What the heck is a favicon?
Have you ever heard the word favicon (browser icon) and wondered what they were talking about? It’s pretty simple.... look up. See that little icon next to the website name in your browser? That’s a favicon. It is customizable with every site you have designed or made yourself.
Unfortunately, I notice it is something many DIYers forget to add to their website. Adding a favicon to your site is super simple and will make your website look more professional.
It is usually found in the Design Settings, where you add your logo and social share files. Your logo designer should have given you an icon or square file, and the file size should be small and in the shape of a square. The actual favicon is only about 20x20 pixels, which is pretty tiny!
Another cool thing about favicons is that they can represent your own app! On specific web browsers, such as Safari, you can save a website as an icon right with your phone apps for quick access.
To add a website link as an iPhone app from Safari:
Open up Safari on your iOS device.
Navigate to the website that you want to save as a home screen shortcut.
Tap the Share button on the menu bar. An icon on the right side is a box with an arrow sticking out from it.
Tap on Add to Home Screen.
Below you'll find quick instructions on how to add a favicon to your site.
Wordpress:
Simply go to Appearance > Customize and click on the ‘Site Identity’ tab.
Squarespace:
Go to Design > Logo & Title
Shopify:
Online Store > Themes.
Click Customize.
In the theme editor toolbar, click the Theme settings tab.
Click Favicon.
Wix:
Go to Settings in your site's dashboard.
Click Manage next to Favicon.
Hopefully, this will clear up some things in the favicon department! Happy websiting!
PS: A social share image is the default image that shows up when your site is shared on social media. You can customize this too! I recommend a high-quality image that represents your business.
