The success of your web page depends on its content. When we speak of content we are not just talking about the written content but also the visual content. The images and other media on your web page plays a crucial role in the SEO ranking, performance, and overall user experience. Which is why you should optimize the images and make them suitable for your web page. 

Image optimization refers to compressing the images to reduce the size of the file as well as make them suitable to fit the size and resolution of various devices. This helps with the loading speed as well as responsiveness of your website. 

However, compressing images to reduce its size isn’t enough for optimization. This is why some people wonder what they are doing wrong while compressing the images as it isn’t delivering any good effects on the website. Well, you might be making some mistakes while compression and optimization which is what we are going to talk about in this article.

Here are 5 Mistakes to Avoid while Compressing Images: 

1. Choosing the Wrong Image Format 

There are different types of image format, and each one of them has different characteristics. Some of the most popular ones are JPEG, PNG, WebP, SVG, GIF, and many more.

JPEG is one of the most popular image formats and it can be compressed to a very small size as it uses the lossy compression. This makes it ideal for webpages to work with JPEG files which fasten the loading speed.

PNG is another image format that is becoming quite popular. This file format can be compressed using the lossless compression method. This means the image quality will be better than JPEG. However this format is better for graphics, logos, and icons.

WebP is a relatively newer format which is becoming quite popular. This one uses both lossy and lossless compression methods which means the file size will be reduced to minimum while giving the best image quality possible.

2. Ignoring Image Size and Dimensions 

Image size and dimensions are also important factors that weigh in its optimization. While compressing you must evaluate the perfect size of the image that works well on the site and doesn’t increase the loading time.

The dimensions of an image refers to its height and width which is measured in pixels. The dimensions of the image can affect the layout of the website. Which is why you should resize or crop the images to make them ideal for your page before uploading them.

3. Forgetting to Optimize Image Filename and alt text

You should never ignore the filename or the alt text before uploading the image. Once you have compressed the image, make sure you change the file name using relevant keywords that are descriptive. For example, your file name might say IMG002.jpg, but it should say the name of the picture in a descriptive manner. You can change it to flower-field.jpg,. 

The alt text is the text that appears when the image can’t be loaded. It usually appears blank. But you can change it to “flower field” so it will say that in case it didn’t load.

This will improve the searchability of your content as Google would be able to read the name of the images and will pop them up if there is a search for the same.

4. Not Using Lazy Loading and Neglecting Responsive Images

Responsive images refers to the images that can adapt to the screen size of any device, especially mobile phones. This is because the images use different sources, sizes and densities. This improves performance of the site and user experiences which helps with better SEO ranking. 

The lazy loading technique delays loading time if the images are not in the viewpoint until the user scrolls the image. This also reduces the bounce rates, improves loading speed of web pages, and saves bandwidth.

5. Not Doing Testing or Image Analysis 

Lastly, you should always test your images to know if it looks well and runs well on your web page. This can be done by several tools and metrics. It helps with the analysis of performance and SEO impact. You will also find any errors or warnings so you can work on them before uploading them. 

Conclusion 

So these are some of the common mistakes that people make while compressing images. All these things help with better optimization of the pics and then improving the performance of your site. So the next time you are compressing your pictures for optimization, make sure that you don’t make the aforementioned mistakes!