In this article · 9 sections
On most small-business websites, images make up the majority of page weight. A homepage slider with five 3 MB photos straight from a phone camera can take many seconds to load on mobile data. Optimising images is the quickest speed win available — and it helps image SEO too.
Choose the right format
| Format | Use for |
|---|---|
| WebP | Photos and graphics — much smaller than JPEG/PNG at similar quality; supported by all modern browsers |
| AVIF | Even smaller files for photos; good support in modern browsers — provide a fallback if needed |
| JPEG | Fallback for photos |
| PNG | Only where you need transparency and WebP isn't possible |
| SVG | Logos and icons |
Resize before uploading
Don't upload a 4000 px wide photo for a space that displays at 800 px. Typical sizes: hero images around 1600–1920 px wide, content images 800–1200 px, thumbnails 300–500 px. Use srcset to serve smaller images to phones.
Compress
Aim for hero images under about 200 KB and content images under 100 KB where possible. Free tools: Squoosh, TinyPNG, or your CMS's optimisation plugin. Check visually — quality 70–80 is usually enough for photos.
Lazy load (but not the hero)
Add loading="lazy" to images below the first screen so they load only when needed. Don't lazy-load the main hero image — it slows down your LCP score.
Prevent layout shift
Always include width and height attributes so the browser reserves space and the page doesn't jump.
Alt text and file names
- File names:
innova-crysta-taxi-ludhiana.webp, notIMG_20260412.jpg. - Alt text: describe the image for someone who can't see it — "White Innova Crysta taxi parked at Delhi airport Terminal 3".
- Don't stuff keywords into alt text.
Use original photos
Real photos of your team, products and work build more trust than stock images and can appear in Google Images for local searches.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will WebP images look worse?
At sensible quality settings, most people can't see the difference — but the file is much smaller.
Do I need a CDN for images?
It helps sites with many images or visitors from multiple countries; small local sites often do fine with good hosting and compression.
Does alt text help SEO?
Yes — it helps Google understand images and improves accessibility.
Make your site lighter
Joboo Web optimises images and speed on business websites. See Core Web Vitals explained or contact us.