Google Showing Wrong Favicon Causes and Fixes

Google's favicon is a small icon that appears next to your website's URL in a browser's address bar. This icon is supposed to be a visual representation of your brand, but sometimes it shows up as the wrong one.

This can be frustrating, especially if you've taken the time to create a custom favicon. A wrong favicon can make your website look unprofessional and may even confuse your visitors.

There are several reasons why Google might be showing the wrong favicon. One common cause is that the favicon is not properly linked to the website's HTML file. This can happen if the favicon is stored in a different location than expected.

If you're experiencing issues with your favicon, try checking the HTML file for any typos or incorrect paths. Make sure the favicon is correctly linked to the HTML file, and that the path is correct.

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Google stores your favicon as an SVG file on its servers and only rarely updates it, so changes might not be reflected immediately.

The favicon you supply is usually a PNG, but Google converts it into a base64-encoded SVG, which doesn't update automatically when you make a change.

This caching behavior can be frustrating, especially when you want your new design to be seen right away, but it's not uncommon for Google to cache the favicon.

To request an update in Google Search Console, use the URL Inspection Tool and paste the new URL of your updated favicon file, then request indexing for it.

Give it some time, about a week, and check if the updated favicon appears in the search results. If not, try the process again, as it might take a few attempts for Google to refresh its cache.

Here's a step-by-step guide to requesting an update in Google Search Console:

If you're still seeing the wrong favicon, don't worry, there's a workaround.

The first step is to request an update in Google Search Console, which is a tool that helps you monitor and maintain your website's presence in Google search results.

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Use the URL Inspection Tool, a feature within Google Search Console, to paste the new URL of your updated favicon file and request indexing for it. This may not be a URL that Google normally indexes, but it's worth a try.

Give it some time, about a week, and check if the updated favicon appears in the search results. If not, try the process again, as it sometimes takes a few attempts for Google to refresh its cache.

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Google stores your favicon as an SVG file on its servers. This is why changes to your favicon may not be reflected immediately.

Favicon files are usually supplied as PNGs, but Google converts them into base64-encoded SVGs. This conversion process doesn't update automatically when you make changes to your favicon.

Google has specific guidelines for showing a favicon in search results, and following these rules will help you avoid issues. If you want Google to show your favicon, you must follow these guidelines.

Google Search only supports one favicon per site, where a site is defined by the hostname. For example, https://www.example.com/ and https://code.example.com/ are two different hostnames. This means you can have two different favicons.

To be eligible for a favicon, Google Search must be able to crawl the favicon file and the home page, and they cannot be blocked for crawling.

Your favicon must be visually representative of your website's brand to help people quickly identify your site when they scan through search results.

A favicon must be a square (1:1 aspect ratio) that's at least 8x8px. While the minimum size requirement is 8x8px, we recommend using a favicon that's larger than 48x48px.

Here are some examples of supported and not supported cases:

Your favicon URL must be stable, don't change the URL frequently, or Google won't show it.

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Google stores your favicon as an SVG file on its servers, and only rarely updates it, so changes might not be reflected immediately.

Google caches the favicon, which means once the icon is stored on their servers, any changes on your website might not be reflected right away.

To request an update in Google Search Console, use the URL Inspection Tool. Paste the new URL of your updated favicon file and request indexing for it.

It might take a week or two for the updated favicon to appear in the search results. If it doesn't, try the process again.

Here's a step-by-step guide to update your favicon in Google Search Console:

It sometimes takes a few attempts for Google to refresh its cache, so be patient and try again if necessary.