<h1>Image Optimization For The Web: A One-Stop Guide</h1>
In addition to adding visual appeal, images can help break up a wall of text and help your readers better understand your content. While some webmasters optimize their images correctly, many others do not.
Because of this, your website will load slowly, reducing its chances of being ranked highly in search engine results pages.
We'll cover everything you need to know about optimizing images for web applications, so don't worry.
<h2>Step 1. Choose a suitable format</h2>
Various image formats produce images of varying quality and size. Lossy vs. lossless compression is largely responsible for these discrepancies.
Lossy formats reduce the size of images by removing some data from the original file.
To be fair, the process also degrades the image quality, if you want an ultra-small image.
Lossless formats, on the other hand, reduce size without removing any data. Instead, it reconstructs the image and reorganizes the data more efficiently.
Lossless formats tend to be larger in size than lossy formats, but the quality of the original file is not altered.
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In order to better understand image file formats, let's take a look at some popular ones. What they can do and what type of compression they can handle will be revealed.
<h3>JPEG</h3>
Images in JPEG format, also known as JPG, are commonly used in photography. Although JPEG images are smaller, they are still of high quality despite their smaller size.
Additionally, this file type supports more than 16 million colors in addition to the best image quality and smallest file size. Websites with JPEG images are common.
<h3>PNG</h3>
More than 16 million colors are supported by the PNG format, which is a lossless file format.
PNG files, on the other hand, tend to be larger than JPEG files of the same quality because they don't allow for heavy compressions to occur.
The PNG format is the default for screenshot software because of this very reason! As a result, this file type ensures that all of the elements in a screenshot remain crisp.
Many designers use PNG for logos and icons because it allows for alpha transparency in the image. The file type allows them to create logos without any background colors, which makes them more flexible to use.
<h3>GIF</h3>
Only 256 colors are allowed in the GIF format, which means that it is lossless and has no compression. Since it has fewer colors and sharper edges, it's ideal for images like logos and illustrations.
As the first format to support animation, GIFs are often associated with animated graphics. A few people have gone so far as to use it to create short explanation videos for their websites.
<h3>WebP</h3>
Lossy and lossless image compression is possible with WebP, a Google-developed image file format that was introduced in 2010.
Alpha transparency and animation are also supported by this type of file. This software can be used to create animated graphics and logos.
JPG and PNG files are inferior to WebP files in terms of quality. However, this file format is not compatible with Safari and Internet Explorer.
<h3>SVG</h3>
In a vector-based format, SVG files are lossless.
Images created with SVG can be resized to any size without compromising quality. If you want to create SVG images, however, you'll need a vector-based tool like Illustrator or Sketch.
When compared to PNG files, SVG files are sharper and smaller. Use it for icons, logos, and other graphics that don't require a lot of complexity.
To use SVG on your website, you must have a basic understanding of HTML.
Beautiful Free Stock Images for Websites That Convert
<h2>Step 2. Reduce the size of your images</h2>
Compressing images reduces the size of the files on your computer's hard disk.
As previously mentioned, the image format you choose will determine the type of compression you'll be using in your project.
Irreversible is the lossy compression process.
As soon as your image starts to lose some information, you can't undo it or get it back to the way it was. Before compressing your image, make sure you have a backup file.
However, lossless compression can be reversed.
It is possible to restore the original image from the compressed one using this method.
You have two options for compressing your images:
<h3>Using GIMP</h3>
GIMP is a free, open-source image editor that can be used to edit digital images. In terms of alternatives for Adobe Photoshop, this is one of the best.
You must first download the software in order to use this tool. Then, you'll have to manually compress each image.
These are the steps you can take to begin compressing your images:
<ul>
<li>You can find the image you want to compress by going to File -&gt; Open and selecting it.</li>
<li>Navigate to File -&gt; Export As to access the Export Image dialog box.</li>
<li>Change the name of the document. GIMP creates a new file when compressing the image in this manner.</li>
<li>Click Select the File Type in the lower-left corner, select the format you want to use, and then click Export.</li>
<li>Once the quality control settings have been set, a new pop-up dialog box will appear. For a smaller file, you can lower the image quality. A low value will cause your image to become pixelated.</li>
</ul>
When you're finished, click Export.
As an example, we compressed an image from Prolific Cloud using two different settings — 75 and 10 respectively.
In the following comparison, the original and compressed versions are compared:
The file size is reduced from 1.3 MB to 800 kB when the image is compressed with a quality of 75. It does, however, produce a picture that is remarkably similar to the original one, if not identical.
The quality setting of 10 produces the worst quality image with the smallest file size of 100 kB.
<h3>Using the ShortPixel</h3>
It takes a long time to manually compress many images. Up to 50 images can be compressed at once with ShortPixel.
Using this method, you can upload a large number of images in a short period of time.
You can perform lossless and lossy compression with the online tool. But your image files can't be larger than 10 megabytes (MB).
ShortPixel compresses images in a few simple steps.
Drag and drop the photos from your computer onto the web page on the website. Then click the download icon to save the results after you've waited for the tool to finish.
Alternatively, you can compare your result with your original image by clicking a small "eye" icon beside "download". You'll be able to see the difference by dragging the line.
<h2>Step 3. Images should be resized</h2>
Also, resizing your images is an excellent way to optimize them. By changing the image's dimensions and pixel count, you'll be able to create a new image.
Some sites require resizing after compression, so be sure to do that before you start compressing. Only the file size is reduced by image compression, not the height and width.
To resize your images, you can use a photo editor called BeFunky. This is a free tool that allows you to resize images in bulk.
Sadly, it only supports JPEG, PNG, and PDF formats, which is disappointing.
Begin by visiting BeFunky's website and following these steps:
<ul>
<li>To access the main photo editor, select Photo Editor from the Create menu.</li>
<li>Drag-and-drop your image into the photo editor to begin editing it immediately. When you've finished that, click the Essentials tab and select Resize.</li>
</ul>
Your image's height and width can be adjusted in the Resize menu on the left. Then, click the check icon.
Select Save -&gt; Computer from the top menu. Then click on the Save button. Click Save to save the optimized image to your hard drive or download it.
<h2>Step 4. Use the correct names for your images</h2>
For better organization, names are essential. IMG123.jpeg or Screenshot 1.png are just a few examples of filenames that make it difficult to keep track of your files later.
To improve SEO, Google recommends using names that are short but informative. You should be able to describe the image in three to four words. Separate the words with hyphens.
Because the image URL will be based on the image's name, this is crucial. Yoursite.com/img/cupcake with sprinkles.jpeg, for example, would be the URL for a cupcake with sprinkles.jpg
Even if they don't click on the link, they'll know what they'll find.
<h2>Step 5. Your images need alternative text.</h2>
As a short description of your image, alt-text has a number of uses on a website.
Alt-text will appear on your site if an image cannot be loaded for some reason. If visitors can still make sense of the image, it's a success.
Visually impaired visitors who use screen readers will also benefit from alt-text. If you use a screen reader, the alt-text is read aloud to the user so that they can still understand your content.
<ul>
<li>Alt-text serves a similar function for search engine crawlers. As long as your images have a good description, they will appear in search results when people use keywords that match.</li>
</ul>
Optimize your content's ranking by including target keywords in the alt-text. But only use them if they make sense in the context of your writing, otherwise, you risk misleading the reader and losing them.
Instead of a long alt text, try keeping it short. Because most screen-readers will stop reading the text after 125 characters, it's important to keep the number of characters to a minimum
This cupcake photo from Prolific Cloud's gallery can be used as an exercise in alt text creation:
<ul>
<li>If you simply write "A cupcake" as the alt-text, it's not descriptive enough because it doesn't tell how the cupcake looks.</li>
<li>Instead, try to explain what's going on in the image in one sentence.</li>
<li>For example, you can write "Cupcake with white topping and yellow sprinkles"</li>
</ul>
If you're using Prolific Cloud, adding alt text is easy.
Prolific Cloud SEO Image
All you have to do is go to the site's editor page, click on the image, and select Edit image -&gt; SEO. Fill in the Image Alt Text box and you're ready to go.
<h2>Why it's important to optimize images for web</h2>
Optimizing images has a direct impact on your site speed, SEO performance, and storage usage.
<ul>
<li>The file size of high-quality photos is typically large. When you use an image without first compressing or resizing it, your page size will increase.</li>
</ul>
The more the page needs to load, the more time it takes, affecting load speed.
<ul>
<li>As a result, the speed of your site will have an impact on your ranking in search engine results. Google has been using speed as a ranking factor since 2009.</li>
</ul>
If your website is slow to load, you're missing out on a great opportunity to gain organic traffic.
<ul>
<li>According to Trinity, 35 percent of visitors will abandon your site if it takes longer than five seconds to load.</li>
</ul>
In lost traffic, a one-second delay can cost you thousands of dollars.
<ul>
<li>You can save server disk space by optimizing your images.</li>
</ul>
For example, you can expand your database or add new features to your site by using the extra space.
<h2>Summary of how to optimize images for the web.</h2>
It is the images that make or break a website. Check to make sure they won't negatively impact your site's performance or SEO efforts.
To optimize your images, follow these steps:
<ul>
<li>Choose a suitable format: Make sure your image is saved in a format that maximizes its quality and size</li>
<li>Compress your pictures: GIMP or ShortPixel can be used to reduce the file size of the image.</li>
<li>Images should be resized: It's easy to adjust image dimensions with BeFunky.</li>
<li>Name your image properly: Use descriptive names instead of generic ones.</li>
<li>Write alt text for your images: Your picture will be more visible to search engines and users if you describe what's in it.</li>
</ul>
As soon as you've mastered the art of optimizing images for the web, it's time to put those beautiful photos to work on your website.