Images are usually the heaviest thing on a web page, so the format you choose has a direct impact on load time, Core Web Vitals and ultimately your Google ranking. In 2026, the answer for most sites is clear.
Default to WebP
WebP is now supported by every major browser and consistently beats JPG and PNG on file size. Converting your photos to WebP typically shaves 25–35% off their weight with no visible quality loss — a free speed boost. Use our Image to WebP converter to migrate existing images.
Compress before you upload
Format alone isn't enough. Always compress images to a sensible size before publishing — most web photos look great at 100–200KB. Oversized images are the single most common cause of slow pages. Run them through Reduce Image Size or a target tool like Reduce Image to 100KB first.
Right-size your dimensions
Don't ship a 4000px-wide photo into a 800px-wide column. Resize images to roughly the largest size they'll actually display. Combined with WebP and compression, this keeps pages fast on mobile networks.
A simple workflow
- Resize to the maximum display width you need.
- Convert to WebP.
- Compress to a target size (100–200KB for most photos).
- Add descriptive alt text for accessibility and SEO.