How to Use Icons Sets on Your Website (and Where to Find Them)

It can be difficult at times to set your website apart from those of competitors. After all, there are only so many ways to present information and navigation elements on a screen. However, one often overlooked method of personalization is the use of icons.

Icons are a great way to add some personality and style to your website, and they can also be used to help visitors quickly identify the purpose of certain pages or elements at a glance.

In this article, we'll discuss where to find icons sets and how to use them on your website. We'll also provide some tips for choosing the right set of icons for your site. So without further delay, let's get to it.

How Can Icons Be Used on a Website?

Icons can be used in a number of ways on your website. Honestly, icons often go unnoticed because they serve a vital function. And when they're working, a site visitor enjoys a positive user experience and may not be aware why.

However, when you're putting a site together, customizing the icons you use can make a big difference.

Here are some common uses:

• Navigation: Navigation menu may include icons, either instead of or in addition to text links.

• Identification: Use icons to identify the purpose of a page or element on a page. For example, an icon that looks like a paper airplane could be used to indicate a contact form.

• Instructions: Icons can be used to provide instructions or helpful tips to users. For example, an icon that looks like a lightbulb could be used to indicate a "tip" or a "new feature."

• Decoration: Icons can be used purely for decoration. This is especially common on sites with a flat design aesthetic.

Hopefully this gives you a good sense of where you can use icons on your website. Usage varies, of course, but these locations/ideas are the most typical.

Now you might be wondering where to find icons. That's what we'll cover next.

Free or Premium Icons: Which is Best?

When it comes to choosing icons for your website, you have two main options: free icons or premium icons.

There are a number of websites that offer free icon sets. These can be a great option if you're on a tight budget or if you only need a few icons. However, free icon sets are often of lower quality than premium sets and they may be less consistent in style.

Premium icons, on the other hand, are professional-quality sets that are usually created by experienced designers. They often come in multiple styles and can be customized to better match your website's overall look and feel. Of course, premium icons come at a price, but they can be worth it if you need a large number of high-quality icons.

Let's take a look at where to find both free and premium icons for your website.

Free Icons

You can find a good selection of free icons on the following sites:

• FlatIcon: This site has a large collection of free icons in multiple styles. You can go premium for commercial licensing as well.

• Icons8: Icons8 offers both free and premium icons. The free section includes a good selection of icons, but you'll need to pay for the more unique or detailed ones.

• iconFinder: iconFinder has a decent selection of free icons, with the option to pay for premium icons as well.

• Icon Archive: As the name implies, Icon Archive is a great place to find free icons. You can browse by category or search for specific keywords.

• Noun Project: The Noun Project is a great resource for free icons. You can browse by subject matter or search for specific icons.

Premium Icons

If you're willing to pay for premium icons, you'll find no shortage of options. The following are just a few places to find high-quality premium icons:

• GraphicRiver: GraphicRiver is a marketplace for graphic design assets, including icons. You can find a wide variety of icon sets here, with prices starting at just a few dollars.

• Envato Elements: Envato Elements is a subscription service that gives you access to a library of icons (among other things). For a flat monthly fee, you can download as many icons as you need.

• VectorStock: VectorStock is a royalty-free vector graphics site that also offers premium icons. Prices start at just $1 per icon.

Create Your Own Icons

While we've looked at some great ways to find and add icons to your website, it's also worth noting that you can always create your own icons. This could be a great way to set your site apart from the others in your industry.

Creating your own icons is relatively easy to do. All you need is a vector editing program like Adobe Illustrator. So long as you have a clear vision of what you want to create, you can likely create some compelling (and custom) icons using standard shape options. For instance, you could create a simple icon by combining a couple of circles, squares, and/or triangles.

Of course, creating your own icons does require a bit more time and effort than simply downloading a set. But if you're looking for something truly unique, it could be well worth the effort.

With icons in hand, whether you found them online or created them yourself, you can start the process of adding them to your website.

Adding Icons to Your Website Using Code

Once you've selected the icons you want to use on your website, it's time to add them to your site. If you're using free icons, you can generally download them as PNG or SVG files. For premium icons, you may have the option of downloading them as vector files, which can be edited in Illustrator or other vector editing software.

If you're using icons as part of your website's design, you'll need to add them to your CSS. This can be done using the background-image property. For example:

.icon { background-image: url(icon.png); }

If you want to use icons as part of your website's content, you can add them using the HTML img element. For example:

<img src="icon.png" alt="icon">

If you're using WordPress, you have more options as well.

How to Add Icons to a WordPress Site

If you're using WordPress, you can add icons to your site using a number of different methods.

One option is to use an iconfont plugin. This will allow you to select from a number of different icons and add them to your site using shortcodes.

Another option is to use an icon-pack plugin. These plugins usually come with a number of icons to choose from, and they'll add the icons to your site as a font. This means you can style the icons using CSS.

You can also add icons to your WordPress site by hand. This requires adding the icons to your media library and then using the HTML img element to add them to your content. As noted previously, there are several plugins that can help to facilitate this. Here are a few top-performers worth considering:

Menu Image

The Menu Image plugin allows you to add icons to your WordPress menu. You can upload your own icons or select from a number of pre-loaded options. Specifically, it works with your own custom images, FontAwesome Icons, and DashIcons.

Menu Icons by ThemeIsle

The Menu Icons plugin by ThemeIsle is another good option for adding icons to your WordPress menu. It allows you to insert icons into both your menu and your content from a variety of sources including FontAwesome Icons, DashIcons, Elusive Icons, Foundation Icons, and many others.

WP Menu Icons

The WP Menu Icons plugin is a good option for those looking for an easy way to add icons to their WordPress menus. It doesn't require any coding and you can choose from a variety of icons to be inserted into any menu, anywhere on your website. And the best part is you can customize these icons with regard to styling, shapes, colors, and more.

Customizing Icons Sets Can Set Your Site Apart

Adding icons to your website can be a great way to help it stand out from the competition. And while you can find free icons sets online, creating your own can give your site a truly unique look. If you're using WordPress, there are a number of different plugins that can make adding icons easy. With a little bit of effort, you can add custom icons to set your website apart and improve its visual appeal.

You can also ensure your icons and other images load quickly and further enhance the user experience by securing speed-optimized hosting for WordPress from Verpex. We provide high-quality managed hosting plans that serve the needs of websites large and small across every industry, so you know your content will be in good hands.

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