Many people still don’t know what a favicon is or even if they have one already in use on an existing website. If you know what they are or have heard the name? then you are ahead of the majority. Below is a closer look at a few examples off my phone.
What is a Favicon?
Think of it as a piece of iconography that will appear in your bookmarks bar on every website that has them, as seen on the demo feature image within this page. Is it just for mobile? No, it isn’t just for mobile. Some people use them on a desktop and others only on a mobile. Either way, it is pretty standard to include one on a webpage to help users recognize your site. What do I need? You should either have an icon already in use or have some way of generating an image of the favicon that you can use inline with your brand. Ask your web designer to include this brand extension into your website today. So you know what icon you want but don’t know who to ask, we suggest talking to the graphic designer who designed your logo to see what suggestions fall in line with your brand consistency.
Put simply, a favicon is a small version of your logo or part of your logo to identify with your business, a trigger to launch your website or mobile app. When people bookmark your website it displays your custom icon like the above example to a smart phone, tablet, and within the a pc browser.
It’s a small cost to implement, graphics and formatting being the key to doing it well. You can utilise the powerful visual connection to your brand which provides a path for repeat business.
In my opinion this adds value to the overall consistency of brand and the experience for your users, so we recommend those business owners who want to appear professional use them on their website.
Those businesses with a complicated logo or long wordy business name may need to draw from a small section to be effective – less is more!