Creating a Favicon
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Last Updated:
September 17, 2008 1:05 PM
A favicon (short for favorites icon) is an icon associated with a particular Web site. Favicons display in the address bar to the left of the URL, in bookmarks, and in supported browsers at the top of page tabs. For example, the favicon for Google is a "G" icon and the Yahoo favicon is "Y!"
You can easily create a favicon for your Quick Shopping Cart storefront. Adding this small image helps establish your Web presence and identity and can also attract regular visitors to your site. Here are a few tips to consider when creating your favicon image.
- Create a Clean 16x16 Image
- Favicon images display best when saved as a 16x16 pixel size.
- Save as an Icon (.ico) File
- We support many graphic types for use with your Quick Shopping Cart Favicon, including .ICO, .GIF, .JPG, .PNG, and .BMP. However, not all browsers support all file types for use as a favicon. An .ICO file is the most widely supported (the only type supported by Internet Explorer) and is most easily viewable by your customers.
- Use Transparent Background
- The .ICO format allows for transparent backgrounds and therefore displays the most cleanly, regardless of the color scheme settings of the browser displaying it.
- Check Your Preview
- After you feel comfortable with how your image looks at 16x16 pixels, make sure it previews nicely in Windows Explorer (Windows) or Preview (Mac). Some existing images can be scaled down, but most images need to be edited.
NOTE: Your Favicon does not display in the Quick Shopping Cart Preview mode.
- Publish Icon Files Infrequently
- Your customers' browsers cache your old icon. Therefore, if you make a change to it, they are not likely to even know it has changed. Additionally, if you introduce a new favicon, you risk losing the familiarity that frequent customers have with your site.
For information on applying your favicon to your Quick Shopping Cart, see Uploading a Favicon.