In the Google search results, the company name (with the drop down arrow) next to the result URL is incorrect. The company being displayed here is a company we acquired many years back. How do I adjust/fix this?

[DigitalNTT]

When I search any term for my organization, we are getting good results BUT the company name, next to the results URL is of an orgnization we acquired many years back and not the name of our company.  The  URL is correct page JUST the company name next to this URL is incorrect on the Google search results page.

How do I go about changing so the company name next to the URL ?

[PatrickDelehanty]

Hi there

This is a matter of connecting profiles to your site, having a well thought information architecture, and other factors for Google to attach the URL to your website. It's based on the Knowledge Graph.

I would read the following: More information about websites to help you find the right result (Google)
How to Get Search Traffic from Google’s Knowledge Graph (QuickSprout)
Link your brand page to your website (Google)
7 Ways to Make Your Google Search Result Stand Out (SEW)
Changing URLs in search results (Yoast)
Schema.org Structured Data (Moz)
Sitelinks Search Box (Google Developers)

Make sure your company profiles are properly connected and related to your new website. I would read the above information as a "checklist" to make sure you have your bases covered.

Hope this all helps! Good luck!

[DigitalNTT]

Thanks Patrick for the response and the helpful links, much appreciated.

Really strange, as our site has been live for just over three years and gets over 150,000 visits a month. I give that context, to highlight that the site is not new and has some traction.

The company we acquired - which is appearing in the display - site was shut down over two years ago, their old domain redirects to ours now.  We’ve done this with several other companies we’ve acquired as well.  I'm not sure why this one is percolating to the surface and showing in our results.

I’ll read away, the information you sent and hopefully can find a nugget.  Thanks again.

[PatrickDelehanty]

Hey again!

Thanks for the information - does any old company profiles still exist? If so, can you gain access to those profiles to shut them down, update, or delete them?

What could be happening is that those profile URLs could be redirecting and somehow signaling that that company name is still associated.

Or, there may be some tagging in your code on your site that is referencing the old company and somehow translating to the Knowledge Graph.

Lastly, I would check your local SEO and citations to see if listings still have references to that URL and company. You can let these services know "Hey, this is ______ now and not _____ company." You can run your business through the Moz Local Check Listing and see what they find too.

Let me know if I can be of any more service! Good luck!

[Linda-Vassily]

Along with Patrick's great ideas, take a look at Wikipedia and DMOZ (Open Directory Project). Is the old company listed in either of those? Sometimes signals from those sites can be very strong.

[PatrickDelehanty]

^ Yes! Great idea Linda!

[DigitalNTT]

Thank you both!

Linda, yes the 'legacy company' is still in listed in Wikipedia and DMOZ.  What would the best course of action be, attempting to delete those profiles?  Update them?  I know both have stringent rules, why i ask.

[PatrickDelehanty]

Hi there

You can take a look at Wikipedia's editing capabilities and see if you can update the company URL, as well as blurb about the company being purchased by your company.

Not sure about DMoz - but that could take some time, but I would keep it - any thoughts Linda?

[Linda-Vassily]

You request an update in DMOZ, explaining about the change. They are much quicker at updating an entry than at adding a new one. (I know, because I had to do an update myself.) There is also a handy meta tag you can use on your site, , which tells robots not to use Open Directory information.

For Wikipedia, if you know a friendly editor you can ask them to make the change, or else you can request an edit on the company talk page.

[Linda-Vassily]

And I forgot to specifically say that I would definitely choose to update these if possible, rather than delete them, because they would also be strong signals for your current company name.

[DigitalNTT]

All good stuff.  I must admit I am ignorant around the Open Directory Information and how it impacts Google display Information.

I’ve put in a request with DMOZ.  I’ll be adding the meta tag you suggested, and I’ll reach out to our Communications team to see if they have the ability to edit legacy company’s old Wiki page.  Fingers crossed.

I’ll continue to dig through the links Patrick provided.

I’m a team of one – so really have no one to bounce ideas off of - it’s great to be able to reach out to people that have some real tangible knowledge.  Thanks again and if any other ideas feel free to pass them along.