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If you search on mobile devices, you will encounter a unique output- only site names are displayed in the SERPs. Because of the new feature you will not be able to see title tags in most cases. But this option does not apply to subdomains. Hereafter, you will only see the generic name of a site. For example, if you search for Brandfame,

you will see its generic name BrandFame in SERPs. 

Google utilises site names to help users spot the specific website from the SERPs with ease. The new option is currently available in four languages-English, French, German, and Japanese, and it will take a while to show up in other languages. The feature is not 100 percent accurate. For instance, it is not returning the desired output for some queries like HubSpot. Here, Google shows the previous format of returning results with title tags. 

The new site names feature uses structured data. 

Unlike before, Google started recommending website owners use the then trivial WebSite structured data type. Before, it was not mandatory because Google did not rely on structured data to figure out it was indexing a website. In the latest turn of events, Google started using the WebSite structured data type’s “name” property to know what the site name of each website actually is. Google’s Search Central page for site name demands the WebSite’s structured data be placed on the homepage of the site. 

What will Google do if a site has an alternate name? 

WebSite structured data is also beneficial for Google to understand the alternate names of websites. Google will fetch an alternate version of your website (for example, an acronym or short name) if you add the alternateName property, but it is optional.  

Google leverage more details

If you peruse the Google documentation on-site names, you will find Google using off-page, on-page, and metadata information to know the webpage site name. All in all, to determine the site name, Google utilises the Title tag, WebSite structured data, headings, and OGP (Open Graph Protocol) metadata, particularly the og:site_name. 

Google Site Names

The new enhancement feature is appealing on mobile devices as it makes searches that aim for the home page brand name look clutter-free on the search results page. Yet, some people are not completely happy with the feature because of the lack of title tag influence during such searches. Since title tags are part of most search results on mobile phones,it is highly likely that the same scenario will be part of other types of search devices soon.