Favicon in Google Search Results: Requirements and Fixes

A favicon is the small icon that represents your site in browser tabs and bookmarks. Google can also show it next to your result in search. A recognizable icon helps people spot your brand in a list of results, and a missing one leaves a generic placeholder. If your site shows a default globe or a stale old logo, the cause is usually a small, fixable technical problem.

This guide is for site owners and developers. You will learn how to declare a favicon so Google can find it, the size and format rules from Google's documentation, the crawling requirements that trip people up, and how long to wait. You will also see how to troubleshoot an icon that does not show.

One honest limit first: Google states that a favicon may not appear in Search results even when every guideline is met. You can remove obstacles, but you cannot force it.

Before you begin

You need edit access to the <head> of your home page, the ability to upload a file to your site, and an icon design. If you do not have one, a simple square mark based on your logo is enough. Check that the file is square and larger than 48 by 48 pixels, because Google recommends a size above that so it looks good on different surfaces.

Check where the icon will live. Google supports one favicon per site, where a site is defined by the hostname. https://www.example.com/ has one favicon for the site and its subdirectories. A subdomain such as https://news.example.com is a separate site and can have its own. A subdirectory such as https://example.com/news cannot have its own favicon in Google Search.

If you have not set up Search Console, do that first; the Inspection tool is the fastest way to request a recrawl. See Set Up Google Search Console: Complete Website Owner Checklist.

Google's favicon rules in plain English

From Google's favicon documentation:

Add a <link> tag to the header of your home page that points to the icon file. The rel value icon is the standard. Google also accepts shortcut icon for historical reasons, plus apple-touch-icon and apple-touch-icon-precomposed. (MDN notes that shortcut is non-conforming and ignored by browsers, so use plain rel="icon" for new work.)
Googlebot must be able to crawl your home page, and Googlebot-Image must be able to crawl the favicon file. Neither can be blocked by robots.txt or other means.
The icon must be square (1:1) and at least 8 by 8 pixels. Google recommends larger than 48 by 48 pixels.
Supported formats (as Google lists them): BMP, GIF, ICO, PNG, JPEG, PPM and TIFF. Google's changelog notes an August 2026 update that listed these formats explicitly, and says its supported formats did not change.
The icon URL must be stable. Do not change it often.
It should represent your brand. Google will not show a favicon it considers inappropriate, and replaces it with a default icon.
The href can be relative or absolute and can be hosted elsewhere, for example on a CDN.
Timing: recrawling can take several days to several weeks. You can request indexing of the home page with URL Inspection.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Create a square icon in a supported format

Why: a wrong shape or format is the simplest reason an icon fails. Make a square PNG, for example 192 by 192 pixels, with a simple shape that stays recognizable when tiny. Detailed logos with thin lines turn to mush at 16 pixels. Keep important detail away from the edges.

If you also want an old-style .ico file for broad browser support, create one and save it as favicon.ico. Check that the file extension matches the actual format.

How to confirm: the file opens as a square image, and it is a format on Google's list.

Step 2: Upload it to a stable URL

Why: Google asks for a stable favicon URL. Put the file somewhere that will not change, such as /favicon.ico or /icons/site-icon.png, and avoid putting a version number or a build hash in the file name if it will change on every deployment. If your build tool renames files with a hash on every release, give the favicon a fixed name instead.

How to confirm: opening the full icon URL in a private window shows the icon with a 200 status.

Step 3: Add the link tag to the home page head

Why: this tells Google and browsers where the icon is. The tag belongs on the home page.

<head>
  <title>Example Co</title>
  <link rel="icon" href="/favicon.ico" sizes="any">
  <link rel="icon" href="/icons/site-icon-192.png" type="image/png" sizes="192x192">
  <link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="/apple-touch-icon.png">
</head>

When several rel="icon" links exist, MDN says the browser uses their media, type and sizes attributes to choose the best one, and falls back to the next if the chosen one is unsuitable. The apple-touch-icon link is non-standard but used by iOS for home screen icons, and Google also accepts it as a rel value.

How to confirm: view the page source and see the <link rel="icon"> inside <head>, not hidden in the body or added only after a script runs.

Step 4: Make sure crawlers are allowed in

Why: Google says Googlebot needs the home page and any redirect target, and Googlebot-Image needs the icon file, with no robots.txt block and no other block. Check your robots.txt for rules that disallow your icons or images folder. Check that your firewall, CDN bot rules or password protection do not block image crawlers; see Cloudflare Blocking Googlebot or Bingbot: How to Diagnose.

How to confirm: your robots.txt does not disallow the icon path, and a request to the icon URL from outside your network returns the file.

Step 5: Handle the home page redirects correctly

Why: if http://example.com/ redirects to https://www.example.com/, Googlebot must be able to follow it to the final home page, where the icon tag lives. A broken redirect chain on the home page can hide the icon. Check Redirect Chains, Loops, and Incorrect HTTP Status Codes if you see more than one hop.

How to confirm: requesting your preferred home page URL returns 200 and contains the favicon link.

Step 6: Request a recrawl and wait

Why: Google must recrawl and process the home page. Use URL Inspection to request indexing of the home page, then wait. Google says recrawling can take anywhere from several days to several weeks. See Request Google Indexing the Right Way.

How to confirm: after the wait, a search for your brand name or a result from your site shows the icon. Check on a phone and on a desktop, because different surfaces may update at different times.

Step 7: If it still does not show, troubleshoot

Work through this list, in order:

The <link> tag is on the home page of the hostname you are checking, not only on inner pages.
The icon file returns 200, is square, and is in a listed format.
The file is not blocked by robots.txt for Googlebot-Image.
The URL has not changed repeatedly.
The image is appropriate and clearly represents the brand.
You are looking at the right hostname (www and non-www are different hostnames; so are subdomains).

If everything checks out and it still does not appear, Google offers a favicon feedback form. Google says submissions improve Search overall but do not mean action on an individual site.

How to confirm: every item on the list passes, and you have given Google enough time.

Browser tabs versus search results

An icon that appears in your browser tab does not prove that Google can use it. Browsers can pick up /favicon.ico by default or from tags on any page, and they may cache icons aggressively. Google's requirements are stricter: the home page must carry the tag, and the crawlers must be allowed in. Test with a private window and a URL check rather than trusting the tab.

Crawvix has a check named "Favicon and touch icon are present and load". It looks at your home page for a declared icon and an Apple touch icon, requests them to confirm they load, and notes when robots.txt disallows the path so it did not request the file.

Final verification checklist

The home page <head> contains a <link rel="icon"> tag.
The icon URL returns 200 and an image, from a private window.
The icon is square, larger than 48 by 48 pixels, and in a format Google lists.
The icon URL is stable and not renamed on each deployment.
robots.txt and firewalls do not block the home page or the icon for Googlebot or Googlebot-Image.
The preferred home page URL does not break on the way through redirects.
The icon matches your brand and is appropriate.
You requested a recrawl of the home page and allowed days or weeks.

Common mistakes to avoid

Putting the link tag only on inner pages. Google reads it from the home page.
Blocking the icon in robots.txt. Googlebot-Image needs access to the file.
A non-square or tiny image. Use a square file larger than 48 by 48 pixels.
Changing the URL every release. Use a fixed file name.
Expecting a subdirectory favicon. Google supports subdomain home pages, not subdirectory home pages.
Testing only in the browser tab. Check Google's requirements separately.
Giving up after a day. Recrawling can take weeks.

Frequently asked questions

Why is my favicon not showing in Google Search?

The common causes are a missing or misplaced link tag, a blocked file, a wrong shape or format, or not enough time since the last crawl. Even when everything is right, Google says a favicon is not assured to show.

What size should a favicon be?

Square, at least 8 by 8 pixels, and Google recommends larger than 48 by 48 pixels.

Can I use an SVG favicon?

When we checked, Google's favicon documentation listed BMP, GIF, ICO, PNG, JPEG, PPM and TIFF and did not list SVG. SVG may still work in browsers, but for Google Search use a listed format, and re-read the page for the current list.

How long does it take for a new favicon to appear?

Google says recrawling can take anywhere from several days to several weeks. Request indexing of the home page to speed up the first crawl, but the process still takes time.

Can each subfolder have its own favicon?

No. Google supports one favicon per hostname. A subdomain home page works; a subdirectory home page does not.

Do I need a separate Apple touch icon?

It is optional for Google, which accepts it as a rel value, and useful for iOS home screens. Provide both if you can.

Official references

Next step: See how Crawvix checks a website and capture a baseline once scanning opens. This guide provides technical information, not a guarantee of rankings, traffic or index inclusion.