Definition

A favicon is a small icon associated with a website, declared via a `<link rel="icon">` element (or related variants) in the page head, used by browsers in tabs and bookmarks and by Google in some search result formats.

Google's favicon documentation states that if a site has a favicon it can be shown alongside its results in Search, particularly on mobile, and lists specific requirements: the icon must be a square at least 8×8 pixels, the URL must be stable, the file must be crawlable, and the icon should represent the site's brand. Search-result favicons are not guaranteed — Google may still choose a default placeholder if the criteria are not met.

Examples

• Favicon in browser tabs

  A site declares `<link rel="icon" href="/favicon.ico">` in the head. Browsers display the icon on the tab next to the page title and on the bookmarks bar.

• Favicon in mobile search results

  Google shows the site's 32×32 favicon alongside the URL on the mobile SERP because the icon is square, crawlable, and served from a stable URL referenced from the home page.

Sources

• Google Search Central — Define a favicon to show in search results

Related terms

• SERP
  The page a search engine returns in response to a query, including the list of results and any features such as ads, knowledge panels and rich snippets.
• Site Name
  The name Google displays above a page's title link in search results to identify which site the page belongs to.
• Image SEO
  The practice of structuring images and surrounding markup so search engines can discover, understand and surface them in image and web search results.

Where QueryCatch uses this

• SEO Audit