Short answer: A favicon is the small icon that represents your site in browser tabs, bookmarks and Google’s search results. To make it eligible for Google, add a link tag such as <link rel="icon" href="/favicon.ico"> to your home page. Use a square image of at least 8 by 8 pixels, ideally larger than 48 by 48, in a format Google supports.
What Google asks of a favicon
| Rule | What Google asks | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Hostname | One favicon per hostname | news.example.com can have its own; example.com/news can’t |
| Shape and size | A square of at least 8 × 8 px; larger than 48 × 48 recommended | A 192 × 192 PNG |
| Format | BMP, GIF, ICO, PNG, JPEG, PPM or TIFF | favicon.ico |
| Crawling | Googlebot can reach the home page and Googlebot-Image the file | Neither blocked in robots.txt |
| Address | A stable URL, relative or absolute | /favicon.ico |
Google also asks that the favicon represent your brand visually, and it replaces inappropriate images with a default icon. Even with every guideline met, a favicon isn’t guaranteed to appear.
From Google Search Central, “Define a favicon to show in search results”, read November 2, 2026.
What a favicon does
MDN describes the favicon as a tiny icon shown in places like browser tabs and the bookmarks menu, usually 16 by 16 pixels. A familiar icon helps people know they are in the right place.
In Google Search, the same icon appears next to your site’s results, which helps people pick out your site when they scan the page.
From MDN Web Docs, “Favicon”.
The tag Google reads
Google reads the link element in the head of your home page. Its rel value can be icon, the older shortcut icon, apple-touch-icon or apple-touch-icon-precomposed.
The href can be relative, such as /smile.ico, or absolute, and the file doesn’t have to live on your site: a content delivery network works. After a change, Google needs to recrawl your home page, which can take several days to several weeks.
How to add your favicon
- Start from your logo or a simple mark that still reads at small sizes.
- Export a square PNG larger than 48 by 48 pixels, and an ICO file if your platform uses one.
- Upload the files and keep their addresses stable.
- Add a link tag with rel="icon" to the head of your home page, or use your platform’s site icon setting.
- Check that robots.txt doesn’t block the home page or the icon file.
- Ask Google to recrawl the home page with the URL Inspection tool in Search Console.
- Search for your brand after a few weeks and check the icon next to your result.
Our guides to robots.txt and to getting your website on Google cover the crawling and the recrawl request.
What our own home page declares
Our home page declares five icons: a favicon.ico, an SVG, PNG versions at 32 and 192 pixels, and a 180-pixel icon for Apple devices. All five files answered 200 when we checked them on November 2.
SVG isn’t on Google’s list of supported formats, so the ICO and PNG versions are the ones Google can use. The 192-pixel PNG meets its advice to go larger than 48 by 48.
Before you wait for Google
- The icon is square and larger than 48 by 48 pixels.
- It uses ICO, PNG or another format on Google’s list.
- The link tag sits in the head of your home page.
- Neither the home page nor the icon is blocked in robots.txt.
- The icon’s address won’t change.
- The icon looks like your brand, even at small sizes.
RememberOne square icon per hostname, ideally larger than 48 by 48 pixels, in a format Google supports, linked from your home page and open to Googlebot. Then wait for Google to recrawl.
If you want a site where these details are right from the start, see our web design service.
Quick answers about favicons
Why isn’t my favicon showing in Google?
Google needs to recrawl your home page, which can take from several days to several weeks. Check that Googlebot can reach the home page and Googlebot-Image the icon file. Even when every guideline is met, Google doesn’t guarantee a favicon in results.
What size should a favicon be?
Google requires a square of at least 8 by 8 pixels and recommends something larger than 48 by 48, so it looks good on different surfaces. MDN notes that browsers usually show favicons at 16 by 16 pixels in tabs.
Can I use an SVG favicon?
Google’s list of supported formats is BMP, GIF, ICO, PNG, JPEG, PPM and TIFF, and SVG isn’t on it. If you use an SVG for browsers, also declare an ICO or PNG version so Google has a format it supports.
Can each section of my site have its own favicon?
Not in Google Search. Google supports one favicon per hostname, so a subdomain such as news.example.com can have its own, but a subfolder such as example.com/news shares the favicon of example.com.
Can my favicon file live on another server?
Yes. Google says the favicon URL can be relative or absolute and doesn’t need to be hosted on your site, for example on a content delivery network. Keep that address stable and don’t change it often.
Sources
Read on November 2, 2026. Google Search Central: Define a favicon to show in search results. MDN Web Docs: Favicon. Our own case: the icons our home page declares, on November 2, 2026.