ChatGPT's Favicon Is Missing from Google Search

Search for "ChatGPT" on Google right now. Instead of OpenAI's logo, you'll see a generic globe icon. The world's most-used AI tool looks like a suspicious phishing site in search results.

OpenAI, if you're reading this: your favicon is gone.

Why This Matters

Favicons aren't decoration. They're trust signals. When users see a missing or generic favicon, their instinct is suspicion. Is this the real site? A phishing attempt? Something sketchy?

Look at this search result. WordPress, Design.com, Readdy AI all have proper branded favicons. Then there's ChatGPT with a generic globe. On the first page of Google, this result looks like a virus.

For ChatGPT specifically, the irony is sharp. A product built on cutting-edge AI can't maintain basic web presence hygiene.

The Technical Failure

Here's the thing: OpenAI's favicon implementation looks correct. Their HTML source includes all the right declarations:

Multiple formats. Proper sizing. Even a dark mode variant. By the book implementation.

So why the globe? Google's favicon indexing is notoriously finicky. The icon must be crawlable, properly sized (at least 48x48px), and meet Google's content policies. Any hiccup in this chain, and the favicon vanishes. But OpenAI appears to have done everything right.

Google Search Console Is Silent

Here's what frustrates me most: Google gives you no control over this.

I've worked with companies launching redesigns. New logo, new brand identity, big PR push. The meta title updates within days. The meta description follows. But the favicon? Sometimes weeks. I've seen it take over a month.

Meanwhile, Google Search Console will alert you about:

• A random page with a minor crawl error
• Mobile usability issues on pages nobody visits
• Core Web Vitals fluctuations

But your favicon disappearing entirely? Your brand showing a generic globe to millions of searchers? Nothing. No alert. No notification. No way to manually submit a favicon. No way to check if Google even sees it correctly.

This needs to change. Google controls how brands appear in search. The least they could do is tell you when something's wrong, or give you a way to fix it.

This Has Happened Before

In late 2024, I researched a wave of favicon disappearances affecting major brands. The same issue is still hitting sites today. Here's the Federal Trade Commission's consumer advice page, right now:

Would you click that? A government site about credit card disputes, showing the same icon as a potential phishing page. Users have been trained to hesitate.

Even Citi has the same problem:

When favicons disappear, it's usually not the website's fault. Google's favicon indexing system is notoriously unreliable, and site owners often have no idea their favicon is missing until someone points it out.

OpenAI Should Know

This post exists to get the word out. ChatGPT's favicon is missing from Google Search results right now. OpenAI's implementation appears correct, which suggests the problem is on Google's indexing side.

Either way, it's worth fixing. A generic globe icon next to "ChatGPT" makes the world's most prominent AI tool look like a site you'd hesitate to click. In the attention economy, trust signals matter.

If you work at OpenAI or know someone who does: your favicon is gone. Might want to look into it.

Yuval Halevi

Helping SaaS companies and developer tools get cited in AI answers since before it was called "GEO." 10+ years in B2B SEO, 50+ cybersecurity and SaaS tools clients.