Google Updates Favicon Guidelines

Google recently updated their documentation on Favicons to address common user questions. The new version of the documentation clearly explains the differences between the old and new versions of favicons.

Importance of a Favicon

A favicon serves as a visual representation of a website. When done correctly, it can stand out in search engine results pages (SERPs) and attract more clicks. The favicon is associated with the “rel” HTML attribute, which indicates the connection between the favicon and the webpage. "REL" stands for relation.

Updated Information on Favicons

Google recently made changes to the support page for favicons, specifically in the section that discusses the recommended types of favicons. The updates provide more detailed explanations on the distinction between legacy and modern versions of favicons.

This section was revised and essentially removed:

Set the rel attribute to one of the following strings:

icon

apple-touch-icon

apple-touch-icon-precomposed

shortcut icon

The problem with the above section is the use of the word “strings” means text, but it’s needlessly jargony and not informative enough.

That section was replaced with this:

Google supports the following rel attribute values for specifying a favicon; use whichever one fits your use case:

icon

The icon that represents your site, as defined in the HTML standard.

apple-touch-icon

An iOS-friendly icon that represents your site, per Apple’s developer documentation.

apple-touch-icon-precomposed

An alternative icon for earlier versions of iOS, per Apple’s developer documentation.

There is also a new callout box with the following information:

“For historical reasons, we also support shortcut icon, which is an earlier, alternative version of icon.”

Screenshot of new callout box

A "shortcut icon" is an old method of indicating a favicon by using rel="shortcut icon" instead of rel="icon". Google's documentation mentions that they will continue to support this non-standard way of linking to a favicon.

The updated documentation now includes more detailed and descriptive wording.

Read the new documentation here:

Define a favicon to show in search results

Compare it to the old documentation here:

Internet Archive: Define a favicon to show in search results

Featured Image by Shutterstock/GoodStudio

Editor's P/S:

The updated Google documentation on favicons provides clarity and addresses common user questions. The distinction between legacy and modern favicons is now more effectively explained, with specific guidance on which values to use for the "rel" attribute. The removal of ambiguous terminology and the addition of clear descriptions enhance the usability of the documentation.

Moreover, the inclusion of a callout box on the use of the non-standard "shortcut icon" attribute showcases Google's commitment to supporting legacy approaches while encouraging the adoption of modern standards. This comprehensive update ensures that developers and website owners have access to the latest information on favicons, enabling them to optimize their visibility in search results and improve user engagement.