How do I get my favicon to show in Google?

Favicon in search results, explained

Google's favicon guidelines are specific. Add a <link> tag in the homepage's head with rel set to icon, shortcut icon, apple-touch-icon or apple-touch-icon-precomposed. The favicon must be square (1:1) and at least 8×8 pixels, and Google recommends using at least 48×48 so it looks good on high-resolution screens. It must use a supported file format, and its URL should be stable.

Both Googlebot and Googlebot-Image must be able to crawl the favicon file and the homepage, so check that robots.txt doesn't block either. Google shows one favicon per site, where a site is defined by hostname: example.com and blog.example.com can have different icons, but example.com/blog can't have its own.

Changes aren't instant. Google says crawling and processing a new favicon can take anywhere from several days to several weeks, and you can request indexing of the homepage in URL Inspection to nudge it. Google also won't show favicons it considers inappropriate.

Why bother? The favicon sits next to your site name in mobile and desktop results, and in a list of generic blue links a clear, recognizable icon is one of the few visual cues you control. Make it legible at small sizes: a simple mark, not your full wordmark. Test it at 16 pixels on light and dark backgrounds before shipping.

Why it matters for founders

A missing or blurry favicon makes your result look unfinished next to competitors. It's a ten-minute fix.

Example

Google shows a generic globe next to your site name. You add a 96×96 PNG rel="icon" to the homepage head, allow it in robots.txt, request indexing, and your icon appears a couple of weeks later.

Common mistakes

• A non-square or tiny favicon.
• Blocking the favicon or homepage from Googlebot-Image.
• Changing the favicon URL frequently.
• Expecting a subfolder to have its own favicon in results.