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Add a favicon
The favicon is a small icon shown in browser tabs, bookmarks, and history, and it is one of the first visual details a returning visitor notices. A missing favicon makes even a polished site look unfinished or, worse, makes it harder to spot among a dozen open tabs.
Why it matters
A missing favicon makes the site look unfinished or untrustworthy in browser tabs, bookmarks, and history (often one of the first things a visitor notices).
How to fix
- 1 Create a favicon (ideally in multiple sizes/formats).
- 2 Add the corresponding <link rel="icon"> tag(s) to <head>.
Common mistakes
- Providing only a single small icon size, which looks blurry or gets ignored on high-resolution displays and app-icon contexts (iOS home screen, Android).
- Linking the favicon with a relative path that breaks on subpaths or when the site is served from a CDN with a different base path.
- Forgetting to update the favicon link tags after a rebrand, so the old icon lingers due to browser caching.
How to verify
- 1 Load the site and confirm an icon (not the browser default) appears in the tab.
- 2 View page source and confirm <link rel="icon"> tags reference valid, reachable file paths.
- 3 Check the icon at multiple sizes (browser tab, bookmark, mobile home-screen) to confirm it looks correct everywhere it appears.
Related checks
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