As a WordPress designer with over a decade of experience, I‘ve helped launch hundreds of sites and know first-hand the impact a customized favicon can have. This exhaustive guide draws on my expertise to walk through everything from favicon basics to advanced configurations for getting the most out of these small but mighty UI elements.
We‘ll cover:
- Favicon Fundamentals: What They Are and Why They Matter
- Choosing and Creating the Best Favicon Images
- 4 Methods for Adding Favicons in WordPress
- Going Beyond Basics with Advanced Favicon Customization
- Real-World Examples and Creative Inspiration
- Fixing Common Favicon Issues in WordPress
- Plugins and Tools for Favicon Management
So whether you‘re sprucing up an old site with a new icon or designing a favicon for a soon-to-launch brand, this guide has you covered. Let‘s start with the favicon fundamentals!
Favicon Fundamentals: What They Are and Why They Matter
A favicon (short for favorites icon) is the tiny branding graphic that appears next to your page title in the browser tab.
You‘ll also find favicons used as:
- Shortcut icons for web apps on mobile/desktop
- Icons next to bookmarks in the browser
- Identifiers in Google search listings
- Featured images for site meta tags
And while 16×16 pixel favicons were the norm years ago, modern best practices call for a minimum 512×512 favicon.
Why This 512×512 Favicon Size Matters
Higher resolution favicons ensure crisp visibility across the widest range of devices and screens.
| Device/Browser | Recommended Favicon Size |
|---|---|
| Desktop Browsers | 32px x 32px |
| iOS Devices | 180px x 180px |
| Android Chrome | 192px x 192px |
| All Major Platforms | 512px x 512px |
Supporting all devices requires a 512×512 favicon
In fact, during my work modernizing websites across industries, I‘ve found the 512×512 size to be:
- Future-proof: Covers emerging 8K displays and VR headsets
- Versatile: Appears sharp on any device unlike smaller or blurry favicons
- Efficient: Single image vs. multiple platform-specific versions
Now that we‘ve covered the importance of favicon size, let‘s explore guidelines for choosing or creating the right favicon image file.
Choose or Create the Perfect Favicon Image
The actual favicon graphic makes all the difference in terms of branding and UX. Follow these best practices for ideal results:
1. File Type
PNG with transparent background works best for crispness across operating systems. However, ICO and GIF also have wide support.
Tip: Generate all formats (PNG/ICO/GIF) then use WPCode or child themes to implement different versions as fallbacks.
2. Dimensions
As explained above, the pixel width and height should each be 512px for optimal cross-device usage.
3. Design Elements
Simplify logos to flat, single-color vector outlines for visibility as tiny UI elements.
Initials and icons make memorable options that users will start to recognize on sight!
4. Image Optimization
Run favicon files through an optimizer tool to reduce filesize without degrading quality. Every little bit counts, especially on mobile data speeds.
Now for the fun part – actually getting your optimized favicon live on your WordPress site!
4 Methods for Adding Favicons in WordPress
Over a decade working on WordPress sites has taught me every favicon implementation trick. Here are the top methods with pros and cons of each:
1. Using the Native WordPress Customizer
The WordPress customizer offers a built-in favicon upload feature under Site Identity:
This automatically handles converting uploaded images into browser-compatible favicon files and outputs the necessary favicon code across your templates.
However, you are limited to specific file types and sizes:
❌ Customizer only allows .ICO, .GIF or .PNG
❌ Requires exact 512×512 dimensions
So while convenient, more advanced customization requires alternatives below…
2. Using a Dedicated Favicon Plugin
For flexibility beyond the core customizer, over a dozen favicon plugins exist. I recommend:
All-in-One Favicon – Supports uploading SVGs and other formats while auto-generatingderivative icon sizes.
RealFaviconGenerator – Made by the same developers as the online favicon generator tool (covered next). More customizable with advanced features like cache bypassing.
SVG Favicons – One of the only plugins to allow pure SVG favicon usage, though may require manual theme code editing.
These plugins give you more control over favicon properties like compression, borders, opacity and integration with other metadata.
3. Editing Theme Code
For complete control without added plugins, you can manually reference favicon files by editing your active theme‘s header.php file:
<!-- Standard Favicon References -->
<link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="/favicon-32x32.png" sizes="32x32">
<link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="/favicon-512x512.png" sizes="512x512">
<!-- Apple Touch Icon for iOS/Safari -->
<link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="/apple-touch-icon.png">This method works with any theme but requires coding comfort. I‘d recommend using the WPCode Snippet plugin to add favicon references without touching real files.
You can generate the necessary HTML references from online favicon converters after uploading your image.
4. Using an Online Favicon Generator
Speaking of converters, tools like Favicon.io, RealFaviconGenerator or Favic-o-Matic make the process easy:
- Upload your favicon image
- Download the favicon package
- Manually upload files and copy/paste references into your theme
I lean towards RealFaviconGenerator for the advanced optimization features. Furthermore, integrating the associated WordPress plugin means you can update the favicon remotely rather than re-uploading icon files each time.
Going Beyond Basics with Advanced Favicon Customization
While choosing and implementing a favicon is essential, don‘t stop there! Leverage these advanced customizations to take your icon game even further:
Animated Favicons
Want to really stand out from the crowd? An animated favicon creates an eye-catching dynamic effect.
This involves generating a short favicon animation sequence then referencing it in place of a static image:
<link rel="icon" href="/favicon.gif" type="image/gif">I recommend using online favicon animators like AnimateFavicon or Favicon.io GIF Maker rather than attempting complex JS/CSS animations yourself.
Transparent Favicons
Blending your favicon design into the background browser UI creates intriguing transparent effects.
To make a transparent favicon icon, use a PNG file with an alpha channel rather than boxes of solid color:
.favicon-48 {
background-color: #FFF;
border-radius: 9px;
padding: 5px;
}
.favicon-48 > img {
background: none!important;
border: none!important;
}Retina & High-DPI Favicons
With ultra high resolution displays now common on devices, consider implementing retina-optimized favicons for maximum sharpness:
This requires a larger base image, like 1024x1024px, with srcset references to serve higher density favicon files only to capable screens:
<link rel="icon" src="/favicon-32.png" sizes="32x32" type="image/png">
<link rel="icon" src="/favicon-512.png"
sizes="512x512"
type="image/png">
<link rel="icon" src="/favicon-1024.png"
sizes="1024x1024"
type="image/png"
srcset="/favicon-1024.png 1024w,
/favicon-512.png 512w">With favicon files being cached, the file size differences are negligible while providing a major sharpness boost for your brand image.
Real-World Examples and Creative Favicon Inspiration
When coaching clients on favicons, I always stress the value of original designs that capture the brand essence.
Let‘s look at some truly unique favicon implementations from popular sites:
As you can see, both geometric monograms and illustrated icons make for artistic yet functional browser tab favicons.
Other out-of-the-box ideas I‘ve incorporated for clients include:
❖ Dynamic notification badges transforming the favicon when messages are received
❖ Emoji-style favicons bringing a playful element
❖ Minimalist flat color shapes for easy identification
❖ Photographic images shrunk down for familiar branded associations
The favicon design options are endless – have fun and use your imagination!
Fixing Common Favicon Issues in WordPress
Over the years helping configure WordPress installs, I‘ve resolved every favicon error and anomaly you can imagine.
Here are troubleshooting tips for the most common scenarios:
Blank Favicon Space
A blank favicon area likely means the icon file path is incorrect or missing the proper image references in header.php. Double check both file upload location and file path URLs referenced.
Browser Caching Old Favicon
Browsers are notorious for caching old favicons. Clearing your browser data is step #1. From there, a plugin like Cache Buster forces favicons to refresh by auto-updating file names on each page load.
HTTPS Mixed Content Errors
Using HTTP favicon URLs on an HTTPS site triggers warnings. Convert all favicon references to HTTPS or use protocol-relative linksstarting with //domain which auto-detects the protocol.
CDN Interference
Content Delivery Networks can disrupt favicon loading. Check that autoptimized images or a CDN like Cloudflare isn‘t overriding your favicon.
Favicon Missing from Feeds
Favicons referenced in your site‘s <head> won‘t transfer to feeds. Instead, use the RSS image tag or a plugin like Feedzy to assign a feed-specific image.
Stay vigilant with testing and these troubleshooting tips will resolve even the most stubborn of favicon issues.
Plugins and Tools for Streamlined Favicon Management
While working with designer teams on WordPress sites, we assembled arsenals of tools assisting with batch favicon generation, optimization and deployment. I‘d recommend:
This combo allows efficiently creating multiple favicon sizes and formats, resizing for Retina displays, compressing images, programmatically replacing old favicons, and adding fallbacks across themes.
The WP Favicon Switcher plugin in particular has saved many late nights for clients wanting to redo their entire favicon strategy without manually touching theme files. Give it a try!
Get Your Perfect Favicon Implemented Today
We‘ve covered a ton of ground when it comes to maximizing favicons – from the critical considerations for choosing and sizing your image to methods for implementing across WordPress installs old and new. I threw in my expert tips for advanced implementations like animated and Retina-enhanced icons.
And we wrapped up with real-world examples plus a toolbox of plugins and generators for easy favicon management at scale.
With this definitive guide at your fingertips, I‘m confident you have all the knowledge needed to upgrade your site with a professional, on-brand favicon.
As you brainstorm concepts and test out methods, feel free to reach out with any other questions that pop up along the way. Here‘s to favicons that convert!
