Real talk – if you have a website, image optimisation is something you need to know about.
True (though somewhat embarrassing) story. I’ve had multiple websites over the last two decades and it was only in the last 18 months that I fully understood the impact optimising your images has on your website. 🙈 But now I do and I won’t go back.
So let’s talk about optimising your images – what it is, why you need it, and just how easy it is to do.
What image optimisation is
It’s when you reduce your image file sizes, without compromising on image quality, so your website loads faster. (No one likes a pixelated mess but you also don’t want multiple MB per image either! 😬)
Simply put, smaller file size (data) but still a good lookin’ picture. 👍
Boom. Sounds simple, right? But it’s something I’ve discovered a lot of people don’t know about or understand properly.
Why you need to optimise your images
No image optimisation ➖
❌ Big image files
❌ Slower website loading speeds
❌ Bad user experience (UX)
❌ People don’t stay on your site
❌ SEO tanks
❌ Bad Google rap 😭
❌ Fewer site visitors (potential clients) for you
Images optimised! ➕
✔ Smaller files and file sizes
✔ Faster site loading times
✔ Good UX
✔ People stay on your site longer
✔ SEO gets the tick
✔ Your site ranks better on Google 😍
✔ More site visitors!
It’s safe to say that image optimisation is kind of a big deal, particularly with such an image and media focus these days.
The really good news is that there’s a super simple fix. So simple you’ll be kicking yourself wondering why you’d never done it before. (Yes, I am speaking from experience.)
Note: I’m only talking about basic image optimisation here, not full image optimisation for SEO – that’s a whole other level (for another post at another time).
How to optimise your images
Reduce your image dimensions
Make your actual image size smaller. You don’t need massive images people can see from space. 🔭 Just about any image editing software can resize images, from industry-standard Photoshop down to Windows’ Paint3D. There are probably even a few websites too.
➡ TIP: Use your website theme’s specs/limits (e.g. 1500 pixels maximum) as a guide.
Use an online image compression tool
Run your images through a free online image compression tool to reduce the file size before you upload them to your site. The tools are really easy to use and most of them do a great job at reducing the image file size (i.e. MB to KB).
➡ TIP: I recommend (and use) TinyJPG/TinyPNG but if you Google “image optimizer” or similar, a bunch will pop up in the results.
Use your website’s image compression tools
WordPress has STACKS of plugins – many/most of them free! – that are great for image compression. You simply upload your images into the Media Library and the plugin does the rest.
➡ TIP: I recommend you try any of the following: ShortPixel, EWWW Image Optimizer, Smush, or WP-Optimize. Remember: only install and activate one, not multiple – you don’t want the plugins creating conflicts on your website!
Please optimise your images. It will make your site load faster and your site visitors will thank you. 🙏
If you need some help or have any questions, hit the comments below 👇 or send me a DM on Instagram or Facebook.
