Google Announces a Major Design Update for its Mobile Search Results Including Favicons!

Google recently announced a change in display of the Google Mobile Search results. These changes will be reflected in the display style of text ads and organic listings.

First of all, Google finally rolled out its black “Ad” label which will replace the green one introduced around 2 years ago. The black label and display URL (also in black) will be displayed above the ad. This will help in identifying the source of information.

As for organic listings, a favicon can be added, which be displayed above the title link. Next to the favicon will be the site name and bread crumbs, also in black text.

In addition to that, the gray line which appeared under the titles and ad headlines has been removed by Google so each result looks like it is in a single card.

To get a favicon for organic listings, your site must have a favicon which can represent your brand visually. If it does, you can simply include a <link> tag in the header with a particular syntax. You will need to consult with the help page for figuring this process out.

Once Google sneaks into your home page, it will retrieve and update the favicon, provided that it is 48px or a multiple of it and that it is in a valid format. Even after taking care of all these factors, there’s still a chance that the favicon would not be displayed along with the results so you should keep your fingers crossed at all times.


This update is surely a sign of big things to come regarding the types of content and display styles one can expect to see in the search results. The possibilities are endless at this stage!

According to Google, these design changes will help users in many ways such as in finding the source of information easily and allowing them to try out new action buttons etc.

As for the favicons that will be displayed with text ads, it will just be an “Ad” label in place of the favicon.

The update is expected to be rolled out in the next couple of days. Google mobile will get it first and this update is something Site Owners, Ranking Experts and Advertisers should keep an eye on. The test reports of the update have been incredibly positive so far as most of the users informed about finding it easier than before to identify websites and scan results.

Google Announces a Major Design Update for its Mobile Search Results Including Favicons!

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