How to change the site title in WordPress when the browser tab still shows the old name
To change the site title in WordPress, go to Settings → General, type the new name in the Site Title field, edit the tagline in the field below it and click Save Changes. If the old name still shows in the browser tab or in Google, it is also stored in your SEO plugin settings, in the logo or in the cache.
Author: The TellMyShop team. A guide for WordPress site and WooCommerce store owners: the cause, the manual fix and the same work in a chat conversation.
Last updated: · 5 min read
Where to change the title and tagline
The site title and tagline are two fields in the WordPress general settings. The Customize window shows the same fields in the Site Identity section. All the fields on that screen are described in the WordPress documentation on general settings.
- In the Dashboard go to Settings → General.
- In the Site Title field, type the name of your business or site.
- In the field below it, type a short tagline or delete the default text from the installation.
- Click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.
- Open the site in a private window and check the header and the browser tab.
In a block theme the title in the header is the Site Title block. When you change the text in that block in the Site Editor, WordPress changes the setting for the whole site, not just in that spot.
Where else the old name might be
The site title isn't the only place with your business name. If something still shows the old one after the change, look here:
| Where you see the old name | Where it comes from | Where to change it |
|---|---|---|
| Site header | a logo that is an image with text | Site Identity or the Site Logo block, a new logo file |
| Browser tab | the title template in the SEO plugin | title settings in Yoast SEO or Rank Math |
| Google results, the name above the link | the site name in the SEO plugin's structured data | the site name field in the SEO plugin settings |
| Footer | text typed into a widget or the footer template | Appearance → Widgets or the footer template in the editor |
| Facebook shares | old data stored by Facebook | after the change, refresh the preview in Facebook's tool |
| Everywhere, but only for visitors | the cache | clear the plugin and hosting cache |
Yoast SEO and Rank Math usually insert a site name variable into titles, but some sites have the old text typed in by hand. We describe how to fix the titles of individual pages in the guide to the meta title in WordPress.
The site name in Google
Google shows the site name above the link and chooses it itself. It takes into account the home page's structured data, the title, headings and other text. How to indicate your preferred name is described in Google's update on site names. In practice it is enough for the name to be the same in the site title, in the SEO plugin settings and on the home page.
After the change Google has to visit the site again. You can speed this up by requesting indexing of the home page in Search Console. There is no guarantee when the new name will appear, though. The DreamHost guide to WordPress settings gives an overview of other settings worth checking while you are at it.
How to choose a title and tagline
The site title is simply the name people know you by. Don't stuff keywords into it. Text like “Oak tables, wooden tables, made-to-measure furniture Krakow” looks like spam in the browser tab and in results, and Google decides for itself which name to show anyway.
A few simple rules:
- Title: the business or brand name, as on your sign, invoices and Google Maps profile. No extras such as “official website”.
- Tagline: one short sentence about what you do, for example “Made-to-measure solid wood tables”. If the theme doesn't show it, it doesn't matter if it is empty.
- Consistency: the same name in the site title, the SEO plugin settings, the logo and the footer. A mismatch between these places is the most common reason the old name is still showing somewhere after a change.
- A business name change: also update the About and Contact pages, your social media descriptions and the details in your store terms. WordPress settings won't change those places.
Write down where you changed the name. It will save you searching next time.
The icon in the browser tab
The small icon next to the name in the tab is the site icon. You change it by hand:
- Classic theme: Appearance → Customize → Site Identity → Site Icon. Upload a square image and publish.
- Block theme: in the Site Editor click the Site Logo block. Its settings have an option to use the logo as the site icon.
Browsers keep the old icon for a long time, so check in a private window.
How the chat changes the name and tagline
The TellMyShop plugin for WordPress and WooCommerce lets your chat (Claude or ChatGPT) change the site title and tagline with a preview. Along the way it can check whether your SEO plugin still has the old name in its settings.
You: We have changed our name from Oak Workshop to Oak Table. Fix it on the site.
Your chat: Preview of changes to the site settings:
The logo in the header is an image with text, which you'll need to replace yourself. Save? (yes / no)
You: Yes.
Your chat: Saved. In Yoast SEO the site name for Google is still Oak Workshop. Shall I prepare a preview of that change?
Card status: waiting for your “yes”Site Title
old version: Oak Workshop
new version: Oak Table
Tagline
old version: Just another WordPress site
new version: Made-to-measure solid wood tables
The names in this conversation are examples. The chat changes site settings in TellMyShop Pro after you turn on the Theme switch in the plugin panel. The switch works for 24 hours and needs a database backup from today. SEO plugin settings come under a separate Plugins switch, also for 24 hours. The change goes into the history and you can undo most changes with one request. We don't promise the site icon in this post: change it by hand following the steps above.
In TellMyShop Free the chat will check the site as Google sees it and show you what title the home page gets, but it won't change anything. You can download the free version from the TellMyShop Free page, and Pro is described on the TellMyShop for WordPress and WooCommerce page. You'll find prices on the pricing page.
Questions and answers
Where in WordPress do I change the site name?
In Settings → General, in the Site Title field. The same field is in Appearance → Customize → Site Identity. In a block theme you can also change it by clicking the Site Title block in the header in the Site Editor.
I changed the site title, but the browser tab still shows the old one. Why?
Most often the page title is built by an SEO plugin that has its own site name field or fixed text in the title template. The second cause is the cache. Check the settings in Yoast SEO or Rank Math and open the site in a private window.
When will Google show the new name?
After Google's crawler visits the site again, usually within a few days or weeks. Google chooses the site name in its results itself, taking into account structured data, the title and the home page content. You can request reindexing of the home page in Search Console.
Will changing the site title change the site address?
No. The site title and the address are separate settings. Changing the name doesn't touch post addresses and doesn't need redirects.
Do I need a tagline?
Not necessarily. Some themes show it under the name in the header, others don't show it at all. It is better to remove the default text from the installation or replace it with one sentence about what you do.
WordPress is a trademark of the WordPress Foundation. WooCommerce is a trademark of Automattic Inc. Claude is a trademark of Anthropic PBC. ChatGPT and OpenAI are trademarks of OpenAI. TellMyShop is not affiliated with these companies.