- Favicons are those little icons you see in the left-hand side on the browser tab
- Most of us probably have loads of tabs opened up, so seeing the brand helps you find the page you’re after easily
- Its important mores for your branding, because Google has added them to mobile search results
What is a Favicon?
So a Favicon is that little icon you would find in your top browser tab when you had too many tabs opened up. But Google also shows them in your search results when searching on your mobile. Go ahead and check, go to Google on your mobile type in a company name or even better your own company name and check next to the title if your icon/logo appears next to it. If not you need to speak to a developer to add a Favicon icon on your site.
If your brand is recognised through the icon it will increase the click-through rate, because your company will stand out and it also represents a trustworthy brand. Who doesn’t want to show how trustworthy and recognisable your brand is!
Make sure it stands out
If a client has a long list of tabs opened in their browser or they’re searching on their mobile phone, your Favicon needs to stand out! Think about if they had a list of your competitors opened in their tabs or searched for a keyword you came up along with a bunch of your competitors. If you’ve got an icon which stands out then there more likely to trust your brand as more of an authority over your competitors. Even better is if none of your competitors has an icon and yours does then on mobile search your brand will stick out increasing the chances of the click-through.
Just make sure the Favicon icon matches your logo and the website well though. Generally, your Favicon should be either your logo if it’s simple enough or be similar to it.
Here two tips when it comes to your Favicon:
- Make it simple, overcomplicating it will make it hard to distinguish since you’ve only got a small space to play with
- Try to stick to one colour, two colours at the maximum. Avoid using grey so that it doesn’t blend with the browser tab
The Favicon should be aligned with your branding. Good branding is making sure people recognise your Favicon with your website.
In regards to size and format, this is what Google recommends:
The size should be a multiple of 48px, so for example: 48X48 px, 96X96 px, 144X144 px and so on. PNGs, JPEGs and SVG files will work.
Is there an SEO benefit?
Although Favicon’s don’t have a direct SEO benefit, having a positive feeling regarding your brand will increase the click through rate when shown next to your URL. In practice, it means you should invest your time into a holistic SEO approach.
