The Ultimate Guide to Favicons

Are you ready to learn everything there is to know about favicons? In this guide, we’ll tell you what you need to know about favicons, such as how to make them and add them to your website, as well as the best ways to design them.

What is a favicon?

When you go to a website, do you sometimes see a small icon next to the URL? That is a favicon! They are small icons that show up next to a website’s URL in the address bar of a browser.

The word “favicon” comes from putting the words “favourite” and “icon” together. Microsoft came up with the term when it added the favicon feature to Internet Explorer 5 in 1999. The idea behind the favicon was to make a small, customisable icon that users could use to find and bookmark their favourite websites.

It’s a small detail, but it can help people identify your website quickly and tell it apart from others in their browser tabs. You may not think much about them, yet they may have a significant impact on the user experience and identity of your website.

Most modern browsers support favicons, but you should test yours on different platforms and browsers to make sure it looks right.

Can favicons help with SEO?

Although favicons do not have a direct impact on SEO, they can help improve user experience and strengthen your brand, which can boost your search rankings. Here are a few examples of how favicons might contribute to SEO:

1. Favicons will make your website more visible in search results. When a user does a search, the results page displays a list of websites together with their favicons. If your website has a distinct and appealing favicon, it may help it stand out from the crowd and attract more clicks.
2. Favicons can enhance the user experience. If a user has numerous tabs open, a favicon can help them easily identify and navigate to your website. The amount of time a user spends on a website is said to have a direct affect on search rankings, as Google identifies it as a usual source of information.
3. Favicons can improve branding. A well-designed favicon may help to reinforce your brand and enhance the overall look of your website. This can result in higher trust and authority, which can also help your search rankings.

Favicon Size

When considering the size of a favicon, keep in mind the various devices and browsers on which it will be shown.

A favicon is typically 16×16 pixels in size, however certain browsers and devices enable bigger sizes, such as 32×32 pixels or 64×64 pixels. It’s recommended that you make different sizes of your favicon to guarantee a high quality across a variety of platforms and browsers.

If you want to be sure your favicon displays correctly across all devices and browsers, you should try viewing it on a few different platforms and browsers.

Favicon File Format

When it comes to favicon file formats, you have two primary options:.ico (ICO stands for “icon”) and.png (Portable Network Graphics). Both file formats offer advantages and disadvantages, and the ideal option for your favicon will be determined by your individual needs and requirements. Here are some of the main advantages and disadvantages of using ICO and PNG files for your favicon:

Advantages of  using a ICO file for your favicon:

• Allows for complete alpha channel transparency.
• Provides backwards compatibility to older browsers (e.g. Internet Explorer 6)

Disadvantages of  using a ICO file for your favicon:

• Limited to 256 colors
• May not be as well supported by some graphic design software

Advantages of using a PNG file for your favicon:

• Allows for full alpha channel based transparency
• Supports high color depth (millions of colors)
• More widely supported by graphic design software

Disadvantages of  using a ICO file for your favicon:

• May not be supported by some older browsers

In summary, ICO and PNG file formats can use alpha channel-based transparency, but ICO files are compatible with older browsers and PNG files have more colours and are easier to work with.

What do I need to create a good favicon?

Here are some key factors to consider when creating a good favicon:

1. Simplicity: Because a favicon is a small icon, it should be simple and easy to recognize. Don’t use too many colors or graphics with a lot of detail because they may be hard to see at such a small size.
2. Legibility: A favicon should be readable even when it’s small, so make sure the text or graphics are clear and easy to read. 
3. Relevance: A good favicon should have something to do with the theme or content of your website. This can make it easy for people to identify and remember your site.
4. Branding: A favicon is a great way to strengthen your brand and leave visitors with a lasting impression. Think about making your favicon your logo, or a version of it.
5. Size and resolution: It’s a good idea to make your favicon in different sizes so that it looks sharp and clear on a wide range of devices and browsers.

In order to improve the user experience and solidify your brand’s reputation, follow these guidelines while designing your favicon.

Your Favicon Score

Here is a scoring system website owners can follow based on the recommendations above:

Simplicity

0 points: Favicon is cluttered or contains too many colors or details.
1 point: Favicon is relatively simple, but could be further simplified.
2 points: Favicon is simple and easy to recognize at a small size.

Legibility

0 points: Favicon is difficult to read or contains hard-to-read text or graphics.
1 point: Favicon is legible, but could be clearer.
2 points: Favicon is legible and easy to read at a small size.

Relevance

0 points: Favicon is not relevant to the website or its theme or content.
1 point: Favicon is somewhat relevant to the website, but could be more closely tied to its theme or content.
2 points: Favicon is relevant to the website and clearly ties in with its theme or content.

Branding

0 points: Favicon does not strengthen the website’s branding or make a lasting impression.
1 point: Favicon contributes to the website’s branding, but could be more impactful.
2 points: Favicon strongly enhances the website’s branding and makes a lasting impression on visitors.

Size and resolution

0 points: Favicon is not optimized for different sizes and resolutions and may appear blurry or pixelated on some devices and browsers.
1 point: Favicon is optimized for some sizes and resolutions, but not all.
2 points: Favicon is optimized for multiple sizes and resolutions and looks sharp and clear on a wide range of devices and browsers.

By scoring your favicon based on these criteria, you can evaluate its strengths and weaknesses and identify areas for improvement. A good favicon that improves the user experience and makes your brand stronger should have a total score of 9 or 10 points.

Can I use a logo as a favicon?

Using your logo as your favicon can be a good way to strengthen your brand and leave a lasting impression on visitors. A well-designed logo is usually simple, easy to remember, and related to your brand. All of these are important for a favicon.

That being said, it’s important to consider the size and resolution of your favicon when using your logo. A logo that looks great at a larger size may not necessarily work well at the small size of a favicon. You might need to make your logo simpler or change it to make it work better as a favicon.

How to create a favicon

There are several graphic design tools available for creating a favicon in various sizes. Some common choices are:

Canva

Canva is a user-friendly graphic design platform for both beginners and pros. It provides a variety of templates, tools, and resources for making various visuals, including favicons. Canva is web-based and offers both a free and a premium subscription with more advanced features.

Adobe Photoshop

Photoshop is a professional graphic design software that many designers and artists use. It has a variety of complex tools and functions for producing and altering visuals, including favicons. 

Photopea

Photopea is a free, online image editing tool that can be used to create and edit a variety of image types, including favicons. Photopea is a good tool for creating favicons because it provides a range of advanced editing features, including the ability to work with layers, masks, and filters.

Using one of these graphic design tools, you can make a favicon in different sizes to fit the needs of different devices and browsers.

Can I use different favicons for different pages on my website?

Although using various favicons for different pages on your website is possible, it is typically not recommended. This is due to the fact that having multiple favicons for different pages might lead to confusing the visitor as to whether they are on the same website or not.

Additionally, utilizing multiple favicons for different pages might lead to an inconsistent user experience. Visitors may find it more difficult to understand and remember your website as a result of this.

Finally, a consistent favicon contributes to the power of your brand and leaves a lasting impression on visitors. Using various favicons for different pages on your website might dilute your identity and make it harder for consumers to remember your site. As a result, it’s a good idea to utilize a consistent favicon across all pages on your website to help people immediately recognize and remember your site.

How do I add a favicon to my website?

Depending on the platform or CMS (Content Management System) your website is based on, there are different ways to add a favicon to it. WordPress, Squarespace, and Shopify are examples of popular platforms and CMSs. Let’s look at how to add a favicon to your website based on the platform or CMS it’s built on below.

How to Add a Favicon to a WordPress Website

1. Create your favicon using a graphic design tool such as Canva or Photoshop.
2. To add your favicon file to your WordPress media library, navigate to Media > Add New and select it.
3. Add your favicon to your website by using the theme customizer

How to Add a Favicon to a Squarespace Website

1. Create your favicon using a graphic design tool such as Canva or Photoshop.
2. Go to Settings > Website > Upload Favicon and choose your favicon file to add it to your Squarespace media library.
3. Once your favicon is in your media library, Squarespace will automatically add it to your website.

How to Add a Favicon to a Weebly Website

1. Create your favicon using a graphic design tool such as Canva or Photoshop.
2. Use the theme customizer to add your favicon by going to Settings > Design > Favicon and selecting your favicon file.

How to Add a Favicon to a Drupal Website

1. Create your favicon using a graphic design tool such as Canva or Photoshop.
2. Use the theme customizer to add your favicon by going to Appearance > Settings > Favicon and selecting your favicon file.

How to Add a Favicon to a Joomla Website

1. Create your favicon using a graphic design tool such as Canva or Photoshop.
2. Use the template manager to add your favicon by going to Extensions > Templates > Templates > [Your Template] > Favicon and selecting your favicon file.

How to Add a Favicon to a Blogger Blog

1. Create your favicon using a graphic design tool such as Canva or Photoshop.
2. Use the theme customizer to add your favicon by going to Theme > Customize > Favicon and selecting your favicon file.

How to Add a Favicon to a Tumblr Blog

1. Create your favicon using a graphic design tool such as Canva or Photoshop.
2. Use the theme customizer to add your favicon by going to Customize > Favicon and selecting your favicon file.

How to Add a Favicon to a Ghost Blog

1. Create your favicon using a graphic design tool such as Canva or Photoshop.
2. Go to Settings > General > Favicon and then choose your favicon file to add it to your Ghost media library.
3. Once your favicon is in your media library, Ghost will automatically add it to your blog.

How to Add a Favicon into HTML Code

To add a favicon of different sizes to your website or blog using HTML code, follow these steps:

1. Create your favicon using a graphic design tool such as Canva or Photoshop.
2. Save your favicon in the desired size as an ICO or PNG file.
3. Add the following code to the head section of your HTML document, replacing “favicon.ico” with the URL of your favicon and “16×16” with the size of your favicon:

<link rel="icon" type="image/x-icon" sizes="16x16" href="/favicon.ico">

To add multiple favicon sizes, simply add additional “link” elements with different sizes:

<link rel="icon" type="image/x-icon" sizes="16x16" href="/favicon-16x16.ico">
<link rel="icon" type="image/x-icon" sizes="32x32" href="/favicon-32x32.ico">
<link rel="icon" type="image/x-icon" sizes="64x64" href="/favicon-64x64.ico">
<link rel="icon" type="image/x-icon" sizes="128x128" href="/favicon-128x128.ico">
<link rel="icon" type="image/x-icon" sizes="256x256" href="/favicon-256x256.ico">
<link rel="icon" type="image/x-icon" sizes="512x512" href="/favicon-512x512.ico">

Testing your favicon on different devices and browsers

There are a couple ways you can test your favicon across various browsers and devices. Utilizing a favicon checker tool is one solution. You can enter the URL of your website into these free tools to view how your favicon appears on various browsers and mobile devices.

Another option is to manually test your favicon on various browsers. Simply open your website in the browsers you wish to test (such as Chrome, Mozilla, or Safari) and check the address bar, tab and bookmark for the favicon. You could also test it on different types of devices to check how it appears on smartphones, tablets, etc.

It’s important to see how your favicon looks on both dark and light backgrounds, since this can affect how easy it is to see and read. If your favicon is hard to see or read on some backgrounds, it might not be as good at getting the user’s attention or representing your brand. Try using this tool to see how your favicon looks on both light and dark backgrounds.

Putting It All Together

In short, favicons are small icons that help people find your website or online business. They can help people find and remember your website by showing up in the address bar, tab and bookmarks of a web browser.

To make a good favicon, you should use a design that is easy to recognize, choose the right file format and size, and make sure it looks good on all devices and browsers.

By using the tips in this article, you can make and use a favicon that makes your website stand out and helps people identify and remember your business.