Your WordPress site icon not showing on Google search results usually comes down to one of three things: the image is too small, Googlebot can’t access it, or the HTML tags are missing. This guide walks you through each fix so your favicon shows up in Google, Bing, and browser tabs.
Google’s Favicon Requirements
Before troubleshooting, check that your favicon meets Google’s current requirements:
- Size: at least 48×48 pixels (Google strongly recommends this; 8×8 is the minimum but won’t display well)
- Aspect ratio: must be 1:1 (square)
- Format: any valid format — PNG, ICO, SVG, or GIF
- Crawlable: Googlebot and Googlebot-Image must be able to access the favicon URL
- Stable URL: don’t change the favicon URL frequently — Google caches it and recrawls infrequently
Google only supports one favicon per hostname. Subdomains can have different favicons, but subdirectories cannot.
Fix 1: Set the Site Icon in WordPress
WordPress has built-in site icon support. This is the easiest method and works with any theme:
- Go to Appearance > Customize > Site Identity
- Click Select site icon
- Upload a square PNG image — use 512×512 pixels for the best results across all platforms (Google, Bing, browser tabs, mobile home screens)
- Click Publish
WordPress automatically generates all the required sizes (including 48×48 for Google) and adds the correct <link> tags to your HTML head. If you already have a site icon set but it’s still not showing in search results, move on to the next fixes.
Fix 2: Check That Googlebot Can Access the Favicon
If your robots.txt blocks the favicon URL or the wp-content/uploads directory, Google can’t crawl it. Check your robots.txt:
https://example.com/robots.txtMake sure there’s no Disallow rule blocking the favicon path. If you see something like this, it’s a problem:
User-agent: *
Disallow: /wp-content/uploads/Remove that line or add a specific Allow rule for the favicon:
User-agent: *
Allow: /wp-content/uploads/
Allow: /favicon.icoYou can also test the favicon URL in Google Search Console under URL Inspection to confirm Googlebot can reach it.
Fix 3: Verify the HTML Tags
View your site’s source code and check for a <link> tag pointing to the favicon inside the <head> section. You should see something like:
<link rel="icon" href="https://example.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/favicon.png" sizes="32x32" />
<link rel="icon" href="https://example.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/favicon.png" sizes="192x192" />
<link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="https://example.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/favicon.png" />If these tags are missing, the site icon wasn’t set correctly in WordPress (go back to Fix 1). If you’re using a custom theme that strips the wp_head() action, the tags won’t be generated — make sure your theme’s header.php includes:
<?php wp_head(); ?>Fix 4: Clear All Caches
Caching at multiple layers can serve an old or missing favicon even after you’ve fixed it:
- WordPress cache plugin — if you use WP Super Cache, W3 Total Cache, LiteSpeed Cache, or similar, purge the entire cache
- CDN cache — if you use Cloudflare or another CDN, purge the cache for your favicon URL or do a full purge
- Browser cache — hard refresh with
Ctrl+Shift+R(Windows/Linux) orCmd+Shift+R(Mac), or test in an incognito window
Fix 5: Request Re-indexing in Google Search Console
Even after fixing the favicon, Google may take days or weeks to update it in search results. To speed this up:
- Open Google Search Console
- Use URL Inspection and enter your homepage URL
- Click Request Indexing
Google recrawls the page and picks up the updated favicon. This doesn’t guarantee instant results — favicon updates can still take a few days to propagate.
Bing Favicon Indexing
Bing is significantly slower at updating favicons than Google. After fixing your icon:
- Submit your homepage URL in Bing Webmaster Tools under Submit URLs
- Wait — Bing’s favicon indexing can take several weeks
- If it still doesn’t update after a month, contact Bing Webmaster Support through the Bing Webmaster Tools dashboard
Troubleshooting Checklist
| Issue | Fix |
|---|---|
| Favicon shows in browser tab but not Google | Image may be too small — re-upload at 512×512. Request re-indexing in Search Console. |
| Favicon doesn’t show anywhere | Check that wp_head() is in your theme’s header.php. Verify the site icon is set in Appearance > Customize. |
| Google shows a generic globe icon | Favicon URL is likely blocked by robots.txt or returns a 404. Test the URL directly in a browser. |
| Old favicon still showing after change | Clear WordPress cache, CDN cache, and browser cache. Wait for Google to recrawl. |
| Favicon works on desktop but not mobile | Add an apple-touch-icon link tag. WordPress does this automatically when you set a site icon through the Customizer. |
Conclusion
Start with the WordPress Customizer (Appearance > Site Identity) and upload a 512×512 PNG. Then check robots.txt, clear your caches, and request re-indexing in Search Console. Most favicon issues come down to an image that’s too small or a robots.txt rule that blocks Googlebot from reaching it.
If you’re hosting WordPress on EC2, see How to Install WordPress on EC2 Ubuntu 22.04 for the full setup. For SSL configuration (which can also affect favicon loading), check out How to Secure Apache2 with Let’s Encrypt on Ubuntu 22.04.
