If you’re running a website, did you give your favicon any love? Do you even know what a favicon is?
A favicon is simple a mini-logo (icon?) that shows up next to your URL in most address bars. (Favicons also show up on the tabs of browsers and are often included next to articles you write when being pulled by other news sites, such as this business week page about online real estate that pulled the favicons when linking to articles from Rain City Guide and Inman News). and
Here is the favicon I created for 4realz.net: 
In terms of a icon, I don’t like it as much as the 4realz logo that I generally use on my marketing materials:
but it shows up so much better when displayed at a really small size and kept the site’s color scheme. The idea is that people who know the site will quickly start to relate the favicon to 4realz.net.
Before creating a favicon for a different site (not yet launched), I decided to do a bit of research and look at the favicons for a variety of real estate sites. Here’s a peak at some of the sites I looked at:
There are some really good favicons there in that they are instantly recognizable for the website they represent, but just as many are pretty bad… and without the help of a little text, it’d be hard to know what site they represent.
So what makes for a good favicon?
A good favicon is:
- Really simple
- Limited to two or three colors
- Recognizable in place of your logo
However, as the examples form above show, using your logo is almost never a good idea.
For example, the blue/green “Z” house of the Zillow logo, just doesn’t cut it for me at the small size of a favicon. Ditto for the landscape scenes used by Altos Research and Real Central Virgina.
Something more likely to work is a cute play on the logo, such as the tomato from the Real Estate Tomato, the owl’s eyes of Roost, the explosion from Blown Mortgage, or (I like to think) the rain drop of Rain City Guide. At the same time, the “R” of Realtor is so recognizable that the realtor.com team was smart to keep their favicon that simple.
Looking through the list of favicons from above, it’s also obvious that the “home” metaphor is way overdone. Phoenix Real Estate Guy, Redfin, The Real Estate Bloggers, Move, HotPads, Estately, Altos Research, and Zillow all feature homes in their favicons…
Create your own Favicon!
So, you’re inspired to create a nice looking favicon for your site. Here’s how I created the 4realz favicon in a few minutes using nothing more powerful than Microsoft Word (or in my case, Mac’s Pages app):
Step 1: Using a document processer (Microsoft Word will work), create your image. For the 4realz logo, I create a grey circle and put a blue “4″ in the center. If you feel like you need something more complex than simple graphics and simple text, then you’re probably making your favicon too complicated!
Step 2: Take a screenshot of the image
Step 3: Upload your screenshot to Genfavicon, and follow their simple instructions in order to create an “*.ico” image. (as mentioned in a recent hotlist post!)
Step 4: Rename the file “favicon.ico”and upload it to the root file of your server.
That’s it! Once you’ve created one favicon, I think you’ll see that the entire process can be done in less than 10 minutes.
It’s worth noting that in order to have a personalized favicon, you MUST be using a self-hosted website where you can add files to the server. Folks using blog platforms like ActiveRain and Wordpress.com can’t have their own favicon. 
Of course, if you have photoshop you can get way more advanced and create really killer favicons directly from the app, but if you know what you’re doing in photoshop, then you probably wouldn’t read this far! 
Finally, favicons are important because they show just how much effort you put into the details. They’ll never be a big thing (they’re way too small!) and they’ll never bring success to your website, but with a little effort, it’s not hard to create a fun, recognizable icon that will help you make a better connection with your readers.
kravtee and 8 others are discussing. 
Jim Reppond 4:23 pm on November 21, 2008 Permalink |
Let’s see… that’s works out to a loss of just over 70% of it’s value since August 15th when it closed at $2.99. I know the market has tanked for everyone. But that says a LOT for the lack of confidence investors have in this company. It probably doesn’ t help to remember that back in 2006 when they were called HomeStore.com the former COO and CEO were convicted of investor fraud and sentenced to 15 years in jail. I’m assuming they are still in jail and not running the company again… right?
Michael Wurzer 4:36 pm on November 21, 2008 Permalink |
Dustin, I’m not entirely sure but I don’t think that litigation is the major mapping patent case most have been focused on as that involves what has become known as the 989 patent.
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5032989.html
I’m not sure if the cases are related or not, but thought I’d mention it.
Dustin 5:19 pm on November 21, 2008 Permalink |
Jim: There’s definitely new management since those troubles…
Dustin 5:20 pm on November 21, 2008 Permalink |
Michael: I came in after the lawsuits had already started and did my best to stay away from them. Considering I’m not sure which patent this lawsuit refers to means I did at least somewhat of a good job not getting involved!
Jim Duncan 6:08 pm on November 21, 2008 Permalink |
In all honesty, I’d love to see NAR look at, and show the membership, how feasible/expensive/cheap it would be to reclaim RDC.
How much closer to zero does it have to get? And what are Move’s options to earn profit other than advertising or “upselling” to the members/Realtors?
Loren Nason 6:17 pm on November 21, 2008 Permalink |
woopideedoo!
A patent to put listings on a map
BIG F****N DEAL!
That patent is just as bogus as Amazons one-click patent
I should patent a special device that closes the traps of stupid patent lawyer scum.
It’s called Duct Tape
but my patent will be for STFU Tape its a special type of Duct Tape that makes people STFU.
Ok I feel better now
Irina Netchaev 10:03 am on November 23, 2008 Permalink |
It’ll be interesting to see when NAR steps in and takes over. Once they do, how will they make Move.com more realtor friendly.
Move has been taking advantage of realtors for years. I’m not to sad to see them tank.
I am sad about the timing of your stock options. THAT SUCKS!!!!
Dustin 11:19 am on November 23, 2008 Permalink |
It will be interesting… Mike Simonsen mentioned (in a tweet) that the stock could go all the way to zero… which is theoretically possible, but I just don’t see it. It also seems clear to me that if NAR would buy out Move, they’d have to spin off companies like Moving.com, Top Producer and Move.com (especially move.com since NAR likely has no place running the official website of the national association of new home builders.)
Jay Valento - Long Beach Real Estate 7:25 pm on November 24, 2008 Permalink |
Buy it back and take it down…have the consumer go to the local market to find homes from happy real estate professionals that provide excellent content on their websites.
Dustin 7:33 pm on November 24, 2008 Permalink |
Jay: Are you suggesting that REALTORS are a good resource for local listings and information?
Jay Valento - Long Beach Real Estate 8:40 pm on November 24, 2008 Permalink |
Yes. Most of my clients don’t go to Realtor.com for anything. I have found listings on Realtor.com that are a year old…I am a little confused…I list a house. Realtor.com posts it on their website for free. Then, they turn around and ask me to pay for advertising….shouldn’t they be paying me for the opportunity to display my listing to their audience? It is quite crazy.
Dustin 9:06 pm on November 24, 2008 Permalink |
Jay: You make a great point… I was just teasing you a bit with my question. Of course REALTORS should be the local expert and while I *could* make an argument for the opposite case, in general, I agree that the listings of all agents collectively are more valuable to realtor.com than the value of realtor.com to any one agent.
Kevin Tomlinson-Miami Beach Real Estate 10:14 pm on November 24, 2008 Permalink |
The lower the better. Let’s get it back in our own hands.
Hey, do you think Realogy will make it?
Jay Valento - Long Beach CA Real Estate 10:57 pm on November 24, 2008 Permalink |
I know you know Dustin….is there a place to post topic questions?
Dustin 11:42 pm on November 24, 2008 Permalink |
sure… best place is to head over to the 4realz hotlist where you can post just about anything you like. I moderate new users, but only until folks get the hang of using the tool!
Dustin 11:44 pm on November 24, 2008 Permalink |
Kevin: Don’t know enough about realogy, but the Notorious Rob recently made a great case for them being fine in the long run…