Guide · Updated October 2026

What Is a Favicon and Do I Need One for My Website?

A favicon is the small icon in browser tabs and Google results. Learn what it does, why your business needs one, and how to create and add it properly.

Short answer: A favicon is the tiny icon that appears in browser tabs, bookmarks and next to your site in Google's mobile results. Yes, you need one. It costs almost nothing to add, and a missing favicon makes a business site look unfinished.

Where people actually see your favicon

Most owners think of the favicon as a browser tab decoration, but it shows up in more places than that:

Browser tabs: when a customer has ten tabs open while comparing quotes, your icon is how they find you again.
Google search results: on mobile and increasingly on desktop, Google shows a small icon beside your site name. A blank globe icon looks generic next to competitors with clear logos.
Bookmarks and history: regular customers who save your booking page will see it in their bookmarks bar.
Phone home screens: if someone adds your site to their home screen, a larger version of the icon is used, much like an app.

Why a missing favicon hurts more than you think

No customer will email you to say your favicon is missing. They simply register, half-consciously, that something looks off. Small trust signals add up. A sharp favicon, an SSL padlock and a fast-loading page together tell visitors that someone is looking after this business. A default icon suggests a template nobody finished setting up.

There is also a practical search angle. Google picks up favicons for its results, and a recognisable icon can help your listing stand out in a list of ten blue links, which may help people click on you rather than the result above.

What makes a good favicon

The icon is displayed as small as 16 by 16 pixels, so your full logo with tagline will turn into a blur. Good favicons follow a few rules:

Simplify: use one letter, a monogram or the main symbol from your logo, not the whole thing.
Use strong contrast: a bold shape on a solid background reads well on both light and dark browser themes.
Start square: design at 512 by 512 pixels and let it scale down.
Test it tiny: zoom out until it is thumbnail size. If you cannot tell what it is, simplify again.

Want a site that looks finished down to the last pixel? We handle the details.

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The files you need

Modern browsers and devices look for slightly different files. A sensible set covers almost everything:

favicon.ico in the root of your site, for older browsers.
A 32 by 32 PNG or an SVG icon for modern browsers.
A 180 by 180 apple-touch-icon.png for iPhones and iPads.
192 and 512 pixel PNGs referenced in a web manifest for Android home screens.

These are linked from the head of each page with <link rel="icon"> tags. Free favicon generator tools will create the whole set from one square image and give you the code to paste in.

Adding it on common platforms

Website builders usually have a "site icon" or "favicon" setting in the general or branding settings. WordPress has it under the Customiser as "Site Icon". On a hand-coded site, upload the files and add the link tags to your template so every page includes them.

Why it might not show up straight away

Browsers cache favicons aggressively, so after you change it you may still see the old one. Try a private window or a different device. Google can take days or weeks to refresh the icon in search results, as it updates when it next recrawls your homepage. Make sure the icon is not blocked by your robots.txt file.

If you are on a SiteDrum plan, the favicon is created from your logo and set up as part of the build. You can see how they look across our sample sites.

The bottom line

A favicon is a five-minute job that makes your site look more professional in tabs, bookmarks and Google. Use a simplified version of your logo, generate the full set of sizes, and check it on a phone. It is one of the cheapest trust signals you will ever add.

Frequently asked questions

What size should a favicon be?

Design it at 512 by 512 pixels, then export smaller versions including 32x32, 180x180 for Apple devices and 192x192 for Android. Generator tools create the full set for you.

Does a favicon help SEO?

It is not a ranking factor, but Google displays it in search results, and a clear icon can make your listing more noticeable and trustworthy, which may help people choose to click.

Why is my favicon not showing in Google?

Google refreshes favicons when it recrawls your homepage, which can take days or weeks. Check the icon is square, linked in your page head and not blocked by robots.txt.

Can I use my full logo as a favicon?

Usually not. Full logos become unreadable at tiny sizes. Use a single letter, monogram or the main symbol from your logo instead.

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