# Favicon in search results

Category: [Structured Data & SERP Features](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/category/structured-data-serp-features/) › [Rich results & snippets](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/category/structured-data-serp-features/rich-results-snippets/)

The **favicon in search results** is the small icon Google shows next to the site name and URL of a result. Site owners provide it with a `<link>` tag on the home page. Google calls it part of the attribution of a result, together with site name, visible URL and breadcrumb.

## What does Google require?

Add a `<link>` tag to the `<head>` of the home page. Google supports `rel="icon"` (and the older `shortcut icon`), `apple-touch-icon` and `apple-touch-icon-precomposed`. The `href` can be relative or absolute and can point to another host such as a CDN.

The rules from Google's documentation:

- The favicon must be square (1:1) and at least 8x8 px. Google recommends more than 48x48 px.
- Supported formats are BMP, GIF, ICO, PNG, JPEG, PPM and TIFF.
- One favicon applies per hostname. `www.example.com` and `code.example.com` can have different ones. A subdirectory such as `example.com/news` cannot get its own.
- Googlebot-Image must be able to crawl the favicon file, and Googlebot must be able to crawl the home page.
- The favicon URL must be stable and should not change frequently.
- Google replaces inappropriate images with a default icon.
- A favicon is not guaranteed to appear even if every guideline is met.

Google says crawling can take from several days to several weeks. Requesting indexing of the home page in the URL Inspection tool is possible.

## Example

```html
<head>
  <link rel="icon" href="/favicon.png" type="image/png" sizes="96x96">
  <link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="/apple-touch-icon.png">
</head>
```

## Common mistakes

- The icon file or home page is blocked in robots.txt or sits behind a login.
- The favicon is set for a subdirectory instead of the home page of the hostname.
- The icon URL changes often, for example through new file names on each deployment.

## Frequently asked questions

**Why isn't my favicon showing in Google search results?** Check that Googlebot can crawl the home page and Googlebot-Image the file, that the format and minimum size are met and that the URL is stable. After a change the crawl can take days to weeks.

**How long does it take for a favicon to update?** Google gives a range of several days to several weeks, depending on how often its systems refresh the content.

## Related terms

- [SERP (search engine results page)](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/serp/index.md)
- [Rich results](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/rich-results/index.md)
- [Rich Results Test](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/rich-results-test/index.md)
- [Favicon](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/favicon/index.md)
- [Site names in Search](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/site-names-in-search/index.md)
- [Brand SERP](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/brand-serp/index.md)

## Sources

- [Define a favicon to show in search results – Google Search Central (updated 2026-08-28)](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/favicon-in-search)
- [Provide a site name to Google Search – Google Search Central](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/site-names)
- [Visual Elements Gallery of Google Search – Google Search Central](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/visual-elements-gallery)

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Last updated: October 8, 2026
URL: https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/favicon-in-search-results/