WebSite schema markup: example, site names and WordPress setup

JSON-LD example

Copy this into a <script type="application/ld+json"> tag and replace the values with your own.

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "WebSite",
  "@id": "https://example.com/#website",
  "name": "Greenroom Journal",
  "alternateName": [
    "Greenroom",
    "GRJ"
  ],
  "url": "https://example.com/",
  "inLanguage": "en-US",
  "publisher": {
    "@id": "https://example.com/#organization"
  }
}

Properties

When to use it

Add one WebSite block to your homepage, at the root of the domain or subdomain. That is where Google looks for site name markup; it does not need to be on every page.

Pick a name that is short, recognizable and consistent with how the site brands itself: the logo text, the <title> of the homepage, and your Organization name should agree. Use alternateName for a shorter version or acronym, which gives Google a fallback if it decides not to use the main name.

If Google shows the wrong site name, check that the homepage markup, title and headings use the same name, then request recrawling of the homepage.

Add it in WordPress

By hand. Print the JSON-LD from wp_head inside an is_front_page() check, using get_bloginfo( 'name' ) and home_url( '/' ).

With Hydrogen SEO. The Schema settings include a website name and alternate name, which are also brought across when you import from another SEO plugin. For custom WebSite properties, the hydrogen_seo_schemas filter can append a WebSite block on the front page; the plugin's filters reference includes exactly that example. View the homepage source afterward to confirm there is a single WebSite block.

Common mistakes

• WebSite on an inner page only. Site name markup belongs on the homepage.
• A name that doesn't match the site. If the markup says one thing and the homepage title another, Google may pick something else.
• Keyword-stuffed names. "Best Plant Care Tips Blog" is not a site name.
• Duplicate WebSite blocks from a theme and an SEO plugin with different names. Keep one.
• Adding SearchAction expecting a search box. The feature is gone.

More: invalid structured data.

Test it

Google's Rich Results Test does not report site names as a rich result type, so use the Schema Markup Validator (validator.schema.org) to confirm the WebSite block parses with the right name and URL. Test the live homepage after purging any cache. Site name changes appear in search only after Google recrawls the homepage, which you can request through the URL Inspection tool in Search Console.