One of the most common issues I see on websites that need help with speed is poor handling of images. Imagery is a necessary part of your content, and using it thoughtfully from beginning to end will save you some headaches in the long run. This article will cover some techniques to balance a website’s speed and image quality.
Before we begin, I want to say there are many ways to optimize your website images for a fast-loading website. This particular approach is an ‘easy-does-it’ guide. It assumes that you’re not doing anything too crazy, like uploading full-size Adobe stock photos, that you have a well-developed theme, and that you’d prefer to use tools within your admin instead of code or third-party tools outside the website.
That should do it for disclaimers; now, on to the good stuff.
Optimize Image Formats and Sizes
Think of image formats like different languages. Just as you choose the right words for the right audience, you want to be sure you are selecting the proper image formats. You also want to make sure that you are not uploading images that are oversized in pixel width or height.
- For vivid photos, use JPEG.
- For crisp graphics that need transparent backgrounds, use PNG.
- Consider using WebP format for the general use of images that don’t need special treatment. It’s a newer format gaining popularity and is now supported by most web browsers.
Image Compression
The best way to describe image compression is to imagine you are packing a travel bag and decide to use your space more efficiently by packing smarter. Using travel containers and zipper pouches allows you to organize your belongings and maximize space.
Image compression tools act as your image-packing assistants, neatly compressing images without wrinkling their visual charm.
Lazy Loading
Have you ever experienced light bulbs turning on as you stroll down a dark corridor? That’s what lazy loading does for your website; it loads your images only when needed. This ensures the browser does not load pictures before your website viewer can see them, saving precious loading resources.
Caching Plugins and CDNs
Caching plugins serve up pre-prepared web pages swiftly, like having a quick-to-serve dish ready for hungry guests who stop by unannounced. CDNs like Cloudflare act as global content storehouses, ensuring images get to your visitors without delay, regardless of their location. By using a CDN and smart caching rules, you can ensure that the freshest content is served up in the most efficient way for your website visitors.
Lightweight and Responsive Themes
Select well-developed themes—minimalist, sleek, and efficient. These not only load fast but adapt smoothly across devices. The combination of image optimization and a lightweight theme is a surefire winner.
Suggested Tools
Before you download a tool or join a service for each image-handling option, check your existing stack to ensure you don’t already have something that can do this for you. For example, if you already use WP Rocket, it can handle caching, lazy load, and image optimization. If you are already using a CDN, such as Cloudflare, for your DNS, you can also set caching options up there.
You don’t want to undo your good work optimizing for speed by bogging down the website with more plugins you might not truly need.
Also, look for tools to handle your image optimization with as little hands-on work as possible. Imagify is a great example. Once you set it up, it will automatically optimize your images when you upload them.
Here are some solid options if you need to find something for your tool stack to help with image optimization for your website speed:
https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-smushit/
https://wordpress.org/plugins/optimole-wp/
Helpful tip: When testing anything on your website, remember to use incognito mode and clear your website cache to ensure that all changes are reflected in your browser.
