Image Optimisation: Best Practices

Images play a critical role in enhancing the appeal of a website, improving user engagement and boosting search engine optimisation (SEO) efforts. However, they can also cause slow page loading times, harming user experience and ranking factors. This article will explore the best practices for image optimisation, which can help improve website performance, SEO, and user experience.

Introduction

Images are essential to any website, but their use can negatively impact the site’s performance if they are not optimised correctly. Image optimisation is the process of reducing the file size of an image while preserving its quality so that it can be loaded quickly on a website. Optimising images for the web can improve website speed, increase user engagement and improve search engine rankings.

What is Image Optimisation?

Image optimisation is the process of reducing the file size of an image without compromising its quality. This process involves compressing and resizing images, optimising metadata, and ensuring images are displayed appropriately on different devices. Image optimisation helps to improve website speed, user experience, and search engine rankings.

Benefits of Image Optimisation

There are several benefits of image optimisation for website owners and users. These include:

• Improved website speed: Optimising images can help reduce page load times, improving user experience and increasing the likelihood of website visitors staying on the site for longer.
• Increased user engagement: High-quality images can increase user engagement, leading to a higher likelihood of website visitors sharing and interacting with the content.
• Improved search engine rankings: Search engines consider website speed and user experience ranking factors. Optimised images can help to improve both of these factors, which can lead to higher search engine rankings.

How to Optimise Images for Websites

Optimising images for the web involves several factors, including choosing the right image format, compressing images without losing quality, optimising image size, using descriptive file names, adding alt text, using responsive images, implementing lazy loading, and minimising the number of images used.

Choosing the Right Image Format

Choosing the right image format is essential for optimising images for the web. The most common image formats used on the web are JPEG, PNG, and GIF.

• JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) is the most commonly used image format on the web. It is ideal for photographs or images with lots of colour and detail. It supports a wide range of colours and is excellent for compression, meaning images can be reduced in size without losing too much quality.
• PNG (Portable Network Graphics) is a lossless format that supports transparency. It is ideal for sharp lines and text images, such as logos and illustrations.
• GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) is a format that supports animation and is often used for small animations and graphics.

Compressing Images Without Losing Quality

Image compression is the process of reducing the file size of an image without compromising its quality. Compressing images can significantly reduce page load times, making the website faster and improving user experience.

Several tools are available for compressing images, which I will show you later in this article.

Optimising Image Size

Image size is an essential factor to consider when optimising images for the web. Large images take longer to load, negatively impacting user experience and website speed. To optimise image size, you can resize images to match the dimensions required for your website without losing quality.

Using Descriptive and Relevant File Names

Using descriptive and relevant file names for your images can help search engines understand what the image is about. This can improve search engine rankings and make it easier for users to find your images through image searches.

Adding Alt Text

Alt text is a short description of an image that appears if the image fails to load or if a user uses a screen reader to access the website. Adding alt text to your images can improve website accessibility and search engine optimisation.

Using Responsive Images

Responsive images adjust their size and resolution depending on the device being used to view the website. Using responsive images can improve website speed and user experience on mobile devices.

Implementing Lazy Loading

Lazy loading is a technique that only loads images when they are needed. This can significantly improve page loading times and improve user experience.

Minimising the Number of Images

Minimising the number of images used on your website can significantly improve website speed and user experience. Only use images that are necessary and relevant to the content on the page.

Image Optimisation Tools

There are several tools available that can help you optimise images for the web, including:

• Adobe Photoshop is a powerful image editing tool with compression and resizing features.
• TinyPNG: A free online tool that compresses PNG and JPEG images.
• ImageOptim: A free tool for Mac that compresses images without losing quality.
• Kraken.io: A cloud-based image optimisation tool that can compress images up to 90% without losing quality.

Conclusion

Image optimisation is essential for improving website speed, user experience and search engine optimisation. By following the best practices outlined in this article, you can ensure that your images are optimised for the web, improving your website’s performance and user engagement.

FAQ’s