If you have been running a WordPress site for a while, you’re probably wondering which image file type is the best for your website. Should you use JPG or PNG? Perhaps you want to use a different image file type such as WebP but aren’t sure what to do. If that’s not it, maybe you’d like to upload a PSD, AI, or INDD image and are stuck.
No matter why you’re here, today’s post will help you choose the right image file type for your WordPress website. Why is choosing the right image file type necessary? We cover that too in the post. On top of that, we highlight the accepted image file types, how to add other file types and touch on a couple of WordPress image best practices.
If that sounds great, let’s weigh anchor and set sail since there’s a lot to learn.
Why is it Vital to Choose the Right Image File Type?
Choosing the perfect image file type is harder than you thought, and I get it. But you must pay close attention to the file type you use since it correlates with the performance of your website. So, why is it important to consider the image file type you choose?
- Speed & performance – Some image file types take up more space than others. If you use large image formats, you slow down your website and rack up server expenses. Go for light images that guarantee better page speeds and performance for optimal user experience (UX).
- SEO score – Did you know page speed is a direct SEO ranking signal? If you use heavy or low-quality images on your website, you are missing out on better UX and related SEO benefits. Choosing high-quality and SEO-ready images prime your pages for better SEO scores.
- Aesthetics – Some image formats preserve details better than others, even after compression. You want an image format that looks great for that polished, high-quality, and professional look ? Each image format is perfect for a particular use, so choose wisely.
- Responsive design – Nowadays, users visit your website on a variety of devices with varying browsers and screen sizes. You need to go for responsive image file types that are supported in a majority of browsers. On top of that, you need images that look amazing on a variety of screens. More about this later.
- Consistency – For consistency’s sake, we suggest sticking to one main file type for your images. You can use other file formats on an on-demand basis or depending on your needs, but one or two formats should be plenty.
That aside, let’s talk about available image file types.
Available Image File Types
Hidden from many beginners is the fact that there is a world of image formats out there. Yap, there are hundreds of image file types that we would need an eBook to cover them all. Don’t worry, though; we only focus on image formats that are perfect for WordPress
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This article was written by Freddy and originally published on WPExplorer.