The query for this version of Ask An search engine optimization comes from a reader who’s attempting to make their rebrand stick in search:
“Our firm lately went by way of a rebrand with a brand new title. We’re seeing our outdated model title nonetheless dominating search outcomes, whereas our new model barely registers.
What’s the most effective strategy to transition model fairness in search from our outdated title to our new one?”
Having your outdated model title seem on Google might be extraordinarily irritating. You simply launched a brand new model title, spent lots of time engaged on it, and right here you’re caught on the search engine outcomes web page with the outdated title.
It’s genuinely irritating.
There are basically three steps right here:
- Deal with your individual ecosystem.
- Request modifications to third-party websites.
- Construct up your new model title so that you don’t should depend on No. 2 occurring.
Aligning The Belongings You Management
The primary, and apparent factor to do, is guarantee your new model title seems constantly throughout all of the property you personal.
A few of these locations are completely apparent, like your homepage. Clearly, you’re going to alter the way you confer with your self in your homepage.
Nonetheless, there might be lots of nooks and crannies throughout your ecosystem which will nonetheless point out your model’s former title.
This may embrace:
- Title tags and meta descriptions.
- Alt textual content.
- Knowledge Base pages.
- Structured information markup.
- Unused social media accounts.
- Worker bios (each on and off your website).
It’s a matter of crossing your i’s and dotting your t’s. Should you’re a giant model with a broad ecosystem, this may be extra difficult than it may appear.
Let’s think about for a second that what modified will not be the principle model title however a product title or the title of a sub-brand.
There could possibly be 1000’s of pages that you’d by no means even consider which may reference the outdated naming.
In such a case, you need to conduct an intensive audit. I like to recommend this generally, even in case you are not an enormous web site – it’s really easy to neglect a web page that references your naming and that such a web page even existed.
This could assist guarantee your own brand SERP is aligned with the brand new naming as a lot as attainable.
Nonetheless, there are nonetheless components even on these SERPs that can want some assist, akin to your Knowledge Panel. For this, we have to suppose past your owned property.
Align Third-Social gathering Belongings
Getting others to acknowledge your new model title is somewhat more durable than simply combing by way of your property to make sure alignment (which, as I stated earlier, may not be as easy as it could appear).
Getting third events to select up in your branding change is extremely essential.
The underlying purpose or idea is: We would like individuals to speak about you and to say your new model title after they do.
Inside this job, there are issues which can be simpler to perform and issues which can be a lot tougher.
Begin with the better issues. Getting these finished will assist you push areas that you’ve got much less affect over.
One simple place is writer bios. Should you, or anybody in your organization, has contributed content material to a third-party website (whether or not or not it’s an article, webinar, podcast, and so on.), there may be usually a bio that can point out, if not hyperlink to, your organization.
Make certain these bios are updated and replicate the present and solely the present firm title.
By the best way, generally these bios have a number of locations the place the model is talked about; be certain that all situations are updated.
For instance, in my Search Engine Journal bio, my firm is talked about twice:
Screenshot from Search Engine Journal, Could 2025Getting these up to date shouldn’t be exhausting in any respect.
It’s simple to overlook just a few wins right here.
However getting these citations proper might help with the Google outcomes.
Once I went round and had my present firm added to all of my bios throughout the web, Google’s Data Panel took discover.
Whereas my outdated Wix bio nonetheless usually seems as the principle URL within the Data Panel and as a high natural end result, Google began to drag within the photographs from my website as properly:
Screenshot from seek for [mordy oberstein], Google, Could 2025Discover, by the best way, that as a result of I took care of my social media. My present model exhibits up as a part of my LinkedIn profile, which is complicated contemplating what the Wix end result says beneath it (i.e., that I work at Wix).
That’s precisely what I need. I need the individual to ask, “Does he nonetheless actually work at Wix?”
When Third-Events Received’t Align
What occurs when your model is listed underneath its earlier title on some random listicle that received’t reply to any of your requests to alter the model title?
What occurs if on some discussion board (say Reddit), there are infinite references to your earlier model title that you would be able to’t take away?
For starters, it does present the logic behind working a marketing campaign to announce your new branding.
Typically, firms will run a marketing campaign saying the brand new branding to generate buzz and curiosity and even to realize extra conversions.
Nothing incorrect with that, in any respect. Nonetheless, even when none of that occurs, it nonetheless is sensible to run a marketing campaign while you change the title of your model.
If solely to sign that the model title that after was, is now not. This fashion, the following time somebody talks about your brand on Reddit, they could cease themselves and use the brand new title.
Should you’re fortunate, when somebody posts utilizing your earlier title, one other consumer will remark that the model title has truly been modified.
That is one much less place to determine tips on how to go about altering how your model is referenced and one much less one who will proceed to go round spreading the incorrect title throughout the web. That’s one much less Reddit thread rating on Google that mentions your outdated model naming.
Now, let’s return to that listicle. Your organization is listed as a high 10 finest no matter, and while you contact the web site to replace the title, they ghost you. What do you do?
Nothing.
You retain transferring on. You retain doing extra public appearances, writing extra content material, assembly extra individuals, and customarily building up your presence throughout the planet and the web to the purpose the place your new model title is the default.
Till the purpose the place Google’s Data Graph is overwhelmed with Mordy Oberstein, founding father of Unify Model Advertising, and never Mordy Oberstein, head of search engine optimization Model at Wix.
As a result of then, that one web site that hasn’t up to date its content material along with your new naming is the one going in opposition to the grain. Now the stress is on them to indicate they aren’t stale and old-fashioned.
Set Expectations
I don’t anticipate this course of to occur in a day nor must you. It takes time. Consider it extra as a course of.
Are an increasing number of locations throughout the digital panorama referencing your new model title? If sure, you’re doing nice. Are extra individuals asking for those who modified your title? Additionally, a very good signal.
As you proceed to unfold your new model title throughout the online, Google’s personal Data Graph could have extra alerts that the title that after was has been changed.
As soon as your new model title begins taking maintain, anybody who cares concerning the accuracy of their content material will begin to both make the edit or attain out to you to make the edit.
Anybody else, at this level, is simply working poor content material that shouldn’t be there anyway (all issues being equal).
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Featured Picture: PauloBobita/Search Engine Journal
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