FAVICONS

Most writers have an online presence for readers to explore their books and follow their work, and a favicon is a discreet and powerful part of this process.

Literally short for ‘favourite icon’, a favicon is the tiny icon that appears next to someone’s page in browser tabs, bookmarks, and mobile shortcuts. You can design one however you want it to look, so that it reflects your genre or your personality. It is far more than a decoration, but a discreet way to build a brand and help your readers remember you.

Look at this list that came up on a random search for ‘Novels set in France’.

As you can see, each listing has a unique favicon next to it. The default image is the small blue globe (see the Literary Quicksand listing), which is what everyone gets if they do not create their own version. To someone with good business awareness, it will be obvious which of the names are digitally savvy (because they are proudly advertising their brand) and which are not (because they are still innocently using the globe).

Another way it’s useful is when you have lots of tabs open at once in your browser.

You will recognise in the image the popular favicons for Facebook and Instagram, as well as seeing some less familiar ones too. If someone opens your website and interacts with it, leaving your page open in a tab, your favicon will help guide them back to it easily.

Here are some solid reasons why every author should have a favicon:

1.     It makes you instantly recognisable (like a logo)

2.     It makes your website look professional and complete

3.     It reinforces trust in your readers that you are a credible professional writer

4.     It displays pride in your brand and takes your product seriously

5.     It undoubtedly strengthens your presence across the web

What should you choose for your favicon?

Your favicon reinforces your author presence without needing words, so pick something to reflect your genre – a quill, a house, some headphones, a coffee cup, a kitten…

The choice is endless and entirely personal to you, and if your books go across genres, then your initials are always a safe bet in a colour and font you like.

How do I get one?

Favicons are quick and easy to make, and you can do it yourself.

Try a graphic tool like Canva: https://www.canva.com/create/favicon-generator/ 

or Favicon.io. https://favicon.io/ 

Here's a short video to give you an idea of what it entails - although each software application may be slightly different. https://youtu.be/bxI7q43mFrM?si=hThZzwWE7nQ8ez2Q

You will almost certainly need to play around with it until you find something you are happy with, but you can keep regenerating until you find it.

The size should be around 500 x 500 pixels, and the image should be simple and clean. It will appear very small on someone’s desktop, so the colours and sharpness are important.

How do I use my favicon?

Within your website settings, there will be a favicon option. This varies depending on which website you use, but a quick Google search or Chat GPT question should guide you to where it is for you.

Save the favicon file you have created to your photos as a PNG, and then you will be able to upload it to your website following its specific instructions.

After that, you can relax for a while because your website will do the rest. Your favicon will go on its journey to be distributed around the web, and within a few days, you should start to see it replacing the little blue globe next to your name.

But don’t stop there – take the opportunity to build your brand even further. Put your

favicon design on your bookmarks, business cards and invoices. Place it discreetly on the home pages of your website and social media.  When people share your content with others, the favicon will accompany it, and so when readers see it again in another form of communication, it will do no harm to enhance their view that you are a serious professional.

It’s surprising how much you notice other people’s favicons once you have one of your own – and how obvious it is when someone doesn’t have one.

So, create yours today. It shouldn’t take too long, and it’s a fun task to do. 😁