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The favicon is generally referred to as a URL, shortcut, website, or tab icon. It was introduced in 1999 by Microsoft in Internet Explorer 5. The purpose of the favicon is to enhance the brand identity of companies. Essentially, a favicon is a 16x16-pixel icon that represents a brand or website. It is commonly found next to the web page title in browser tabs, and you can also see it in address bars, bookmark lists, and search engine results. Although the favicon doesn't directly impact search engine optimization, it indirectly helps with building brand recognition.

For instance, you have opened numerous tabs; now you want to relocate to any particular tab, but you are confused about where those tabs are, and you end up with the wrong tabs. The favicon plays a major role here, as it is present next to the title of every tab. This makes it easier for you to identify and locate the exact tab you need, even when multiple tabs are open.

Here are the steps to creating a favicon:

• Begin by designing an image using an image editor like Photoshop. Ensure the image is 16 x 16 pixels in size and save it in formats like jpg, png, gif, bmp, or tif.
• Once the image is ready, use online favicon generators such as favicon.cc or www.favicongenerator.com to convert it into a favicon.
• Upload the resulting.ico file to your website's root directory. You can then check its visibility by going to www.yoursite.co.uk/favicon.ico.
• To integrate the favicon into your website, add the following HTML code: link rel="shortcut icon" href="favicon.ico" />.