In case you missed it – Favicons are now displayed in mobile search results making them a central asset of your branding material. Web designers and marketers need to take this change seriously.
Here’s a branded search for “Light Up The Dark” on mobile
Compared to the same on desktop
English readers begin reading at the top left-hand side of a container (Z pattern). The first thing your audience sees in mobile search is now the Favicon. The little icon that used to be relegated to browser tabs is now the first handshake searchers have with your brand. That’s a big deal – and your favicon may need an update.
Searcher’s intent doesn’t matter
This isn’t a branded only search. It’s every time your url appears in the SERP’s. Here’s a non-branded search for “Kansas City web design.”

Graphic designers must now consider SERP’s
In the past, branding in the SERP’s has mostly been text based – putting it in the wheelhouse of clever copywriters. Now, graphic and web designers must consider how the favicon will look in search results. Things like color palettes and fonts need to be considered while they’re in the SERP medium.
Branding questions to ask about your favicon
- Are you using your logo as a favicon, and if so does it render well at that size?
- Does your favicon need to differ from your logo?
- How do your favicon colors look on the search results page?
- Is your favicon memorable?
- Does your favicon reflect your branding style guide?
Favicon Guidelines
You must follow these guidelines to be eligible for your custom favicon next to your search results. Otherwise, you’ll have a default/generic favicon.
- Both the favicon file and the home page must be crawlable by Google.
- Your favicon should be a visual representation of your website’s brand, in order to help users quickly identify your site when they scan through search results.
- Your favicon should be a multiple of 48px square, for example: 48x48px, 96x96px, 144x144px and so on. SVG files, of course, do not have a specific size. Any valid favicon format is supported. Google will rescale your image to 16x16px for use in search results, so make sure that it looks good at that resolution. Note: do not provide a 16x16px favicon.
- The favicon URL should be stable (don’t change the URL frequently).
- Google will not show any favicon that it deems inappropriate.