Favicon not showing in Google search

Check these first, on any website builder

• It's square

  Google needs a square picture at least 8 by 8 pixels, and suggests bigger than 48 by 48. Squarespace and Wix ask for a multiple of 48 (48, 96, 144, 192). A square PNG of 192 pixels suits all of them.

• Your site is public

  Google has to be able to read your home page. A free trial, a site-wide password or a store still in private mode hides it. See Why isn't my website on Google?

• Google has been back since

  Google says it can take several days to several weeks. You can ask it to look again sooner (below).

• You didn't change it again

  Google asks for a favicon whose address stays the same. Each new upload can start the wait over.

• It's the home page's favicon

  Google shows one favicon per website address. A page in a folder of your site can't have its own in search results.

• Google still decides

  Google won't show a favicon it considers inappropriate, and even when everything's right, it doesn't promise to show one.

Your browser tab still shows the old one? That's your own browser keeping a saved copy, not Google. Clear your cache, then close and reopen the browser.

Ask Google to look again

This needs your site in Google Search Console (Google's free dashboard for site owners). If it isn't there yet, set it up first.

1. Open Google Search Console at search.google.com/search-console and pick your site.
2. Paste your home page's full address into the search box at the top. That's the URL Inspection tool.
3. Click Request indexing. The button only appears if the page passes a quick check.
4. Wait. Google says indexing usually takes a day or so, but the favicon can take longer, and there's a daily limit on requests, so ask once.

Make the picture

Our free Favicon generator turns your logo into square icons on your own computer. Use icon-192.png on Squarespace, Wix, Shopify and GoDaddy, and icon-512.png on WordPress. Keep it simple: Google and browsers show it as small as 16 pixels, so a single letter or symbol reads better than a full logo with words.

Change your favicon on Squarespace

1. Open the Favicon panel in your site's settings.
2. Drag your picture into the uploader, or click it to choose a file.
3. If you like, add a second version for visitors using dark mode. You have to add the normal one first.
4. Click Save.

• Size: Squarespace suggests 100 to 300 pixels square. To suit Google too, use 144 or 192 (multiples of 48).
• File: PNG is best. Squarespace doesn't take .ico files, or files over 100 KB.
• Not updating? Squarespace says browsers hold on to old favicons, so clear your cache and restart the browser. For Google, wait or ask it to look again.

Add a favicon on Wix

You need a Premium plan, a connected domain and a published site. Until then, Wix shows its own favicon.

1. Go to Settings in your site's dashboard.
2. Click Website Settings.
3. Click Upload Image under Favicon, and choose your picture.
4. Click Save.

• Size: square, a multiple of 48 pixels, and still clear at 16 pixels.
• File: JPG or PNG.
• Not in Google? Wix says Google updates it the next time it reads your site, and suggests sending your sitemap again in Google Search Console. Check that your home page can be listed at all: SEO & GEO, Tools and settings, SEO Settings, and Let search engines index your site should be on.

Change your favicon on Shopify

1. In your Shopify admin, go to Online Store.
2. Find your theme and click Edit theme.
3. Click the gear icon for Theme settings, then Logo or Favicon (it depends on your theme).
4. Under the favicon image, click Select image, pick or upload your picture, and click Done.
5. Click Save.

• Size: Shopify's help suggests 16 or 32 pixels, and its Dawn theme makes a 32 pixel copy of whatever you upload. Google accepts that, so upload a clear square and let the theme shrink it.
• Not in Google? Shopify says to make sure you've sent your sitemap to Google (yourstore.com/sitemap.xml), and that your store isn't in private mode.

Change your site icon on WordPress

WordPress calls the favicon the Site Icon.

1. In your dashboard, go to Settings, General.
2. Next to Site Icon, click Choose a Site Icon (or Change Site Icon), and pick or upload your picture.
3. Click Save Changes.

• Size: WordPress asks for a square at least 512 by 512 pixels, and makes the smaller sizes itself.
• Block themes: you can also set it in the Site Logo block's settings with Use as site icon.
• Still the old one? A caching plugin or your host may be serving a saved copy of your pages. Clear it, or ask your web person to.

Add a favicon on GoDaddy Website Builder

GoDaddy's help pages call its builder Websites + Marketing.

1. Go to your GoDaddy product page.
2. Expand Websites + Marketing and select Manage next to your site.
3. Select Edit Site, then Settings, then Favicon.
4. Select Upload and choose your picture.
5. Select Done, then Publish. Select View Site to see it in the browser tab.

• Size: GoDaddy suggests 180 by 180 pixels. Any clear square works; 192 suits Google too.
• File: PNG, ICO, JPG or JPEG.
• Forgot to publish? Nothing changes on your live site, or in Google, until you do.