Optimizing images is crucial for maintaining a fast and efficient WordPress website. Large image files can slow down your site, negatively affecting user experience and SEO rankings. It also has a significant impact on your website’s sustainability.
If you’re thinking “that’s great, but how do I optimize my WordPress website images?”, don’t worry, there’s a simple solution to this issue. Let us introduce you to Imagify, a powerful tool designed to optimize WordPress website images effortlessly.
In this blog post, we’ll explore what Imagify is, the benefits of using it, how to install it, and which settings to use for optimal performance.
What is Imagify?
Imagify is a comprehensive image optimization plugin for WordPress that compresses and resizes your images without compromising their quality. Developed by WP Media, the same team behind WP Rocket, Imagify aims to make your website faster by reducing the file size of your images, thereby improving load times and overall site performance.
What are the Benefits of Using Imagify?
Enhanced Website Performance:
Optimizing images with Imagify can significantly improve your website’s performance. Smaller image files mean faster loading times, which enhances the user experience and reduces bounce rates. This is particularly important for mobile users who may have slower internet connections.
Improved SEO Rankings:
Search engines prioritize websites that load quickly. By optimizing your images, Imagify helps boost your site’s speed, leading to better SEO rankings. This can result in more organic traffic and better visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs).
Reduced Carbon Footprint:
By compressing your images, Imagify reduces the amount of bandwidth your site consumes. This is beneficial for both you, your visitors, and the planet, as it leads to lower hosting costs, quicker access to your content and less energy consumption.
Easy Integration and Automation:
Imagify integrates seamlessly with WordPress and can automatically optimize images as you upload them. This automation saves time and ensures that all your images are consistently optimized.
How to Install Imagify?
Step 1: Take a backup of your website.
Step 2: Log into your WordPress Admin Panel.
Step 3: Navigate to the Plugins section from the left-hand menu, and click “Add New”.
Step 4: Search for Imagify and look for a plugin developed by WP Media.
Step 5: Click the “Install Now” button and once installed click “Activate”.
Step 6: Sign up for a free Imagify account. Follow the instructions to create your account and obtain your API key.
Step 7: Enter your API key in the Imagify settings page, so that you can start optimizing your images.
Imagify Settings to Optimize WordPress Website Images
In the Imagify settings page, you’ll find several options to customize the plugin to your individual needs. You can locate these settings by clicking on “Settings” in the WordPress admin panel and then clicking “Imagify”. While every site has different needs, below you will find what we consider to be the recommended settings for optimal performance. If you did not backup your website before installing the plugin, we highly recommend you do so now.
General Settings:
Auto-Optimize Images on Upload:
Enabling automatic optimization ensures that all images are compressed as soon as they are uploaded.
Backup Original Images:
Enabling this option keeps a backup of your original images. This is useful in case you need to revert any changes.
Lossless Compression:
Unless you are an artist, where the focus of your site is specifically on image quality, you can leave this unselected.
Advanced Settings:
Next-Gen Image Format
Enable WebP format conversion for compatible browsers. WebP images are smaller in size compared to JPEG and PNG formats, further enhancing load times.
We recommend you use the <picture> tag, as many hosts no longer support the .htaccess file.
Resizing of the Media Library
We recommend keeping the default value here, unless your theme requires a different value. If so, you should get a specific error telling you the necessary value when you save.
Compressing Your Images
Once you’ve configured your Imagify settings, click on “Save & Go To Bulk Optimizer”. This is where the real magic happens.
Make sure your media libary is selected and click on “Imagif’em All”. Then sit back, and your WordPress website images are optimized to perfection.
Note: If you have a custom theme with a lot of images, you will also want to optimize the images from your site’s folders. It doesn’t hurt to take backups of your site before you do so, especially if your host offers on-demand backups.
Are You Ready to Optimize Your WordPress Website Images?
By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can install Imagify, configure the optimal settings, and reap the benefits of improved website performance, better SEO rankings, and a reduced carbon footprint.
Using Imagify not only enhances your site’s speed and user experience but also contributes to higher search engine rankings, ensuring your content reaches a wider audience. Start optimizing your images with Imagify today and enjoy a faster, more efficient WordPress website.
