# Favicon

Category: [Technical SEO](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/category/technical-seo/) › [CMS, operations & special files](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/category/technical-seo/cms-operations-special-files/) · Also known as: favorite icon, site icon

A **favicon** (favorite icon) is the small icon of a website. Browsers show it in tabs and bookmarks, and Google can show it next to a result in Search.

## How do you add a favicon?

MDN names `<link rel="icon">` in the page head as the way to specify a favicon. For Google Search, the documentation sets these requirements:

- The image is square (1:1) and at least 8 x 8 pixels. Google recommends a size larger than 48 x 48 pixels.
- Google supports one favicon per hostname. Subdirectory pages use the favicon of the host.
- Googlebot and Googlebot-Image must be able to crawl both the favicon file and the home page.
- The favicon URL should stay stable.
- Google replaces inappropriate images, such as hate symbols, with a default icon.

Google supports the `rel` values `icon`, `shortcut icon`, `apple-touch-icon` and `apple-touch-icon-precomposed`. After a change, an update in search results can take anywhere from several days to several weeks.

## Example

```html
<link rel="icon" href="/favicon.ico" sizes="48x48">
<link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="/apple-touch-icon.png">
```

## Common mistakes

- The favicon file or home page is blocked in robots.txt.
- The image is smaller than 8 x 8 pixels or not square.
- The favicon URL changes with every release.
- The favicon is set only on a subdirectory home page. Google reads it from the home page of the hostname and does not support subdirectory-level home pages.
- A change is expected to show immediately. Google says recrawling can take several days to several weeks, and a favicon is not guaranteed to appear even when all guidelines are met.

## FAQ

**Which file format works for a favicon?**
MDN lists GIF, PNG and ICO. Google Search supports BMP, GIF, ICO, PNG, JPEG, PPM and TIFF according to its documentation. SVG is not on that list.

**Why does Google not show my favicon?**
Typical causes are a blocked file, a missing link on the home page or an image below the minimum size. Google may also need days or weeks to recrawl.

## Related terms

- [Favicon in search results](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/favicon-in-search-results/index.md)
- [Googlebot](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/googlebot/index.md)
- [robots.txt](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/robots-txt/index.md)
- [HTML head](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/html-head/index.md)

## Sources

- [Define a favicon to show in Google Search results – Google Search Central](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/favicon-in-search)
- [Favicon – MDN Web Docs Glossary](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/Favicon)
- [HTML Favicon – W3Schools](https://www.w3schools.com/html/html_favicon.asp)

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