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We’ve all been there… and then left shortly after. Been where? That website that took so long to load you went back to Google and clicked a different website instead. With it factoring heavily into Google’s ranking algorithm as well as website bounce rate increasing exponentially the longer a site takes to load, page speed which we went over in our 'Why is website speed so important?' post is becoming an increasingly important factor to consider when it comes to web design.

As well as the software that runs your website (ie WordPress), and/or the hosting speed, there is another crucial factor that can be controlled to increase page speed, and that is images. Google is actually looking to see if you’ve chosen the right types of files for use on the web so that your site will load as fast as possible.

Using the appropriate file type for your images is very important for Google's ranking algorithms

Should I be resizing & compressing my images?

Resizing images is very important. If you have a 2400px wide image, and all you need is a 500px wide image on the site, even resizing inside your CMS will require it to compress all the information in the 2400px image. This makes your image far larger to begin with. You can resize images with plenty of free online tools.

TinyPNG uses smart lossy compression techniques to reduce the file size of your PNG files. By selectively decreasing the number of colors in the image, fewer bytes are required to store the data. The effect is nearly invisible but it makes a very large difference in file size!

At DEENCE, we make sure that all of our web design projects use the best image optimisation methods to get your site achieving that coveted place on Google’s first page. This includes making sure to use the correct file types where appropriate, as well as utilising data compression. Data compression is a technique in which the amount of data in an image is reduced without the loss of information.

Remember that for every second you shave off of load time, you’ll boost customer confidence and trust in your site, and sow the seeds that will encourage them to tell others about you.

If you're in need of a super-fast, image optimised website, please do not hesitate get in touch and we'll help you out!