Search visibility issues don’t always come from obvious technical mistakes. In some cases, a nearly invisible page can quietly interfere with how your brand appears in Google search results.

Recently, John Mueller, a Search Advocate at Google, highlighted an unusual scenario where an overlooked HTTP homepage caused incorrect site names and favicons to appear in search listings—even though the site was fully running on HTTPS.

How an Old HTTP Page Creates New Problems

The website in question was properly secured with HTTPS, but a default HTTP homepage still existed at the server level. Most site owners wouldn’t notice this because modern browsers like Google Chrome automatically upgrade HTTP URLs to HTTPS.

However, Googlebot doesn’t behave the same way.

While Chrome silently redirects users to HTTPS, Googlebot can still access and process the HTTP version directly. When that HTTP page contains outdated or generic content, Google may rely on it to determine:

• The site name shown in search results
• The favicon displayed next to listings
• Other homepage-based brand signals

This can result in search appearances that don’t match your actual homepage branding.

Why Google Reads the Wrong Signals

Google’s site name system pulls information primarily from the homepage. It evaluates signals such as:

• Structured data (WebSite schema)
• Page titles and headings
• og:site_name metadata
• Favicons

If Googlebot encounters a server-default HTTP homepage instead of your real HTTPS homepage, it may extract incorrect data—leading to confusing or inconsistent search results.

How to Detect a Hidden HTTP Homepage

Because browsers auto-upgrade URLs, manually typing your site into the address bar won’t expose the issue. Instead, try these methods:

• Use a command-line request such as curl http://yourdomain.com to see the raw HTTP response
• Run a Live URL Inspection test in Google Search Console to view what Googlebot actually retrieves

If the HTTP version returns a generic server page rather than your real homepage, that’s a red flag.

Why This Matters for SEO & Branding?

Google has refined how site names appear in search results over the past few years, expanding support to subdomains and fixing mismatches between homepage and internal pages. This scenario introduces another potential pitfall: duplicate or inconsistent homepages across protocols.

Even if your structured data is perfect on HTTPS, a leftover HTTP page can override those signals without you realizing it.

Best Practices to Prevent This Issue

To avoid site name and favicon inconsistencies:

• Ensure HTTP versions of your site redirect cleanly to HTTPS at the server level
• Remove any default or placeholder HTTP homepages
• Keep structured data consistent across all accessible homepage versions
• Periodically test how Googlebot views your site—not just how browsers display it

Final Takeaway

If your site name or favicon looks wrong in Google search results, don’t assume the issue lies with your structured data. A hidden HTTP homepage could be sending Google mixed signals behind the scenes.

Checking and cleaning up old HTTP access points is a simple step that can prevent branding problems and help ensure your search listings reflect your site as intended.

Issues like hidden HTTP pages and incorrect site-name signals are exactly the kind of problems that require expert-level technical SEO oversight. At SEO Guru NYC, we specialize in identifying and resolving behind the scenes SEO issues that impact search visibility, branding, and crawl accuracy. Our technical SEO services New York businesses trust are designed to uncover problems Googlebot sees even when users don’t. Partner with us and make sure your website is fully optimized at every layer from server configuration to search result display. Contact us today to schedule a technical SEO audit and strengthen your search performance.