Image optimization is a crucial step in the process of creating content for a website. An unoptimized image can slow down your site’s speed, negatively affect the user experience and, consequently, harm your SEO. To ensure that your images contribute to the overall performance of your website, here are four essential steps to follow before you put them online.
Table of contents
1. Resizing images
Image resizing is the first step in ensuring that your files are not too large for the web. An image that’s too large slows down page loading, which can lead to higher bounce rates and lower SEO rankings.
Why resize?
By adjusting the size of your images to match the maximum display dimensions on your site, you reduce their weight while maintaining optimum quality. For example, if an image is intended for an 800-pixel-wide insert, there’s no point in uploading a 2000-pixel image. By resizing it to 800 pixels, you maintain visual quality while improving loading times.
What to do?
Use tools like Adobe Photoshop or Photopea to resize your images. These programs allow you to precisely control the dimensions of your files, guaranteeing an image suited to your site without any loss of quality.
2. Choice of file format
The choice of file format is an important decision that directly influences the quality and weight of your images.
Common formats :
- JPG (JPEG): Ideal for photographs and images with lots of color. It offers good quality while being relatively light.
- PNG: Perfect for images requiring a transparent background or fine detail. However, PNG files can be heavier than JPGs.
- WEBP: This increasingly popular format combines excellent compression with good image quality, making it ideal for online optimization.
Why is this important?
Choosing the right file format balances image quality and site performance. For example, a JPG image will generally be lighter than a PNG one, which is beneficial for pages where speed is essential.
3. Use of optimization tools
Even after resizing and exporting your images in the correct format, it is often necessary to further optimize them to reduce their size without sacrificing visual quality.
Recommended tools :
- ImageOptim (for Mac): This tool reduces file size by eliminating unnecessary metadata and compressing the image efficiently without loss of quality.
- Bulk Image Compressor (online): Ideal for optimizing several images at once, this online tool is easy to use and highly effective at reducing file size.
Why use these tools?
Additional optimization is essential to ensure that your images load quickly, even on slower internet connections. This improves the user experience and can also have a positive impact on your SEO.
4. Quality control
The last step before uploading your images to your site is to check their quality. An optimized image should not only be light, it should also be clear and legible.
Checks to be made :
- Clarity and sharpness: Make sure the image is not blurred. A blurred image can give the impression of amateurism and damage your site’s credibility.
- Text legibility: If your image contains text, it must be perfectly legible, even after compression.
- Minimal quality loss: Quality loss should be barely perceptible to the average user. If the degradation is too obvious, it may affect the user experience.
Why is image optimization crucial?
Maintaining high visual quality while optimizing the image ensures that your site is both attractive and effective. Quality visual content contributes to better visitor retention and, consequently, better SEO.
Optimizing images before putting them online is an essential process for any successful website. By following these four steps – resizing, format selection, further optimization, and quality verification – you ensure that your images contribute positively to your site’s speed, user experience, and SEO. Don’t neglect this key step, and you’ll quickly see the benefits in terms of online performance and visibility.
By applying these best practices, you’ll not only optimize your site’s performance, but also deliver an enhanced user experience, which is essential for the online success of your web design projects.
