Glossary
Favicon
A favicon is the small icon a browser displays in the tab, bookmarks bar, and tab-history list to identify a website.
A favicon is the small icon (usually 16×16, 32×32, or 192×192) that browsers, search engines, and operating systems use to identify a website. Modern sites typically include a 32×32 .ico, a 192×192 .png, and a 180×180 apple-touch-icon for iOS home screens.
Google has used favicons in mobile search results since 2019. Sites without a favicon get a generic globe icon — measurably reducing click-through rate by 5–10% on mobile search results.
The full favicon set in 2026 is more complex than a single .ico file: a 16×16 and 32×32 for browser tabs, a 192×192 and 512×512 for Android Chrome, a 180×180 for iOS Safari, a maskable 512×512 for Android adaptive icons, and a 192×192 SVG for vector rendering where supported.
The placement is also standardized: most sites use a <link rel='icon'> tag pointing to /favicon.ico (or .svg) plus <link rel='apple-touch-icon'> for iOS. A web app manifest (manifest.webmanifest) declares the broader icon set for installable PWAs.
Common favicon mistakes: a single 16×16 file (looks pixelated on retina displays), a low-contrast icon (invisible in dark-mode browser chrome), and inconsistent branding (one icon on the site, a different icon on the social-share preview). Modern AI builders generate a favicon set from a brand symbol or letter automatically.
Example
Adding a properly sized favicon set (16×16, 32×32, 180×180, 192×192) increased one client's mobile SERP CTR by 7% on identical rankings — Google's mobile result lists pulled the favicon next to the URL.