Favicons are shortcut icons that are used for branding the website. It was introduced in early 1999 by internet explorer. At that time, it was not considered an essential element of the website. But with the growing period of time, these small graphical icons have become popular and become an important aspect of SEO.
In this article, we will find out how and why favicons become an important part of a website.
What Is a Favicon?
These are the small icons that you see on most of the website that helps you in identifying the right tab when you have multiple tabs opened. You should not get confused with the logo of the website with favicons.
From 2019, Google began using Favicons to show the search results on mobile devices. Google also launched the desktop version for the results but reverted back when gots complained about clumsy design. However, Google continued to test out the desktop results with the aim to get desired results sooner or later.
For example, you can check out the DuckDuckGo search engine that has successfully created a favicon for its mobile and desktop versions.
Use Of Favicon
Recently websites are preferring favicons for boosting their website click-through rate. Also, some of the well-established brands have experienced benefits by using favicon as users easily visit the brand by seeing the displayed icon. And most of the individuals who have a habit of opening 10 to 11 tabs in a single time on their browser, favicons definitely serve easiness to them in viewing the right tab. Most of us make mistakes in identifying favicons. The logo of the website gets converted into favicons, but they are saved at different locations. Also, the size of the favicons are smaller as compared to the standard logo size.
Where Will You Find Favicon?
A favicon helps users in identifying the right website with ease. It implies that you will see on which place your website has positioned, and without browsing all tabs, you will land on the right webpage.
Here we will share with you those places where you must have seen them, but you might not have noticed them.
- Bookmarks
- Browser Tabs
- Toolbar Apps
- Browser History
- Search Bar
Importance of Favicons?
In the current modern world, whatever you can do for your business, you should do that. Yet favicon is a small step but has a good influence over users. You must be knowing about the favicon of some of the sites that you encounter on a daily basis, and from 10 of the tabs opened, you can easily identify which favicon is related to the desired website.
It is a convenient way to promote your brand online. Your website appears more professional with such work.
Favicons are the visual indicators for your business website and offer a quick and easy way to users to locate your web page when multiple similar tabs are opened. They do not have a direct impact on search engine optimization, but they indirectly improve the website ranking on SERP.
SEO Perspective of Favicons
Let us be very clear that favicons should not be considered as the ranking factor for your website. However, it works as an additional factor for improving your website visibility. Let us have a look at how favicons are related to SEO.
- Everyone is very well familiar with the process that a website that receives a high click-through rate and dwells period always remains on top positions in SERP ranking. And websites that have favicons have more chances to get more clicks than websites that don’t.
- The user interaction gets increased when they find your website in bookmark, among multiple tabs, history, via favicon. They are most likely to click on that website that appears in bookmarks and other places rather than searching over the net.
- It acts as an add-on factor for branding your business website. Users are accustomed to the logo of the website, and it is a good sign. It is because whenever they see that logo next time, they will click on it as they have previous experience and information about that website.
Way To Create Good Favicons
Favicons have become an essential image for your website in the current time. You should try to keep it simple and recognizable for the users. Favicons offer a long-lasting impression over users that helps in identifying your business and brand later on.
Here we are providing some ways by which you can create the best favicon.
- Make it Engaging and Recognizable.
Till now, favicons were identifiable to the users who were exploring the particular website, but now this has changed. Now favicons appear on the search results pages; thus, there is a need to make favicons attractive. It is seen that users most likely click on search results that are recognizable and related; thus, you should create favicons according to that. It acts as the first phase to attract users to your website.
- Right Favicon Becomes Logo Of Your Website
The aim of a favicon is to create a link between the users and your website. With the coming age, users now give importance and preference to website logos to get ideas about services. The logo of your website is the most natural way to reflect your services and products to users. And the favicon of your website acts as the resized version of this.
- Avoid Text
The size of the favicon is 16×16, and if you insist on adding a keyword in tha smaller section, then it will be no fruitful because users will not be able to read content from that smaller section. Also, the addition of text reduces the clarity of the favicons.
- Avoid Using Photo
It is not a good practice to add photos in favicons as they are not designed to be so small. A picture will never look clear in dimensions of 16×16, and the user will not be able to identify what is inside the image. In the end, you will not be getting any benefit from using favicon.
- Go With Dark Mode
You must have encountered that most of the browsers have now started using dark mode. Also, it looks pretty while working in dark mode. And most of the users have started moving toward this change as it offers less stress to the user’s eyes. Thus you should create two favicons, one that works well with the light version and the second which is good with dark mode. A little bit of coding is required for doing this thing. If you don’t want to bother about it, then you should keep favicons transparent so that it does not look unfit with dark themes.
How To Show Favicons On Search Results?
Here we are providing the ways by which you can add favicons to appear in search results.
Step 1: Create a favicon
Step 2: You have to write the following syntax in the home page header tag.
You have to provide the exact path and in the same domain of the home page. for example-
https://domain.com.au/smile.ico
.ico is the file extension used for adding favicon files, but currently, it has been changed as now all browsers support .png .svg files.
Google Guidelines Related With Favicon
It is not necessary that every favicon will appear on search results even though you have followed all the right steps.
According to Google, if you follow certain guidelines, then your favicon will definitely appear in search results. The file name of the favicon and home page should be indexable according to Google bots.
- The favicon of your website should be unique so that users can identify your website.
- The favicon URL should not be changed many times.
- It is ideal to select the squared-sized icons such as 48x48px, 96x96px, 144x144px, and so on for making favicons. You should keep in mind that Google doesn’t appreciate the 16X16 size favicon because of the low resolution.
- Google never shows a favicon that appears inappropriate or related to some undesired symbols. Such type of favicons gets replaced with default icons.
Conclusion
Use of websites has increased to a large extent in recent times. You do not have to put major efforts into adding favicons to your website. But if you do so, then it will pay a big deal for your website. Small efforts reflect good outcomes on your website. And in that series, favicon is also present. If your site is feeling the loss of a favicon, it will be obvious in its nonattendance. On the other side, having a favicon for your site will make your business look more reliable, professional, and up to date. A well-designed favicon on your website will add more users, and you will get a better ranking in SERP.
If you want to add the most suitable and Google-friendly favicons on your website, you can associate with Marketing Sweet professionals. You can discuss your requirements with us, and according to that, we perform our work. You can reach us at 08 8337 4340 for detailed information.
