We've introduced the website favicon a few times in the past. Introduced by Microsoft in 1999 as part of Internet Explorer 5, the small 16×16 image (or .ico file ) would be Uploaded to the root directory of a website, and it would then subsequently render in a browser's favourites menu and URL address bar. Since its introduction, the number of icons each site should provide has increased based on the need to cater for multiple devices, and their use has become an essential website component that'll determine how your website is represented in browser tabs, desktop shortcuts, and on mobile devices. They've become an essential part in how your brand is represented online.

We routinely conduct audits of industry websites (notably those in the finance space) and we determined that of the 62% of websites that hosted a favicon, 57% had just one, 7% had 5 or more, and 2% had 10 or more. No website referenced what we would consider a complete 'set'. Why is this the case? Well, there's no real evidence that the mechanics of the icon, of simply applying appropriate diligence in their creation, will impact upon your SEO (or SERP), so it's one of those areas where many just 'don't bother'. However, as part of a holistic SEO presence there's plenty of evidence suggesting that the icon sets does it fact provide upon engagement. The finance website statistics are what mandated the inclusion of a favicon module in the Yabber Suite.

WordPress implemented a Site Icon feature that enables favicons in Version 4.3, and we previously wrote about how one could add additional icons to WordPress' default and limit icon options. The problem as we've experienced it - for such a simple thing - is that that a powerful icon presence usually requires coding or a bloated and unnecessary plugin. Further, when additional icon sets are required by a newer device or standards, those assets must be updated.

Our solution to the ongoing favicon dilemma is simple. You create a single icon, upload it to Yabber, Yabber creates a full suite of icons, and you send the icons to your nominated website. If automation is enabled for the module, and if and when a new icon makes its way into standard practice, we'll update your website in real-time with a new icon set. Simple.

We've create a short video to introduce the basic of the system.

As part of the image creation process we generate a range of icons, including a true .ico file (the ico file actually includes embedded images (often scaled to 16x16px, 32x32px, 48x48px, 64x64px, 128x128px and 256x256px), although a .png file seems to be the standard for most engines (our logs show Google looking for a .png file before anything else). We place a few images and documents in your web root, and reference others in your document head.

It should be noted that we have an article scheduled that details how and why we apply icons associated with outgoing links (something we've introduced before in basic ways). To demonstrate the point, consider this link to the Commonwealth Bank . The icon indicates an external URL, provides a visual means of assessing the link, and it looks good!

Favicons on Yabber

The process of uploading simply requires you drag-and-drop your company square logo (or other image) into your browser. We recommend a larger size to ensure that larger images don't lose quality (if scaling up is required).

Uploading the Image

Icons sets may be used for any reason, not just for your website. It's a handy tool for creating icons of any sizes for any reason - all stored in your archive,

Sending to WordPress

To send to WordPress, you select the destination website, select an image collection, and select a tile colour for those platform that require it (notably Windows).

Favicon Archive

Conclusion

The favicon feature is a tiny component of our broader SEO systems that'll automate your website in ways the industry has never known. Because we heavily integrate with your website we're able to automate various types of functionality and features that might otherwise be ignored - this includes various types of markup, video markup, and so on. Any changes that are made to your website upon publication may easily be managed and altered from within Yabber.

Like most Yabber features, the icons are a set-and-forget feature - we'll update the icons if and when required. It's a small feature... but it's one of the many little things that all adds up to a big difference.