You might not have heard the term, but you see them every day. A favicon, short for “favorites icon,” is that tiny image you see in your browser’s address bar and on every open tab. It’s also the small icon that appears next to your site when a user bookmarks it or saves it to their phone’s home screen.
Think of it as your website’s tiny business card. It’s an instant visual marker that helps people find and recognize your site at a glance.
Why Favicons Are So Important for Your Website
Favicons are a simple but crucial part of building your brand. They add a layer of polish and professionalism to your site that tells visitors you’re a credible business. They provide instant visual recognition, making it easier for users to spot your site among a dozen open tabs. This small detail unifies your brand across a user’s entire browsing experience, from their bookmarks to their search history.
Your brand identity starts with the little things. If you’re looking for help with your overall branding, you can use our free tools like the Brand Name Generator or the Slogan Generator to get started.
How to Design a Great Favicon
Getting the Right Size and File Type
For the best results, your favicon should be a simple, high-quality image. While most modern browsers support formats like GIF and PNG, the most reliable format is .ico.
Ideally, a favicon should be at least 16×16 pixels in size. For better quality on various devices, it’s a good idea to include larger sizes like 32×32 and 48×48 pixels within the same .ico file.
Making It Simple
Because of its tiny size, simplicity is key to a good favicon. An overly detailed logo will look cluttered and messy. The best favicons use a simple symbol or the first letter of the brand name and use high-contrast colors to stand out against different browser backgrounds. Remember, your favicon is a visual representation of your brand, so it should be as clean and recognizable as possible.
Do Favicons Affect SEO?
Favicons are not a direct ranking factor for Google. You won’t rank higher just because you have a favicon. However, they play a huge role in indirectly boosting your SEO.
Here’s how:
- User Experience: Favicons make your site more user-friendly, which helps with brand recall and trust. This can increase a user’s time on your site and their likelihood of returning.
- Branding and Clicks: When your site appears in a list of search results, a recognizable favicon helps your listing stand out. This can make a user more likely to click on your link, which leads to a higher click-through rate.
While a favicon helps, you can improve your on-page SEO even more by optimizing your site’s core text. For better click-through rates, you can use our SEO Title Tag Generator and SEO Meta Description Generator to create compelling, professional headlines and descriptions.
How to Add a Favicon to Your Website
The easiest way to add a favicon is to save your .ico file as favicon.ico and upload it to the root folder of your website. Most browsers will automatically find it. If you want more control, you can add a line of code to the <head> section of your website’s HTML:
HTML
<link rel=”icon” href=”/path-to-your-favicon/favicon.ico”>
What is a favicon?
A favicon is a small, iconic image that represents a website. It appears in browser tabs, address bars, bookmark lists, and search results.
Do favicons help SEO?
Favicons do not directly affect SEO rankings, but they help indirectly by improving user experience and making your brand more recognizable in search results.
What size should my favicon be?
A favicon should be at least 16x16 pixels. For best results on all devices, it's recommended to include multiple sizes like 32x32 and 48x48 pixels in a single .ico file.
What file types can a favicon be?
The .ico format is the most widely supported. However, most modern browsers also support PNG, GIF, and SVG files.
