This article is from a previous WordPress Norwich Meetup giving live WordPress Support, this is archived and may not be up to date.
This month at the WordPress Norwich Meetup we discussed media management in WordPress. The key areas included:
- Optimising images
- SVGs
Optimising WordPress images with a plugin
We discussed how optimising images is very important for Website Performance and for Search Engine Optimisation. The following image optimisation tools were recommended as WordPress plugins:
ShortPixel is a paid for WordPress Plugin for image optimisation but also comes with a limited free version. ShortPixel has multiple compression options, these are Lossy, Glossy and Lossless. Lossy is the best for most because it produces the smallest image file size so it’s great for performance. Glossy is best if you’re happy to compromise some performance for higher quality imagery. Lossless is mid-way between Lossy and Glossy, it gives a smaller file size whilst keeping a good quality image. ShortPixel also supports creating of WebP images, which is a newer lightweight image format from Google. WebP lossless images are 26% smaller in size compared to PNGs. WebP lossy images are 25-34% smaller than comparable JPEG images at equivalent SSIM quality index.
TinyPNG uses lossy compression to reduce the file size of JPG and PNG images. TinyPNG uses compression techniques that decrease the image file size but makes the changes close to unnoticeable. The WordPress TinyPNG plugin allows for the first 500 images per month to be optimised for free.
Optimising WordPress images with an app
The following tools are recommended for use on a MacBook or Windows computer for batch image optimisation:
ImageOptim is a batch processing tool application that can be customised for different optimisation needs. To get the same or better compression as services such as TinyPNG, enable the Lossy minification option.
Optimising WordPress images with a CDN
The following services were recommended for hosting images off-site using a Content Delivery Network:
Cloudflare Pro allows resizing, cropping, compression, or convert images to WebP to reduce bandwidth costs and increase performance. It comes with Mirage and Polish which speeds up and optimises image delivery for website visitors based on device.
Cloudinary automates the process of optimising and delivering images for every device, at all bandwidths. This service securely stores images in the cloud with revision history and recovery. All media can be managed using a REST API and Cloudinary is GDPR compliant, but it is always recommended to read their privacy policy.
SVGs in WordPress
SVG is a vector image commonly used to display logos and icons on websites. SVG’s are popular because they are scalable with a smaller file size and stay good quality on HD displays. SVG’s are not enabled in WordPress by default due to potential security concerns. The Safe SVG WordPress Plugin can be used to prevent SVG security vulnerabilities. Read about SVG’s including performance benefits by clicking here.
Further reading and future Norwich meetups
You can read much more about image optimisation in WordPress from the Kinsta blog, by clicking here. We would love to have you join our next WordPress Norwich Meetup and learn more about what you do to keep your website media optimised.
