Many WordPress users are familiar with the basic techniques for website performance, but few realize the importance of image optimization. Even with a solid hosting setup, unoptimized images can be why your site isn’t performing as well as it should. While compressing images and choosing the right file formats are essential starting points, more advanced techniques can take your website’s performance to the next level.
The difference between good and great website performance often comes down to how images are handled. This is especially true for WooCommerce store owners, where high-quality images are a must. Large, clear images can require more disk space and lead to slower load times, which can hurt your eCommerce sales and degrade the customer’s shopping experience.
We’ll explore advanced image optimization methods for WordPress, comparing pre-upload and post-upload strategies. We’ll also look at how your hosting provider plays a role in image delivery and site performance, ensuring that your site continues to thrive, no matter how many images it features.
In this article, we’ll cover:
We’re starting with the basics here because they’re an essential part of image optimization. If you’re a beginner, stick with us, but if you’re already familiar with these concepts, feel free to skip ahead for more advanced techniques.
Compressing images is one of the most effective ways to reduce file size without compromising too much on quality. By finding the right balance between compression level and image quality, you can speed up page load times and deliver a smoother user experience.
There are two main types of compression:
For WooCommerce users, where product images need to look sharp yet load quickly, automated compression tools and plugins are a lifesaver. Tools like ImageOptim for Mac and Kraken.io are excellent for achieving consistent and effective compression.
Large images can slow down your website and waste bandwidth, which means WordPress users need to resize them to match their intended display size. Adjusting the image size helps ensure faster load times and more efficient use of website and server resources.
For example, if you have a full-size product image that is 2160px x 1620px, you could resize it to 50% of the original dimension and end up with a new image that is 1080px x 810px. This produces a faster load time of the image, yet still provides an image large enough to satisfy online shoppers.
WordPress helps by automatically generating multiple sizes of each uploaded image, making it easier to serve responsive images across different devices. However, pre-sizing your images before uploading can still give you more control over the final result. Tools like Adobe Photoshop, GIMP, and Canva offer straightforward options for helping you adjust image sizes before you upload them into WordPress.
Choosing the correct file format is important for balancing image quality and file size.
Here are five different image formats and their optimal usage:
If you’d like to dive into image formats further, we have you covered!
Here are two earlier articles we’ve published on this subject:
When optimizing images for your WordPress site, deciding whether to do so before or after uploading them can significantly impact your workflow and the performance of your website or online store. Both approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, and understanding these can help you choose the best method for your needs.
Adjusting images before uploading them to WordPress reduces the need for any further processing once they are in your Media Library. This approach minimizes the risk of unoptimized duplicates cluttering your library, which can be particularly beneficial for WooCommerce stores where extra images can make a significant difference in search ranking and conversions. And, for photographers and designers who require high-quality images, pre-upload optimization provides greater control over the entire process.
Three tools that we recommend for image optimization outside the website:
The downside of pre-upload optimization is that it can be time-consuming, particularly if you’re dealing with a large batch of images. Each image must be manually processed, which requires a certain level of technical expertise. This can be a significant investment in time, especially for large WooCommerce stores or photographers with a large number of images per client photo shoot.
Pre-upload optimization is best for users who want complete control over their images, such as photographers, designers, or WooCommerce stores with high-end product imagery. It’s also a great choice when dealing with small batches of images and when quality and precision are top priorities.
Post-upload optimization offers a more convenient and time-saving approach, as it automates much of the process. This method is particularly useful for handling existing images in your Media Library, allowing you to optimize images in bulk without having to manually process each one.
Several WordPress plugins can help with this, and among them, Jetpack Boost is our favorite. Jetpack Boost optimizes images and enhances overall site performance with additional features like site acceleration.
Additional WordPress plugins we would recommend for post-upload optimization:
While post-upload optimization is ideal for users managing large batches of images or those looking for a more automated, hands-off approach, it does have it’s disadvantages. One drawback of post-upload optimization is that it may not offer the same level of control as pre-upload methods. Additionally, post-upload optimization can place a higher load on your server, especially during bulk optimization, which may temporarily slow down your site.
One of the most effective strategies for enhancing page load times and the user experience is lazy loading images. As the name suggests, lazy loading defers the loading of images until they are needed, meaning until they are about to enter the user’s viewport. This speeds up the initial page load, reduces bandwidth usage, and improves user engagement by providing a smoother browsing experience.
Popular plugins for implementing lazy loading in WordPress include:
When using this technique, remember it’s important to prioritize above-the-fold content (the portion of your webpage visible without scrolling). Make sure that critical images (like those in your hero section) are not lazy-loaded to avoid any perceived delay. Testing the implementation across different devices and browsers will also ensure a consistent and positive user experience.
A Content Delivery Network (CDN) is a network of servers distributed across various locations. When a user accesses your site, the CDN delivers static assets – like images – from the nearest server, reducing latency and speeding up load times. Caching stores a copy of your site’s content in various locations, reducing the need to fetch data from the server. Together, CDNs and caching can reduce server load and improve global content delivery speeds.
If using a CDN is a new concept, we recommend you review our in-depth article cover this subject titled Why a WordPress CDN Is Important to Your Website and Your Business.
To get the most out of your CDN and caching setup, regularly configure cache expiration times based on your content type. For example, static assets like images can have longer cache lifetimes, while dynamic content might require shorter durations. Along with this, always test the implementation to make sure it’s working as expected and delivering the desired performance improvements.
Not all hosting providers offer CDN and caching support, so choose one that does. At Pressable, our CDN is complemented by powerful caching capabilities, including Static Asset Caching and the newer Edge Caching – which, in many cases, replaces the need for Static Asset Caching by pushing your content even closer to the user, resulting in faster load times and improved Largest Contentful Paint (LCP).
Pressable’s managed WordPress hosting is designed to support all your image optimization needs. With global CDN and full support for popular plugins, Pressable makes sure your site remains fast and responsive, even as you optimize large batches of images.
Our performance monitoring and optimization tools provide you with the insights needed to continually refine your image optimization efforts. To take your WordPress site’s performance to the next level, explore Pressable’s pricing plans and discover how we can help you achieve faster, more efficient image delivery!
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