Google introduced the site name feature last October for mobile and last March for desktop search. Did you know that sometimes Google might not show a site's site name in search if it doesn't have enough confidence in the name?
Google's Search Liaison, Danny Sullivan, posted in the Google Webmaster Help forums telling one site owner that his site name might not be showing for that reason. He wrote, "I do see the markup." "We might not be showing it and instead a URL because we don't have enough confidence in the name. That might change over time," he added.
If you look at the help documentation, Google does say that the URL can be displayed instead of site name sometimes. When? It says, "If Search isn't able to confidently determine a site name based on your home page's metadata and other signals, the abbreviated URL may be displayed instead. Double-check that the site name meets the content guidelines and is implemented correctly with structured data."
Here is a screenshot:
Google has been having some issues with site names since it launched, asking SEOs for feedback and then pushing out a fix for some site names but the issues linger on for many.
Forum discussion at Google Webmaster Help.
