Image optimization is a method of reducing an image’s file size while maintaining an acceptable image quality. Since it impacts website performance, user experience, and search engine rankings, it is an important aspect of web design and online content creation.
Why is Image Optimization Important?
- Improved page load speed: Large, unoptimized images can slow down the loading speed of a website, which results to a poor user experience and higher bounce rates. Optimizing images can greatly help improve page load speed and make your website more user-friendly.
- Improved SEO: Search engines like Google, consider page speed as a ranking factor. Faster-loading pages, facilitated by optimized images, can help improve your website’s SEO and boost your search engine ranking.
- Reduced bandwidth usage: Optimized images require less bandwidth to load, which is important for users with slow internet connection and helps reduce hosting costs.
Why the need to convert images to Next-gen image format?
Next-gen formats are the new generation of image format, it offers better quality and compression than the older formats, which results in faster loading times, better performance and improved quality.
The most popular next-gen format is WebP, it’s a format that Google developed which provides both lossless and lossy compression. Majority of popular browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari, support it.
If you are looking to improve the performance and quality of your website or app, then you should consider using next-gen formats. They offer a number of benefits over older formats, and they are becoming increasingly popular.
Free WordPress Image Optimization Plugins
Here’s a list of my recommended image optimization plugins: