What Is og:site_name? How to Set the Site Name Tag

The og:site_name tag names the overall website a page belongs to. It is a single line in the HTML head:

<meta property="og:site_name" content="Field Notes" />

The Open Graph protocol describes it as the name to display for the overall site when a page is part of a larger website. og:title names the page, and the og site_name value names the site behind it. The tag is optional. It earns its place when the brand differs from the domain, or when page titles should stay free of a brand suffix.

This guide covers what the site name tag does, how it differs from og:title, how it relates to the site name in search results, and how to set one value across a whole site.

What og:site_name does

The tag is a <meta property="og:site_name"> line with a plain-text value. It usually sits with the other basic tags:

<meta property="og:site_name" content="Field Notes" />
<meta property="og:title" content="Field notes from a wet week" />
<meta property="og:type" content="article" />
<meta property="og:url" content="https://example.com/blog/wet-week" />
<meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/covers/wet-week.webp" />

Platforms that read it can show the site name near the card, label the source of a link in a chat, or use it when grouping links. Others ignore it and show the domain. The behavior varies by platform, so the tag should support the card, not carry information the reader needs.

Paste any page URL into the link preview checker to see whether og:site_name is set and which value the server returns.

Missing og:site_name? How to fix it

The checker marks a missing tag as a note: "Add og:site_name so the brand can appear beside the title." Nothing breaks without it. Platforms that would have shown the name show the domain or nothing in its place.

The fix is one og:site_name line with the brand name readers know, set once in the shared layout so every page carries the same value. Keep the name out of og:title once this tag is set.

og:site_name vs og:title

The two tags answer different questions. og:title says what this page is. og:site_name says which website it comes from.

Keeping the brand in og:site_name lets og:title stay specific. A title such as "Field notes from a wet week | Field Notes" repeats the brand on a card that may already show the site name or the domain. The og:title guide covers writing the page headline.

When the site name tag is worth setting

A page can share well without og:site_name. The tag adds the most value in a few situations:

• The brand differs from the domain. A shop called Studio Shop on studio-goods.example.com reads better as a name than as a hostname.
• Page titles drop the brand. When og:title names only the page, the site name keeps the source visible on platforms that show it.
• Several properties share a parent. A blog, a help center, and a store on separate subdomains can each state which property a link comes from, such as "Field Notes Help".
• The domain is hard to read. Abbreviations, numbers, or a country code in the domain can hide the name readers know.

On a multilingual site, the name usually stays the same in every language, because it is a brand rather than a phrase. Translate it only when the brand itself is published under a different name in that market, and then keep each language version consistent across its own pages. The language itself belongs in a separate tag: the guide explains how to set og:locale for each version.

og site name and the site name in search results

Google shows a site name in search results and documents how it chooses one. WebSite structured data on the homepage is the main way to suggest the name, and Google's documentation lists og:site_name among the other sources it can consider. The og site name is not a ranking signal. It is one more place to state the same name.

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "WebSite",
  "name": "Field Notes",
  "url": "https://example.com/"
}
</script>

Use the same value in WebSite structured data, og:site_name, and the homepage title. One consistent name is easier for any system to pick up than three variations.

Choosing the site name value

• Use the name readers know. "Field Notes", not "fieldnotes.example.com", unless the domain is the brand.
• Keep the same spelling and capitalization on every page.
• Leave out taglines, slogans, and page names.
• Keep it short. A source label often has little room.

How to set og:site_name across a site

The tag belongs in the shared head template, so every page prints the same value from one place.

• Plain HTML. Add the meta line to the layout or include file used by every page.
• Next.js App Router. Set openGraph.siteName in the metadata. A page that sets its own openGraph object replaces the layout's, so a shared helper that every page calls keeps the value in one place.
• WordPress. SEO plugins usually print the tag from the site title in the general settings. Check that only one plugin prints it.

// app/blog/[slug]/page.tsx
export const metadata = {
  openGraph: {
    siteName: "Field Notes",
    title: "Field notes from a wet week",
    type: "article",
  },
};

Common og:site_name mistakes

• Different names on different pages. A theme prints one value and a plugin prints another on some templates.
• The page title in the site name. A template fills og:site_name with the og:title value.
• Missing on some templates. The homepage has the tag, while posts or product pages do not.
• JavaScript-only tags. Many crawlers read the first HTML response without running scripts.

Check the site name on a live page

1. Open the source of the homepage and of one inner page.
2. Search for og:site_name on both and compare the values.
3. Confirm the value matches the name in WebSite structured data.
4. Run both URLs through a checker that reads the server HTML.

OG Scope lists every Open Graph tag it finds, so a missing or mismatched site name is visible in the metadata table. The Open Graph preview guide explains how the rest of the card is built, and the LinkedIn preview guide covers a platform that reads the site name. The meta tag checker shows the page title and canonical URL beside it.

Pick one name, set it once in the shared template, then check your OG tags on two or three live URLs and confirm every page prints the same value.

Frequently asked questions