Ever wondered how to optimize images to help your website load faster? First off, what a great thing to wonder about! Images are a key part of every website. They make pages appealing and interesting and can help to convey a message without words.
But if images are not optimized, they can slow your website down. A slow load time can, in turn, cause users to leave your page before they’ve even had the chance to start getting to know you.
We don’t want this to happen to anyone. That’s why, in this blog, we’ll teach you how to optimize images so that your website loads faster, works better, and sees higher conversions.
Let’s get started.
Why Should I Optimize Images On My Website?
Larger files have longer load times. It’s really that simple. Large, unoptimized image files take longer to load, increasing the overall load time of your website. With everything being so fast-paced, users today expect a page to open in seconds. Anything longer leads to feelings of impatience, and anger, and then ultimately to them clicking off the page.
What’s more, search engines (like Google, Bing, or Brave Browser) take loading time into consideration when ranking websites. So, if you want higher rankings, you have to have optimized images.
Another reason to optimize images is to save bandwidth. Smaller files use less data, which is helpful for users with slow internet or limited mobile data. You’re really doing everyone a favor by optimizing your images, including yourself!
Choosing the Right File Format
One of the first steps to optimize images is to choose the correct file format. We recommend JPEG for photos because it offers a good balance between quality and file size. PNG is better for graphics like logos or icons. For even better results, you can use WebP, a modern format that keeps quality high and file size low.
By choosing the right format, you reduce the loading time of your website without losing visual quality.
Resizing and Compressing – The Easiest Way To Optimize Images
Most cameras and smartphones take high-resolution pictures. And while these certainly look great, they are often too big to be used on websites. Resizing your images to match the size they will appear on your website is a great way to ensure fast load time. There is no need to upload a 3000-pixel image if it will only be displayed at 650 pixels.
Compression is another crucial element of optimization. Free online tools like TinyPNG or ImageOptim can help you reduce the file size of the image, without compromising on its quality. It’s very important to do both of these things in a way that doesn’t lead to your image being blurry, full of pixels, or otherwise unappealing.
Lazy Loading – The Ultimate Loading Time Hack
Lazy loading is one of the smartest ways to improve loading time. With lazy loading, images are only loaded when the user scrolls down far enough to reach them. This means the first part of the website appears quickly, and other images load later, as the reader moves downward. Lazy loading can really speed up your website, especially if it’s filled with images.
Most modern programming tools and web design platforms like WordPress, Wix, or Joomla support lazy loading. You can add it to images manually with just a few lines of code, or simply find the “lazy load” toggle on your dashboard. (We recommend the latter).
Name and Tag Your Images Properly
To give your website’s SEO an even bigger boost, make sure you’re giving your images clear names. Instead of “IMG_726.jpg”, use a name that accurately reflects the picture, like “blue-running-shoes.jpg” or “worlds-best-programming-school.jpg”. Can you guess what that last image could be about?
Also, be sure to add alt text to describe the image. This helps search engines understand your content and improves accessibility for users who can’t see the image. The alt text can be a few words to 1-2 sentences. You can use whatever number of words you need to describe what’s going on in the picture. Just be sure not to go into too much detail, or you might confuse the poor search engine and hurt your page’s performance.
Optimize Images for All Devices
These days, we access websites on our phones all the time. Therefore, your website must work well on both computers and mobile phones. Use responsive images that change size depending on the screen. You can also use tools in HTML and CSS programming to show the right image size for each device. If you’re unsure about this step, a seasoned programmer should be able to help you in no time.
Final Thoughts
If you want your website to load quickly and perform better, you need to optimize the images you’re using. Use the right format, resize and compress them, and add features like lazy loading and alt text.
These few simple steps can greatly improve your load time, which will help your website rank higher and contribute to a better overall user experience.Want to learn more about web development, programming, and different coding languages? Check out the online programming courses at Froggy Code and start your journey in tech today!