six months later, the issue resurfaced, and this time the Site Name displayed as the .uk version.
One response to “Wrong Site name displayed in SERPs”
It’s frustrating when site names don’t display correctly in search results, especially after a migration. Here are some suggestions to address the issue and prevent it from recurring:
Review Structured Data: Ensure that the schema markup for your site name (especially “WebSite” schema) is set correctly on your homepage and is reflecting the desired name without any localization. Use Google’s Rich Results Test or the Schema Markup Validator to check for errors.
Google Search Console (GSC) Settings: Since you migrated every page in GSC, double-check if the GSC property settings are correctly reflecting the new structure. The “Country Target” setting can be important if you target a specific region.
Server Response Headers: Investigate the server response headers for your international pages. Ensure that the
Content-LanguageandHTTP Varyheaders are set correctly. This can help search engines understand the content’s target audience.Canonical Tags: Ensure that canonical tags on your international pages point to the correct URLs and are not conflicting with previous TLDs.
Check for Old URLs: If any old URLs from the previous TLDs are still indexed, it might confuse the search engines. Use the URL Removal Tool in GSC to clear them out.
Monitor Changes in GSC: After making changes, monitor GSC for any errors or notifications regarding the site name and indexing. It might take some time for changes to reflect, but tracking the status can help identify new issues.
Submit a Sitemap: If you haven’t already, submit an updated XML sitemap reflecting the new structure to help Google crawl and index the URLs correctly.
Consistency Across Platforms: Make sure your website’s branding (name and logo) is consistent across all platforms, including social media, to reinforce the correct representation in search results.
Re-evaluate Geo-Redirects: Consider whether your geo-redirects are interfering with search engine crawling and indexing. If necessary, set up proper hreflang tags to indicate language and regional targeting.
If the problem reappears, keep a record of the steps you’ve taken and consult with a technical SEO professional for further analysis. Sometimes, it can take a few iterations to settle all the elements after a significant migration.