Compress images to balance quality and page speed.
- Compress images to balance quality and page speed6 cited sources4 categories
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Why this matters
Reducing image file size improves page load times, user experience, and Core Web Vitals without sacrificing visual quality.
Hypothetical standard operating procedure
Adapt this example to your site, access, tools, and change process. It is our suggested procedure, informed by the sources below.
- Resize images to actual displayed dimensions before compression.
- Use image optimization tools (e.g., imagemin, Squoosh) to reduce file size.
- Remove metadata like EXIF or ICC profiles.
- Run Lighthouse audits to identify and fix oversized images.
- Incorporate compression into the content upload or CI/CD pipeline.
Watch for
Overly large images or uncompressed originals cause slower loading and poor SEO ranking signals.
Definition of done
Hero images under 200 KB and inline images under 100 KB with clear visual fidelity.
Sources & attribution
Original checklist wording and example SOP by Best SEO Checklist, using source-grounded AI assistance. Editorial contact: Ted Kubaitis, @tedkubaitis on Teams. Check current source guidance before implementation.