Favicon.ico (short for “favorites icon”) are small square icons typically 16×16 pixel, used to identify a website in a tab or favorites list. They are unique to each website and can take on almost any appearance. They’re frequently a little representation of a company logo or another icon that corresponds to the firm’s or individual’s branding.
Adding a unique favicon to your website is a simple way to make it more personal and easily distinguishable from a sea of other websites. It’s one of the minor differences between a professional, personalized website and a template.
How do I create an ico favicon?
The design of your favicon is more significant than you might believe. Size is important in this case, as a well-designed brand must be easily recognizable at any size. It must be able to scale down from large screens to a favicon, which can be as little as 16 × 16 pixels.
The Google logo is an excellent example of favicon design. With its large ‘G’ and striking four-color writing, it’s ideal for larger screens. Even when scaled down to the minuscule four-colored ‘G’ displayed in a computer browser address bar, it’s still recognizable. Below are steps to creating and adding a Favicon to your website.
STEP 1
Make a little image, 16 by 16 pixels in size. Yes, it’s little, so keep it as simple as possible while yet indicating to online users that it’s for your website. For ideas, take a look at some of your favorite websites and notice what image styles they used, noting what works and what doesn’t. The image file can be made with Photoshop or by converting a regular picture into a favicon.
Option A: Using Photoshop
While using Photoshop, a plugin that allows Photoshop to output to the.ico (Windows Icon) file format can be installed. Working with a larger canvas, such as 64 by 64 pixels, and resizing without much image distortion are two advantages of using Photoshop.
Before settling on a final result, experiment with a variety of techniques. The favicon file could be improved by simplifying or sharpening it more than usual. Save your file in the favicon.ico format after you’re satisfied.
Option B: Using Favicon Generators
You’ll need to run a favicon made from a regular image via an image generator in order to use it. When utilizing this method, be cautious because some favicon.ico generators produce some hideous graphics. Keep in mind that the output will still be 16 × 16 pixels square, so anything too complicated may wind up looking like a blob.
Using the favicon.ico Generator site is the easiest way to go about this process. These kinds of websites greatly simplify the process by allowing you to upload an image file and then adjust it on the screen to achieve the best output level.
There are many free internet tools available these days for quickly and easily creating the appropriate files for your favicon. For example, RealFaviconGenerator will not only convert your image file to the necessary formats but will also show you how that image will look on a variety of devices and browsers.
Favicon.io is another popular favicon generator. This site will generate a favicon using images you supply, text (if your logo is too complicated for a favicon), or even emojis.
STEP 2
It’s time to upload the favicon.ico file to your website once you have it on your PC. This file should be placed in the same directory as your index page file, which is usually the root.
STEP 3
A line of code must now be inserted in the header of the sites you want the favicon.ico image to load from in order to add favicon in HTML. This will look like this:
<link rel="shortcut icon" href="/favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon" />
It is important to note that, unless you are directly responsible for modifying the coding of your website, you may need to contact your web designers for assistance to complete this procedure.
You must follow these simple steps in order to use the favicon on your WordPress website.
- Select Appearance > Customize
- Go to Site Identity from the Customize tab, which has a sidebar on the left.
- The Select site icon may be found at the bottom of Site Identity. Select your favicon image and then hit the Publish button at the top. Your favicon is now set.
STEP 4:
To see your new favicon in action, open your website in a browser of your choosing. You may need to refresh or clear the cache if the image does not appear.
If you don’t like the result, start afresh and make changes as needed. Otherwise, take pleasure in the latest addition to your online branding experience!
Why do we use favicon ICO?
The use of a favicon on your website is a little but crucial aspect. The use of a favicon on your website lends credibility and veracity to your site. It aids in the promotion of your website’s brand. It allows your website visitors to quickly recognize your site by its favicon even if they have many tabs open in their browser.
Although the use of a favicon is not directly responsible for SEO, it is indirectly responsible from an SEO standpoint. When consumers see favicons on your website, their trust in it grows, which leads to more clicks. The use of a favicon makes your website more user-friendly, which enhances your SEO ranking indirectly.
When favicons are accessible in your browser tabs, history, and mobile SERPs, it is much easier for users to go from one website to another. The favicon serves as a visual representation of your website. The favicon of many websites is identical to their logo.
They are normally supported by practically any web browser, so you can use them without difficulty. This implies that if someone adds your site to their favorite bookmarks, they will be able to quickly visit it if they remember the symbol for it.