In May 2019 Google decided it was time to add a touch of colour to our mobile searches and introduced Favicons on SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages). Now, just two days ago, Google have rolled out this update to all desktop users. This will now mean that Favicons are more important to contribute to your brand’s success via the visibility of your content appearing in search engines.
These little 16×16 pixel Favicons are adding to the overall look in our search engines today and in our tabs. Favicons are typically the brands logo or square identifier with their distinct colours for organic search results. The Favicon is now placed next to the URL and Google has moved both the URL and the Favicon above the search title, rather than below. The URL changed from the original green coloured URL to a simple black.
Here is an example of what a Favicon looks like next to Hyperweb’s website:
This new update can offer benefits to search engine users and companies in a number of ways. It could also pose some negatives for companies when vying for attention and click throughs with their competitors in search engines.
- + The traditional place of the site’s URL and plain “Ad” icon changing to above the title will allow easy usability by users as they can quickly identify where the ad or information, they are looking for is coming from without having to even navigate to the website. If you have a recognisable brand logo compared to a competitor that may not have a Favicon installed on their website, your company will most likely achieve a higher click through rate. This is a good time to note the importance of a strong brand image/logo being attractive to the human eye as we are mostly driven by visual appeals. This can make users search for a product or service more frictionless in terms of Click Through Rate and Search Engine Optimisation. Ideally your Favicon is the same as the profile image you are using on your social media accounts, leveraging the brand awareness you have raised via your content marketing to draw attention to your site.
- + If a website was built poorly without close attention paid to the Favicon when building the site, Google will just put a black globe in place of a coloured/branded Favicon. This may result in a look and feel that the site is low quality or becomes unrecognisable to users, therefore, resulting in a higher chance they won’t click on your page. Again, stressing the importance of a strong brand and communicating creditability and trust to your users.
As in the past, the Favicon will still appear in a number of other places, depending on the browser you are using.
Next to a page’s title on a browser tab
Address bar next to the URL
History tab
Open your search engine now and check out the Favicon icons that appear next to your company. Consider how well it represents the company and if you would feel compelled to click on it as an average user. It should be clear enough and bold enough to produce the click users make to your website.
If you don’t have a Favicon for your business, it’s definitely something to consider. Particularly as we move into a time where your search may become lost amongst other leading brands due crowded marketplaces and the overwhelming amount of content now on Google.
Contact the team at HyperWeb today for all of your website development or digital marketing requirements.
