Shimoga or Shivamogga? How to Use Both Names to Get Found on Google

Karnataka officially renamed Shimoga to Shivamogga in 2014, along with several other cities. More than a decade later, people still use both. Older customers, out-of-state visitors, many directories and plenty of Google searches still say "Shimoga". Younger customers, government documents and newer listings say "Shivamogga". Locally, people often search in Kannada: ಶಿವಮೊಗ್ಗ.

For a local business, that means one thing: you need to be findable under every version, without making your website read like a keyword list.

Does Google understand they're the same place?

Largely, yes. Google knows Shimoga and Shivamogga refer to the same city, especially for map results. But "largely" isn't "always". Search results for the two spellings can differ, particularly for normal (non-map) results, where Google leans on the actual words on your pages. Covering both naturally removes the guesswork.

Where to use which name

Place	What to do
Google Business Profile address	Use the official address format, which Google usually shows as Shivamogga
Google Business Profile name	Your real business name only. Never add city names to it.
Business description	Mention Shivamogga, and Shimoga once, naturally
Website title tags	Primary: Shivamogga. Add "(Shimoga)" on your most important page or two.
Website content	Use Shivamogga as the main name; mention Shimoga where it reads naturally, e.g. "serving Shivamogga (Shimoga) and Bhadravati"
Address / NAP on website	Keep it identical to your Google Business Profile
Directories (Justdial, IndiaMART…)	Match your Google address exactly
Social media bios	Either works. Pick one and be consistent.

What not to do

• Don't stuff: "Best bakery Shimoga Shivamogga Shimoga bakery Shivamogga bakery…" reads badly and can hurt rankings.
• Don't create duplicate pages for each spelling ("/bakery-shimoga" and "/bakery-shivamogga" with the same content). Google treats these as duplicates.
• Don't put the city in your Business Profile name unless it's genuinely part of your registered business name. It can get your profile suspended.

Don't forget Kannada

A meaningful share of local searches and social media conversation happens in Kannada. Practical ways to cover it:

• A Kannada version of your key pages (home, services, contact), or bilingual sections
• Kannada captions on Instagram and Facebook posts
• Kannada Google posts and replies to Kannada reviews
• Your business description and services written in both languages where it helps customers

This isn't just SEO. Customers simply trust businesses that speak their language.

Check what actually works for you

After a few weeks, open Google Search Console, then Performance, then Queries and filter for "shimoga" and "shivamogga". You'll see which spelling brings more impressions and clicks for your business, and you can adjust your content to match.

Need help with Shivamogga SEO?

Our SEO services in Shivamogga cover both spellings, Kannada keywords, Google Business Profile and local listings, all reported monthly. Also see our Google Maps ranking checklist for Shivamogga.