Why Are Favicons So Important?

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In this day and age, brand awareness is probably more important than anything else when talking about a business. Self-sustaining projects have reached that point because people behind them have recognized just how reliable they are on becoming recognized by others.

There are a lot of different techniques to accomplish this goal, but it all starts with little things. And is there anything that looks as insignificant as a favicon?

At first glance, a favicon is not something that you consider to have any real value, correct? But when you start to delve a bit deeper, things appear to be quite different.

What is a Favicon?

Let us start with the definition. You have seen plenty of favicons, but you might not have realized what they are called. A favicon is that icon you see at the top-right corner of the browser tab.

Some of the most recognizable favicons include Facebook’s white letter “F” in a blue background, YouTube’s red play button with some white in the middle, or the blue bird of Twitter.

Creating a Favicon

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Most people do not bother with something like a favicon generator and simply reduce the size of their logo and make that the default option. And this is more or less the correct strategy since your logo should already be one of your most recognizable assets.

Of course, this does not necessarily mean that you have no room for any creativity and thinking outside the box. There are plenty of brands that want to do things differently and believe that whatever involves the website should be different from any other channels, like social media.

Uploading It

Once you have a favicon ready to go, you should not have too many problems uploading it. Most people are probably using the WordPress CMS, but the basic principle of getting a favicon to show should apply to most if not all platforms.

Just go to the dashboard, find a customization tab, select site icon and upload the image. Keep in mind that the size of a favicon is specific, and there should be a warning of that before you upload the image. But then again, it is not like changing the size of an image is a big deal.

SEO

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Now those who have some knowledge will certainly question whether a favicon holds any value for search engine optimization. When you are designing a website, you certainly pay attention to loading speed for potential bounce rate problems, look for a theme that makes the user interface smooth, and so on. But a favicon?

Well, the reality is that it does not influence SEO directly, but if you are thinking about the long-term potential, there is no denying that everybody must have a favicon.

People who browse the internet have certain expectations these days. Even a slight thing will make your site more user-friendly. People will be able to identify the website easier when there are multiple tabs open at the same time.

Bookmarking is another point to consider, especially with how popular Google Chrome has become. It is one of the go-to browsers for the majority of individuals.

Whenever someone bookmarks a site, Google receives a signal about it, provided that a page has a favicon. This might sound a bit weird, but the reality is what it is. Missing out on such an opportunity will cause negative results on the SEO front. And when you add up every little mistake that you make, consider how much traffic is not coming to your website.

Search engine optimization is a very difficult nut to crack in the first place. Not to mention all the competition. Whenever there is a chance to gain an advantage, even if a very small one, going for it should be your second nature.

Brand Awareness

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Never underestimate brand awareness. Especially in this day and age. A favicon is a visual representation of your website and the whole brand. The more people recognize that little icon at the top, the better off you will be.

Finally, always look at these things from a perspective of trying to be in the industry for a long time. The more effort you put into setting the foundation now, the more splendid your fruits of labor are going to be.

So to sum it all up, it should be quite obvious why something like a favicon plays a significant role despite what first impressions might suggest. Try to do your best to ensure that it is always there, visible to website visitors. And if you are going for something original instead of the default logo option, do not stray too far from the original.