Image Compression in Web Design: Why It Still Matters in 2024
Why Compressing Images Is Essential
In 2024, there’s a lingering misconception that image compression isn't as critical as it once was. However, optimizing your images still significantly ensures your website loads quickly, offers a great user experience, and ranks better on search engines like Google.
Let’s explore why it matters, particularly for platforms like Squarespace, and some practical tips for making the most of it.
The Problem with Unoptimized Images
Take our PixelHaze Academy website as an example. While we don’t use video content, we have a variety of graphics:
Transparent images to maintain a clean design.
Vibrant blog thumbnails optimized for social sharing.
Detailed hero images with subtle overlays for branding consistency.
Each of these images adds weight to the page load. Without proper compression, these can slow down your site, affecting:
User experience: Visitors don’t wait for slow-loading pages, especially on mobile.
Search engine rankings: Google prioritizes speed because it values what your audience values—a seamless experience.
If two competing websites are equal in other areas, the one with faster load times is more likely to rank higher. Google’s algorithm considers over 200 ranking signals, and speed is a big one. This means poorly optimized images could push your page down in the search results.
Different Approaches for Different Audiences
Understanding your audience is key when deciding how much to compress your images. Here are two scenarios:
For transactional content (e.g., selling a USB-C adapter): Speed is everything. Your audience just wants to buy quickly. Long load times or unnecessary animations will frustrate them.
For portfolio or service-based websites (e.g., a professional photographer): Your audience expects high-quality visuals. Over-compressing can degrade the perceived quality of your work, even if the site loads faster.
This "horses for courses" approach means balancing speed with maintaining the integrity of your visuals, depending on the context of your site.
Practical Tips for Image Compression
Squarespace’s Built-In Compression
Squarespace automatically creates four sizes for each uploaded image to optimize for different devices. However, this doesn’t remove unnecessary parts of the image. For example:
If you upload a large image but only need a small thumbnail, cropping in Squarespace ensures only the required portion is loaded.
Use Squarespace’s photo editor to crop images to your desired dimensions. For instance, cropping a portrait photo into a square thumbnail can reduce load times without sacrificing quality.
Using External Tools
For more control, external tools like Compressor.io are a game-changer:
Upload high-quality images to Compressor.io.
Compress them to reduce size without noticeable quality loss.
Download the optimized images and upload them to your Squarespace asset library.
This extra step ensures your images are as light as possible before Squarespace applies its automatic resizing.
Should You Compress Images in Canva?
Personal opinion: Avoid relying on its compression options if you use Canva for design. While Canva can export images as JPEGs or PNGs, the compression level isn’t as fine-tuned as tools like Compressor.io. Instead:
Export high-quality images from Canva (90% or higher).
Run them through Compressor.io or a similar tool before uploading them to your website.
Workflow for Professional Designers
Here’s a streamlined workflow for handling images:
Choose and crop images: Use Adobe Stock or Unsplash for high-quality visuals and crop them to the ratios needed for your design.
Compress: Batch upload images to a tool like Compressor.io for fast, high-quality compression.
Organize: Store compressed images in a dedicated folder in your Squarespace asset library for easy access.
Optimize for the platform: Ensure each image fits its use case—a hero image, thumbnail, or background.
Wrapping Up
Optimizing images may seem like a small detail, but it can significantly impact your site’s performance, user satisfaction, and search engine rankings. Whether you’re a professional designer or building your website, taking a few extra minutes to compress and crop your images properly will save time and headaches in the long run.
What tools do you use for image compression?
Have you tried any other workflows?
Let me know in the comments or drop your questions in our Skool community. And don’t forget, free membership at PixelHaze Academy gives you access to even more tips and tricks for improving your web design skills.
Cheers,
Elwyn
