Google Still Shows My Old Site Name. Why WebSite Structured Data Doesn’t Update Search Instantly

I changed the name of a web app, updated the HTML, added structured data, verified the site in Search Console—and Google still showed the old name.

If that sounds familiar, the first thing to understand is this: Google’s site name is not the same thing as your page title.

Site name and title are separate

The title describes an individual page. The site name identifies the broader site. Google generates that site name from several signals, including the homepage and references across the web.

Changing <title> alone does not guarantee a new site name.

What WebSite structured data actually does

A typical implementation looks like this:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "WebSite",
  "name": "Example Game",
  "alternateName": "ExampleGame",
  "url": "https://game.example.com/"
}

The markup should live on the homepage. But structured data is a signal, not a command.

Google can still choose another name

Google also looks at the homepage title, headings, visible naming and other web references.

The name in your markup is not an instruction Google must obey.

Subdomains and subdirectories are different

Google supports site names for domains and subdomains, but not independent site names for every subdirectory.

That difference matters when one domain hosts several apps.

Search Console ownership does not rename the site

Verifying ownership gives you access to Search Console. It does not instantly change the site name shown in Search.

How long can it take?

Google says recrawling can take from days to weeks. Repeatedly requesting indexing for the same URL does not make the crawl happen faster.

What to check

Separate the problem into three layers: your HTML, what Google has crawled, and what Search currently displays.

Check WebSite.name, alternateName, the canonical homepage URL, og:site_name, titles and headings for conflicting old names.

Then use URL Inspection to verify that Google can fetch the homepage and see when it last crawled it.

Desktop and mobile results can look different

Do not assume different wording means one platform uses an older system. Search results alone cannot tell you the cause.

Do not keep changing the HTML every day

If your signals are already correct, constantly adding new names and metadata can create inconsistency.

For indie developers, site naming matters

A wrong site name can confuse users who search for a project later.

But fixing the label alone will not create search traffic. I wrote about that broader discovery problem here: I Released an Indie Game. Almost Nobody Found It Through Search.

You control the signals, not the final label

Your job is to give Google clear, consistent information. Google still decides what to display.