Blog

Welcome to the Online ICO Convertor Blog! Here you'll find helpful articles and guides to help you create and use ICO files for your website and projects. We're here to help you get the most out of our free tool and perfect your digital presence.

What Is a Favicon and Why Your Website Needs One

A favicon (short for 'favorite icon') is a small, 16x16 pixel icon that represents your website. You've seen them everywhere—they appear in a browser's address bar, on tabs, and in bookmark lists. While they're tiny, they play a huge role in web branding and user experience.

Why is a favicon so important?

Brand Recognition: A favicon acts as a visual shortcut to your brand. When a user has multiple tabs open, your favicon makes your site easy to spot at a glance. It's the digital equivalent of a logo on a storefront.
Trust and Professionalism: Websites without a favicon often appear unfinished or unprofessional. Having a custom icon signals to visitors that you've put thought and effort into your site's design, which builds trust.
Improved User Experience: For users who bookmark your site, the favicon makes it easy to find on their bookmark bar. This simple visual cue saves them time and makes your site more memorable.

A favicon is the final touch that makes your website feel complete. And with our free tool, creating one is the easiest part of launching your site!

How to Add a Favicon to Your Website

Once you've used our converter to get your perfect `.ico` file, adding it to your website is the next step. It's a quick process that gives your site a professional polish. Here’s a simple guide for adding your new favicon.

Step 1: Upload Your Favicon

Upload your `icon.ico` file to the root directory of your website. This is the main folder where your `index.html` file is located.

Step 2: Add the HTML Code

Open your website's main HTML file (usually `index.html`) and place the following line of code inside the `` section, before the closing `` tag.

<link rel="icon" type="image/x-icon" href="/icon.ico">

This line of code tells the browser where to find your favicon. The `href="/icon.ico"` points to the file in your website's root directory.

Step 3: Save and Upload

Save the changes to your HTML file and upload it to your web server. Once your site is live, refresh the page in your browser. Your new favicon should now appear! If it doesn't show up immediately, don't worry—some browsers can take a few minutes to recognize the change.

Choosing the Best Image for Your ICO File

The quality of your favicon is entirely dependent on the quality of the image you start with. A great favicon begins with a great source image.

Here’s what to look for in your source image:

Simple Design: Remember that a favicon is very small. Detailed images with small text or complex shapes won't be recognizable. A simple, bold design or logo works best. Think of brands like Google, which uses a simple 'G,' or Twitter, which uses a bird icon.
Square Dimensions: While our tool can handle any image, starting with a square image (e.g., 512x512 pixels) ensures that the conversion to various square sizes is seamless, avoiding any distortion.
High Resolution: Always use a high-resolution image to start. Our converter will scale it down, but starting with a crisp, clear image ensures the final favicon will be sharp, not blurry.

Following these tips will ensure that your final ICO file looks professional and represents your brand perfectly, no matter where it's displayed.